11-Week Syllabus
Week 1
Lecture: Materials and physical setup; brief instructor demonstration.
In-Class Work: Experiment with the materials (charcoal, pencil, etc.) by
making different lines and tones; simple still life in charcoal.
Reading: Chapter 1: Getting Started
Homework: Two drawings of simple objects found at home.
Week 2
Lecture: The true appearance of objects in light; the absence of outlines
in the visible world; the different areas of light and dark that create
volume on simple forms; the basics of composition; seeing basic
shapes and placing them effectively on the page; scaling your
objects to the page and to each other (relative proportion); sighting
techniques; using positive and negative space; brief instructor
demonstration.
In-Class Work: Drawings in charcoal with objects similar to the basic
geometric shapes with an emphasis on dark/light contrast vs.
outlining.
Reading: Chapter 2: Basic Shapes and Learning to See
Homework: Set up a still life at home, using the concepts in terms of
lighting and placement that were presented in class. Do three
small, pencil drawings of the setup from different angles (about 40
minutes each).
Week 3
Lecture: Understanding value: seeing value, comparing value, and
creating value with your drawing materials; relating local color to
value; a detailed analysis of the values on a sphere.
In-Class Work: A charcoal still life using fruit or other simple objects that
are spherical in shape.
Reading: Chapter 3: Value and Spherical Shapes
Homework: Pencil drawings of spherical objects found in the home.
Week 4
Lecture: Understanding linear perspective, one-point perspective,
two-point perspective, and multipoint perspective; observing and
drawing cubic shapes; brief instructor demonstration.
In-Class Work: A charcoal still life featuring objects that have the cube as
an underlying structure.
Reading: Chapter 4: Linear Perspective
Homework: Pencil drawings of individual cubic objects.
Week 5
Lecture: Proportion and the rectangular shape; relating width to height
through the use of “sighting”; understanding the horizon plane (eye
level) and using it to unify your drawing; using value to give
rectangular shapes volume; brief instructor demonstration.
In-Class Work: A charcoal still life with rectangular objects of different
sizes, set up at different angles.
Reading: Chapter 5: Proportion and Rectangular Shapes
Homework: Four tonal pencil drawings of individual rectangular objects
found at home.
Week 6
Lecture: Elliptical perspective; upright cylinders; cylinders on their sides;
using value to give cylindrical forms volume; brief instructor
demonstration.
In-Class Work: A charcoal still life featuring cylindrical objects.
Reading: Chapter 6: Elliptical Perspective and Cylindrical Objects
Homework: Four individual tonal pencil drawings of objects found at
home.
Week 7
Lecture: Creating the illusion of space; foreground, middle ground, and
background; size and placement; overlapping objects; value and
the perception of space; conical shapes; upright cones; cones on
their sides; using value to give cylindrical forms volume; review of
linear perspective for all four basic geometric shapes; brief
instructor demonstration.
In-Class Work: A charcoal still life with cone-shaped objects against a
medium value background.
Reading: Chapter 7: The Illusion of Space and Conical Shapes
Homework: Four individual, tonal pencil drawings of cone-shaped objects
found at home.
Week 8
Lecture: Composition and complex shapes. 1. Principles of composition:
achieving unity through grouping, repetition, technique, and lighting;
establishing a focal point; creating visual balance; selecting a
viewpoint. 2. Complex shapes: seeing the four basic shapes in
complex objects; moving from the large simple shapes into detail.
In-Class Work: The class will make two different still-life setups, keeping in
mind the basis for their charcoal still life.
Reading: Chapter 8: Composition and Complex Shapes
Homework: Four tonal pencil drawings of objects with complex shapes
found at home.
Week 9
Lecture: Drapery: the form and volume of folds; colored fabrics;
patterned fabrics; textured fabrics; brief instructor demonstration.
In-Class Work: A charcoal drawing of one to three complex objects set
against or between two pieces of fabric. Students should compose
and light the still life.
Reading: Chapter 9: Drapery
Homework: Four tonal pencil drawings of pieces of clothing in different
contexts (on a hanger, folded neatly, tossed on a table, etc.);
emphasize the rendering of volumetric folds of the drapery.
Week 10
Lecture: Metal: understanding highly reflective surfaces; polished metal
reflects, rather than absorbs, light; seeing the distorted
environment in reflections; seeing and using the edges of reflective
shapes; brief instructor demonstration.
In-Class Work: A charcoal still life featuring one highly reflective metal
object, one that is somewhat reflective (possibly ceramic), and two
objects that have a dull surface.
Reading: Chapter 10: Metal
Homework: Four tonal pencil drawings of individual objects with highly
reflective surfaces.
Week 11
Lecture: Glass: clear glass; seeing volume in glass objects; seeing
through glass objects; the distortion in reflections and in what is
seen through the glass; highlights of different intensities; colored
glass; transparent versus opaque liquids; brief instructor
demonstration.
In-Class Work: A charcoal drawing of a still life, which includes three to
four glass objects, as well as one nontransparent object. One or
two of the glass objects should be of different colors or should be
filled with liquids of different colors.
Reading: Chapter 11: Glass
Homework: None. This is the final class.