SPRING 2026 SESSION
Saturdays 10am-1pm PST. February 14th - April 18th
For cancellations, the deadline for a full refund is 7 days before class starts. After this there will only be a 50% refund. No refunds will be given once class beings. Please be aware that by signing up you are reserving a spot in the class that cannot be taken by someone else.
About the Class: Advanced Figure Drawing is for students who have a solid understanding of construction and anatomy and would like to take their drawings further. In this 10-week course we will explore a range of concepts and techniques meant to develop a stronger understanding of composition, design, and mark making. The first half of the class will focus on longer poses to slow down the decision making process and in the second half we will take those concepts and apply them to quicker sketches through shorthand to make the drawing and design process more intuitive.
Course level: This class is not for beginners and having an Analytical Figure Drawing or equivalent class/study under your belt is required. Experience in head drawing is also strongly recommended. If you are unsure whether you feel like you are ready, please send me an email with some examples of your current drawings for advice.
Class Format: This course will run for 10 weeks and will be taught through a combination of pre-recorded lectures and live critiques through Discord. Each week students will be given access to class lectures and we will then have a live, group critique session the following week to go over homework. We will also have a short live meeting the first week to go over class materials and to answer any additional questions students may have. Class will be limited to 6 students.
Homework: There will be homework assigned every week based on the lecture material. Estimated Weekly workload is around 5-8 hours.
Materials: This course will primarily be taught with traditional medium but some demos or critiques will be done digitally. For students traditional medium is encouraged but not required. Photoshop or Procreate are ok too! A supply list for materials along with recommended books will be emailed.
This week will be a review of the basics of gesture but with the added emphasis on using shape design to exaggerate/push the gesture of the figure.
Overview of basic gesture and proportions
Shape design and rhythms
Pushing the pose
Translating 2D shapes to 3D forms
This week is a review of the general construction and anatomy of the figure. We will use the same design concepts from week one to start the drawings but emphasis will be placed on figure completion and review of anatomy and rendering.
Construction process from gesture to simple forms, to anatomy
Rendering with hatching
line/hatching exercises
This week will continue with long poses but we will focus on designing using light, shadow.
Continue again with construction process from gesture, to simple forms, to anatomy
Designing graphic shadow shapes in relation to the 3D form
Composing with atmosphere
line/rendering exercises
This week we will break down styles and approaches of other artists. This week will set the tone for the rest of the class as students will be encouraged to bring in artists they are interested in studying which will be referenced through the rest of the class.
How to break down style
Incorporating style into your own drawing
This week is an overview of drawing heads and hands. We go over strategies for quicker studies. Topics from the Master Artist Study week will be incorporated
Simplified head construction and gesture
Bracketing
Simplified hair
Strategies for different angles
This week we will take the drawing concepts from previous weeks to develop more of a shorthand for drawing the figure in quicker poses.
Moving from gesture to simplified construction
Composing/designing the drawing with a focal point
Rendering strategies and mark making strategies
Anatomy as Structure
This week will continue with shorter poses but we will be mixing things up with doing more direct drawing (yest without a lay-in!)
Tracking proportion
Visualizing forms and perspective
The structure in mark making
This week we will explore alternative approaches to starting a drawing and finding forms. We will also touch on drawing from imagination.
Scribble drawing
Inventive drawing
This week we will go over technique and concepts for drawing with toned paper.
Toned paper mid tone
Saving time with toned paper!