Discover Drawing: Observation and Expression for Beginners

Do you want to learn to draw in a way that’s responsive to the unique qualities of your subject? And to the expressive effect of your drawing’s abstract elements?

This course introduces beginners to the crucial but often overlooked fundamentals of drawing. You'll learn to see and record your subject in a unified way through attention to proportion, alignment, structure, perspective, and light and shade, while at the same time increasing your awareness of the expressive effects of your drawing’s abstract elements. You'll draw in pencil, chalks and ink from subjects including plaster casts, still life objects, the historic National Art School campus and the life model, and also study artists’ drawings from many eras that are outstanding for their responsive and expressive qualities.

* Please note: There are two course breaks in Term Two due to public holidays. There will be NO class on: Saturday 25 April and Saturday 6 June.

• NAS Short Courses are open to students of ages 16 years and over. The NAS Art Club is open to students between 15 - 17 years of age.

• Drawing and painting short courses may be held in upstairs studios. If access to stairs is not suitable, please contact us at short.courses@nas.edu.au.

• What to bring? Please refer to the list of required materials in the Art Materials field below. 

Art Materials

Students must supply their own art materials, please refer to the list below.

Materials required for the first class:

• A4 sketchbook

• Progresso (solid woodless graphite) pencils – 2B, 4B

• Pencil sharpener or Stanley knife

• Pencil eraser

Additional materials (to be discussed in first class):

• Cartridge paper A2/A3 size – loose sheets or pad

• 2 bulldog clips

• Black and white conte crayons

• Grey/brown toned paper

• Selection of fine point pigment ink pens

• Small (A5 or similar) sketchbook with smooth paper

Enclosed footwear is essential in all studios on campus.