3 days course – Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, workshop from 10.30pm to 17.30pm in the gallery

Who is the course for?
People interested in communicating through drawing. No experience required – the structure of the course means that it’s suitable for people of all abilities.

Course content:
 ‘Returning to Drawing’  is like no other drawing course in London.  Everyone has experience of drawing – as a child. Yet we often give up. Open to anyone interested in drawing, this course will re-invigorate your hand and your eye. We draw on a range of influences – from performance to gestalt and observational drawing. We draw on surrealism as well, using some of their techniques for tapping the creative potential of the subconscious.

The course is designed to develop confidence and variation in your drawing. Each day and sessions focuses on a different aspect of drawing in order to develop a broader understanding of drawing. The final day will explore drawing and printmaking.

Aims:
1. By the end of the course you will have broadened your understanding of the materials and activities engaged in drawing.
2. You will begin to discover your personal approach to drawing
3. You will become familiar with the application of drawing in printmaking

Materials – except for those used at home, will be provided.

Course tutors : John Phillips with Darren van der Merwe.

More information on ‘Returning to Drawing’

Led by artist John Phillips, this 3 day course will help you :
Discover your personal approach to drawing
Broaden your understanding of the materials and activities engaged in drawing
Become familiar with the application of drawing in printmaking

During the course, you will complete a number of drawing exercises in class. There will be drawing assignments for you to complete in your own time. You will receive guide notes on drawing. You will be given opportunities to discuss your work with the tutor.

John Phillips is an artist, photographer and printmaker. Drawing underpins most of his work. John is full-time Director of londonprintstudio where he also teaches on the studio’s MA programme. He studied sculpture at Sheffield Polytechnic (now Sheffield Hallam University), and has a PhD in Fine Art from the University of Brighton. His work is held in a number of collections including V&A, International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam, and Rhode Island School of Design.

Session 1

When Words Get in the Way 

‘We are so dependent on language that it blinds us to the world’

Exploring different drawing materials (paper + drawing materials)

Gesture drawing exercises

Mark as metaphor

Individual drawing session with tutor support

Session 2

Looking, seeing and representing

Different approaches to drawing,  representation and thinking -exercises

Different ways of seeing and observing  - exercises

Individual drawing session with tutor support

Session 3

Fields of vision, and communicating visual ideas 

Fields of vision -task

Recognising / representing – exercise

Developing expression – exercise

Individual drawing session with tutor support

Session 4

The Right Way to Draw

Creating the ‘right’ drawing – exercise

Composition – exercises

Individual drawing session with tutor support

Session 5

Drawing to print (in the Print Studio with Darren van der Merwe)

Approaches to drawing in printmaking:-

Different mark qualities of different print processes

Connections between drawing and drawing for print

Breaking an image to reconstruct it

Individual drawing session with tutor support

Darren van der Merwe is the Print Studio Co-ordinator at londonprintstudio. Educated at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, Darren is a multi-disciplinary artist currently based in London