DRAWING AS FOUNDATION

To be able to paint realistically it is essential to be able to draw realistically. Many ongoing Artists slip up doing the more complex subject of painting too early without having profound education in drawing - the easier accomplished skill. Drawing trains the eyes. Practising drawing trains percepion to a high degree and sets the foundation for painting - that is working with color. Not until the student has mastered perception of form, he is able to switch to color.

THE CLASSICAL ATELIER

The student in a classical atelier starts by copying two dimensional references. Since the 19th century the ateliers use the references by Charles Bargue. Since one does not need the whole book but only a few references, one should look for them in the internet. Here and there one can find them in sufficient resolution for printing them out at home on a regular printer.

You can either look for those Bague plates by using Google or look here.

It is okay if you only have regular printer paper at home - for this purpose it is sufficient enough. Paper, pencils of different grades and a kneadable eraser is all you need.

YouTube Videos on how to make a Bargue drawing (two parts):

CAST DRAWING

After one has done successfully one, two or maybe five of the Bargue drawings with increasing level of difficulty, the student continues by drawing three dimensional objects. These are less line drawings but more mass drawings. Not only perception of line, angles and distances but also perception of values is learned here. In order to not being distracted by color, these three dimensional objects are made of (white) plaster cast which form a particular pattern of light and shade by being lit from one direction. The primary goal of this practise is how light behaves on a three dimensional object. The ateliers make use of anatomical sculptures like a nose, ear or eyes, later on larger facial areas and complete busts.

You can buy drawing casts for a favorable price with our online form.

NO SHORTCUTS

One should always be aware that the classical approach trains the eye and optical perception to a degree that one does not need optical tools. These can be indeed counterproductive, since they can be a source of errors, one is not concious about it immediately. The end result often is a painting that is somehow not correct. For example a projector can cause a distortion caused by the roundness of the lens. If one draws such a projected template it will be distorted and does not correspond with the perception one gets by observing precisely. The classical atelier dispenses with those shortcuts that most often hit the end of the road. With a sufficient education and discipline it is possible to train ones perception to a degree that those tools will be surpassed. Our eye - and the brain - percieves even the slightest error.