I’ve been watching several online painting demos lately. While it’s been great to see how other people work, I consistently see very little information about the set up. Artists tend to lightly draw 8 lines on the paper, then immediately jump into painting with little or no explanation or analysis of the image. For example, they may show a street scene in which the angle of the roof line is simply eyeballed, and there is no explanation as to why the line is angled the way it is, no understanding of the basic bones of the image. Honestly, I find it a little frustrating!
Well, this is a BIG reason as to why I teach drawing and painting. I LOVE explaining the parts that others don’t explain because they either feel it’s not necessary, or they don’t know how to explain it themselves. I know that there is a reason that roof line is angled the way it is–it’s going to a vanishing point at eye level! This stuff isn’t rocket science. It’s not hard, you just need to know what to look for.
Which brings me to the reason for this post. This August–yes, it’s coming up soon–I’m slated to teach a workshop at MISA Madeline Island School of the Arts on Madeline Island, Wisconsin that we are calling Perspective Sketching Master Class. Don’t be fooled by the title…YOU will become a master of perspective in five days! MISA has hosted many wonderful urban sketchers in the past, and I’m thrilled that now it’s my turn! We will even get to sketch inside this lovely little church on the island shown above!
You may ask, why go all the way to a little Island in Wisconsin to take a sketching workshop? It’s because this opportunity is unique and something I’ve wanted to do for a long time: we will work BOTH in the studio AND outdoors on location! It’s a hybrid workshop that will accelerate your learning. Some days, I’ll give PowerPoint presentations that explain the basics of perspective like in a seminar or college class, and then we work from photos in the studio because frankly, it’s easier to learn the concepts this way. You won’t have to guess about perspective anymore as you’ll learn WHY things look the way they do! I’ll show you how to break down the basics and analyze the image in perspective, transfer it to your paper, and then use the concepts to create a watercolor sketch (yes, plenty of watercolor technique too!) Other times, we will apply the principles you’ve learned OUTSIDE to sketch on location in a-la Urban Sketcher. It’s really two workshops in one, taught two ways–both in the studio and plein air in which you’ll be immersed in learning one and two-point perspective, arches, trees, and even wide-angle or 3-point perspective!
I’m really excited to have this opportunity to teach this special workshop, and I hope that you might consider joining me August 12-16. I promise that you will learn loads, and it will be really fun. A chance to have a sort of sketching retreat. I can’t wait, and I hope to see you there! Time is running out, so sign up soon. Info is HERE. Thanks for your interest!
Drawing Perspectives 