• Introduction-Intermediate
  • Drawing

This ONLINE class is an introductory level class in life drawing. it's also a great follow-up to 008 ONLINE: Life Drawing Basics Gesture and Line.

Give your drawings more impact and dimensionality and focus on the volumes of the human form, and methods to show their sculptural volumes through line and through values (lights and darks).

Classes will involve instructor demos, support material and lots of drawing time. Working through a series of guided exercises, we will consider the masses and surface volumes of people (we will work with models online via Zoom). We will investigate cross-contour and contour hatching. Shading approaches using conte crayon and charcoal will also be explored. 

Each class will be a springboard for recommended at-home exercises, to be shared at the start of the following class.

It is recommended that students have had some prior figure drawing/gesture drawing experience, or at least an introduction to drawing basics as this course is not recommended for absolute drawing beginners.


Spring 2021: 5 Weeks: Tuition: $235 + Model fee: $60 = $295

TSA will deliver this course using ZOOM. Prior to the course session, you will receive an invitation for the session(s) via email. You'll need a laptop, desktop or tablet, internet connection with good bandwidth and headset (either wired or wireless). We recommend that you set up a free ZOOM account and be familiar with ZOOM prior to the class beginning.  Here is a link to help you get started: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/200101697

Notes: Instructor Thomas Hendry, is a Toronto-based artist and has been an instructor at the Toronto School of Art since 1996. His drawings, shown in numerous exhibitions, use the means of traditional art to create contemporary images, images that address the beauty, mystery and complexity embodied in the human form. In addition to teaching at TSA, Thomas is an instructor at Sheridan College and has taught at The Haliburton School of Fine Arts, the AGO Gallery School, through the TDSB and OCAD Outreach Program.
* This course is not currently open for registration

What you will learn

  • Describing the shapes/silhouette of body masses
  • Using line to communicate surface volumes
  • Ways to help control proportions in a drawing
  • Basic principles of light and shadow and how that can show surface volume
  • Ways to use dry media (conte/charcoal/graphite) to show values

Materials to Bring

Please keep your receipts to all purchases in case you need to return any materials.

Students will supply their own materials (paper, ballpoint pen & pencil, conte crayon). Depending on availability, there are Dollar Store/Walmart/Staples alternatives for all exercises.

  • Paper: newsprint ideal, other sketchbook or photocopier bond okay
  • Kneaded eraser
  • Drawing tools: 1 stick of `B' conte crayon, one stick of 1/4" willow charcoal, 1 stick of compressed charcoal or soft black pastel. one stick of red-brown chalk, a soft 3B or 4B graphite pencil (a `woodless' graphite pencil is a good option) or a Medium soft charcoal pencil
  • Support: unless you are working flat on a table, a rigid drawing board and a sturdy 1" bulldog clip to secure your paper
  • Plus any drawing materials that you may already have