Creative Connections: Basic Drawing

Learn the basics of drawing with Barberton City Schools art teacher Tom Suppan. This class is two consecutive Saturdays.

Day 1: Mastering the Building Blocks (Shapes, Pencil, & Charcoal)

The first session is all about experimenting and building comfort with your tools. You will begin by learning the differences between the precision of graphite pencils and the smooth, smudgy depth of willow and compressed charcoal during a hands-on medium. From there, you will learn how to map shapes, training your eye to look at a complex item and break it down into a series of flat surfaces called planes, or a round object like an apple from a circle. We will learn how to create distinct values with charcoal and pencil and create a 5-step value scale.

After mastering a 5-step value scale ranging from pure white to deep black, you will pull all of these new skills together to complete a "mini" still life using a simple, guided 2-to-3-object arrangement.

The first session is on Saturday August 15th, 2PM - 4:30 PM

Day 2: Guided Large Still Life

The second session takes your foundational skills from the first and scales them up for a striking finish. You will start by learning the art of thumbnail sketching to perfectly plan your composition and framing, helping you avoid the common trap of making a tiny drawing on a huge paper. Next, you will master sighting and proportions by using your pencil as a physical measuring tool to keep your entire arrangement accurately in scale. To bring the drawing to life, you will learn the trick of squinting to block in major shadow shapes first, utilizing deep compressed charcoals and kneaded erasers to pull out dramatic highlights. We will wrap up the workshop by celebrating your hard work with a supportive gallery walk to view and appreciate everyone's finished pieces.

The first session is on Saturday August 22nd, 2PM - 4:30 PM

Supplies Provided

• Fine graphite drawing pencils

• Willow/vine charcoal and compressed charcoal

• Kneaded erasers

• Premium drawing and large format paper

What to Bring

• Your curiosity and enthusiasm! (Don't worry about getting your hands a little dirty—messy charcoal is a sign of hard work!)

• Scrap paper or a notebook for ideas

About the instructor:

Tom Suppan has over 30 years experience teaching.

BFA – Drawing

BA – Art education

MA – Education

5 year Board Member of White Rabbit Galleries

This is a two-session course; it cannot be split, and missed classes will not be refunded. Participants must purchase the course and must cancel before the first day of class to receive a course refund. (Class registration required by August 14 @ 10pm.)

*Scholarships are available for all Creative Connections Courses for eligible applicants, subject to availability.

At White Rabbit Galleries it's our mission to provide arts education to our community and we believe that these classes should be accessible to all. White Rabbit’s Creative Connections Scholarship Fund offers full class scholarship opportunities for students 17 years and under and seniors 65 years and older with an interest in art and a financial need. This scholarship is intended to provide students with access to classes that will empower them creatively and nurture their artistic skills. We are fortunate that this fund is provided by a grant from ArtsForward by ArtsNow.

Ways to apply:

• Email: complete this form then email it to info@whiterabbitgalleries.org 

  
  

• Online: using a Google Form, https://forms.gle/YuztoyjSNpyoTyQP8 

• In Person: complete the above form (WRG Class Scholarship.pdf) then bring it to:

  • 571 W Tuscarawas Ave. Barberton, OH 44203

• Applications must be submitted one week prior to beginning of class.

Example image is Still life in landscape, Bodinnick, Cornwall, 1931-32, England, by Frances Hodgkins. courtesy of Unsplash