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Essential Drawing Course for Beginners

Discover the essential drawing techniques that will help you create realistic and convincing artwork. Join the live online classes every Tuesday and learn how to draw portraits, still lifes, landscapes, and more using various mediums. Develop your skills and receive expert feedback for a well-rounded beginner artist experience.

  • Beginner
  • 15 and older
  • $525
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  • Virtual Classroom

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Start Dates (21)

  • $525/person
  • Full course: 12 classes + lifetime access to recordings
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  • Tue, Nov 05 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Nov 12 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Nov 19 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Nov 26 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Jan 07 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Jan 14 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Jan 21 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Jan 28 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Feb 04 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Feb 11 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Feb 18 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Mar 04 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
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  • Tue, Nov 12 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Nov 19 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Nov 26 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Jan 07 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Jan 14 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Jan 21 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Jan 28 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Feb 04 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Feb 11 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Feb 18 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Feb 25 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Mar 04 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
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  • Tue, Nov 19 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Nov 26 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Dec 24 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Jan 07 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Jan 14 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Jan 21 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Jan 28 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Feb 04 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Feb 11 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Feb 18 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Feb 25 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Mar 04 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Mar 11 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
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  • Tue, Nov 26 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Dec 03 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Dec 10 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Dec 17 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Dec 24 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Dec 31 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Jan 07 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Jan 14 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Jan 21 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Jan 28 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Feb 04 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Feb 11 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
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Show all 12 sessions
  • Tue, Jan 07 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Jan 14 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Jan 21 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Jan 28 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Feb 04 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Feb 11 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Feb 18 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Feb 25 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Mar 04 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Mar 11 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Mar 18 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  • Tue, Mar 25 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
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Class Description

Description

What you'll learn in this beginner drawing class:

You will learn the most important aspects of drawing from the very beginning. You will build the foundation for rendering basic objects and environments, and become ready to practice these techniques with more complex subjects in future drawings. All the techniques of the Essential Drawing Course are done in monochrome (black and white) so you can keep your focus on structure, tonality, shading, form, and texture.

This drawing course includes 12 online classes, and one free bonus Figure Drawing session on Saturdays. The Essential Drawing classes take place in real-time via Zoom. You can join the course at any time – each class is an independent technique.

Benefits:
  • Receive photo references for each technique
  • Watch the instructor’s demo
  • FREE bonus class to a Figure Drawing session on Saturdays
  • See what other students are creating in class
  • Ask questions & receive instructor critiques in real-time
  • Access to recordings for life

In 12 weeks you will learn all the basics of drawing: how to express the light, the form, the space, and how to bring any object to life on paper. The topics include landscape, interior, still life, floral bouquet, face, and other subjects. Materials you will be drawing with are pencil, charcoal, pen/ink, conte, and oil pastel. You can enter this course at any time, as each class is a stand-alone lesson. Home assignments are provided after each class so that you could practice the skill you learned in class, on your own, and strengthen it through this additional practice.

PLUS receive recordings of every class in the course. This will allow you to pause, rewatch, rewind, and replay any part of the course, for life.

Course Schedule:
  • Shading: Learn 12 shading styles inspired by techniques of the masters throughout history and find your style.
  • Shape: Learn to draw a floral bouquet with the Right-brain method called the Negative Shape Technique.
  • Volume: Learn to express 3-D and your point of view by using the power of line.
  • Tone: Render a realistic still life by creating smooth tonal transitions between light and shadow.
  • Composition: Learn the key principles of drawing and discover 15 ways to compose any subject.
  • Perspective: Learn to construct an interior in accurate one-point perspective.
  • Line: Learn from the Great Masters and practice 2 ways of correcting mistakes without an eraser or starting over.
  • Proportions: Learn a technique to achieve realistic portraiture without detailed lessons in anatomy.
  • Texture: Learn to express texture in a landscape and create near and distant planes through aerial perspective.
  • Right-Brain: Draw a Parisian interior upside down to practice drawing shapes instead of things.
  • Sketching: Learn to draw in quick hand.
  • Tonal Relationships: Learn the concept of Pushing-and-Pulling, which is used to achieve depth, realism, and elegance in a drawing.

Become an artist you've always dreamed of!

Supply List

Must have:

  • 9x12in drawing pad (or any size you’d like)
  • 4B pencils
  • Eraser
  • Sharpener
  • White glue or glue stick
  • Scissors
  • 18-inch ruler is preferred, but a 12-inch ruler is also fine

Optional but recommended:

  • Set of conté sticks
  • Set of willow charcoal sticks
  • Blending stumps OR paper towels OR q-tips
  • Brush marker (water resistant)
  • Workable fixative spray (must have for charcoal, conte crayon, or soft pastels (not for oil pastels.)
  • Black Blick Premium tempera paint (this tempera brand is the only tempera brand we recommend. All other brands are not worth purchasing.)
  • ‍Small airtight cup to keep diluted tempera in OR any small container works
  • ‍Calligraphy paint brush OR any bristle paint brush
  • Regular printer paper OR sketch paper
  • ‍Colored paper, OR post-it notes, OR even a brown paper bag

Remote Learning

This course is available for "remote" learning and will be available to anyone with access to an internet device with a microphone (this includes most models of computers, tablets). Classes will take place with a "Live" instructor at the date/times listed below.

Upon registration, the instructor will send along additional information about how to log-on and participate in the class.

Refund Policy

  • Cancellations made at least 2 business days in advance of the class will be honored with a refund less 5% cancellation fee.
  • Students who cancel less than 2 business days prior to the start time of the class will receive a credit towards a future class.
In the event that an instructor or the school needs to cancel at the last minute, students will receive a refund less a 5% non-refundable registration fee.

Reviews of Classes at Prima Materia Institute (4)

(5.0-star rating across 4 reviews)
  • Essential Drawing Course for Beginners

    Reviewed by Yvonne R. on 8/8/2024
    This was an awesome course. It helped me to start seeing the world like an artist and deepened my understanding of how to create images with pencil and paper.
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Questions & Answers (1)

Get quick answers from CourseHorse and past students.

Question from Ryan S.
Do I need to bring my own paper and pencils?
Answer from Brenda L. CourseHorse StaffCourseHorse Staff
Hi Ryan, yes you need to bring your own materials. For the materials list, click this link: http://prntscr.com/qmhngf
Answer Show answer
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