This weekend we’re doing something extra special. Craftsy is giving free, full access to an online drawing class (valued at $29.99) to one lucky EmptyEasel reader! The class is Sketchbooks: Drawing the Everyday, led by the talented Paul Heaston.
Click the link above to enter to win, or keep on reading below to learn more about what’s included in this class.
For many artists, a sketchbook is both a proving ground for new compositions and a way to document life unedited. But drawing skills don’t just come from thin air. . . it takes practice, and knowledge to get to that point where your sketchbook feels like an extension of yourself.
In Drawing the Everyday, Paul Heaston’s goal is to help artists—at any stage, but primarily beginners and intermediates—see the world around them in new ways, find compositions that inspire, and create sketches that capture those moments forever.
There are seven lessons that make up this class, all of them available online (in HD video) for as long as you need them. The winner of this giveaway will also be able to access Craftsy’s virtual classroom, where artists can ask Paul questions about the material and receive answer from him and other students.
So what’s in each section?
In lessons one and two, Paul covers the basic materials; sharing his own favorite brands of sketchbooks, pencils, and erasers. He also leads an exercise in contour drawing, and demonstrates how pencil drawing is a great way to improve your ability to draw realistic perspective and distance using a variety of line weights and textures.
Lessons three and four introduce additional media choices for on-the-go sketchers, such as pen and ink (great for adding dark shadows and values to a sketch through cross-hatching) and watercolors to add vibrant hues to your scenes.
Some of the watercolor instruction may be familiar to you if you’re already well-versed in watercolor painting, but the added bonus is that Paul uses these colors on location, demonstrating their value for quick studies and showing how to use them to add life to your sketches.
Speaking of “on location,” lesson five lists the essentials you’ll need to take on any sketching outing, as well as tips for capturing figures in movement and dealing with changing lighting in your scenes—two things which can be very problematic for artists.
Lastly, in lessons six and seven, Paul takes viewers on a step-by-step journey through the entire sketching process. He starts with instructions for creating a compelling composition, finding dynamic lines and movement within the scene, and then demonstrates his method for constructing the finished scene—blocking in large shapes and values, moving front to back within the field of view, etc.
The class covers a wide range of topics, and showcases a lot of examples of Paul’s work to give better understanding of the possibilities open to artists. If you’re NOT a consistent sketcher (and you’d like to become one!) this class will definitely open your mind to the different techniques you can use to get there.
Special thanks to Craftsy for sponsoring this post and offering a free class for one lucky reader. Contest ends Saturday the 13th of December at midnight. For full contest rules and additional class information, click here.
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