Figure Drawing Techniques of the Old Masters, with Roberto Osti
The Philadelphia Sketch Club
Tuesdays 9am-12pm
NOTE DATE CHANGE- May 27 not
May 20th - July 1 not
June 24th
Sketch Club Members: $300
Non Sketch Club Member: $350
This in person Figure Drawing Master Class, open to all levels, is designed to give you the fundamental methods and techniques traditionally used by the Old Masters for figure drawing, expanding your technical capabilities and helping you to develop your personal style.
In the six sessions of this course, we will create artworks working from life, creating a number of figure drawings in a variety of dry media and techniques. Some of the techniques covered include measuring, the French Tonal System, the Florentine Structural System, reduction technique, and hatching.
I will also provide the participating artists with reference images of historical artworks to copy at home to continue practicing the techniques studied in class and further develop technical skills.
An important outcome of this course will be to learn to “read” the human figure and progress from copying to understanding the beautiful complexity of the human body.
We will be working from life, alternating a male and a female model weekly. During the sessions, I will also give short demonstrations to better explain the various techniques we will practice, during which you are invited to draw along with me.
I will also provide you with a few instructional videos where I demonstrate and discuss these topics, to give you the opportunity to review at your leisure the material discussed in class.
A variety of materials will also be discussed, such as types of paper, drawing implements, how to prepare various types of drawing surfaces and more, important body of knowledge to explore new artistic and expressive possibilities.
Materials
- Graphite pencils in 4B, 2B, B, HB gradations;
- Drawing paper: a pad of Strathmore Drawing, series 400, 12” by 18” or 11” by 14” or Strathmore Bristol medium surface series 300, 11” by 14”.
- Blending stump, erasers (mars plastic, kneaded eraser, Chamois, General’s Factis mechanical eraser or Tombow Mono Zero mechanical eraser.
- Sharpening tools and sand paper
- Gray or tan toned paper, Strathmore charcoal will do but you can also try Canson, Mi teintes, Fabriano, Hahnemuhle, Stonhenge
- Compressed Charcoal pencils. Generals (in hard, medium, soft and extra soft gradations) is a good and cheap brand, Wolff’s Carbon (B, 2B, 4B, 6B) is excellent but a little more expensive.
- White chalk in pencils or sticks,
We will discuss more about materials in class