Drawing Light & Form 1 (Online Course)
Devin Cecil-Wishing
Time/Day TBD
11 weeks
Limit: 12 students for live class & unlimited students to audit
Take this class:
- if you’re interested in the idea of modeling three dimensional form.
- to begin your intensive journey through fundamental concepts to the GCA methodologies.
- if you’ve never drawn before or want to adapt your pre-existing skills to a more three dimensional representation.
Is this class for me?
- You want to learn the fundamentals of drawing using the GCA methodology.
- This class is open to all levels of experience. Beginners especially encouraged!
- Students provide their own plaster casts to work from halfway through the class. Links to order are provided on the materials list.
- This class is a prerequisite for Drawing Light & Form 2
Two study tracks:
- Tuition: $645 for students in live class: includes access to live class and ability to ask questions, join in group discussions and to receive weekly critiques of classwork. Also includes access to the recordings for the duration of the course plus thirty days.
- Tuition: $495 for students auditing: Auditors will get access to each of the weekly class recordings but not access to the live class or the option to receive critiques. Recording access is for the duration of the course plus thirty days.
Info on auditing
- This class is also open to students who wish to audit.
- Auditors will get access to each of the weekly class recordings but not access to the live class to receive critiques. Recording access ends thirty days after the class has finished.
- Auditors may fill out a form to submit questions and if there’s time at the end of a class, Devin will respond to inquiries.
- Recordings are sent within 24 hours after the end of each live class.
- Auditors start and end the semester at the same time as the live class.
- At the end of the semester, if any auditors have kept up with the class assignments, they may apply for any open spots in the live class for Drawing two. The Administration will follow-up with details when the registration period opens.
Online tech needs:
- The class will be conducted on the Zoom platform.
- The class is recorded so students can review. Recordings are posted within 24 hours of each class finishing into the google classroom.
- This class also uses Google Classroom to distribute materials. Watch this video for more insight.
Both of these services are free but require registration. - It will be necessary for students to have access to a computer, tablet or smartphone. The recommended device is a laptop or desktop.
“Devin is an amazing instructor. His critiques are very constructive and he works very hard to articulate how to help each artist with anything that they need help understanding so that they can achieve the GCA method of turning form. I have had so many “aha” moments in his class where the light bulb has turned on for me. I highly recommend taking his drawing classes.” – Kym
Course Description
In this course, students will push their ability to conceptualize light and form as we model in graphite to effect an illusion of three dimensionality. We will discuss the fundamentals and nuances of how light works with the aim of learning to depict light on a two dimensional surface. During this time, students will learn to think about their drawings in sculptural terms by utilizing a conceptual model of light fall which will allow for a greater sense of depth and volume in their finished drawings.
By starting without reference, students will learn to render their drawings conceptually. We will begin by working from imagination, picking a direction for a light source, and rendering simple geometric forms, three dimensionally. By temporarily taking away our subject matter, or visual reference, students will be forced to work out conceptually how their forms need to be relating to the light. As we progress, the projects will begin to include more and more variables, such as cast shadows, objects of different local values put together in one picture, and highlights (or specular reflections).
This will be a great and unique opportunity to push our conceptual understanding of light and form. Once students have moved through this series of exercises exploring light and form in pure, conceptual terms, we will return to studies from life with a whole new level of understanding in regards to how to model light and form in a convincing way.
During the second portion of the class, we will focus on taking the conceptual understanding that we built up in the first half and putting it into practice to create a more convincing illusion of reality in drawings done directly from life.
We will start by covering the basics of how to approach an initial linear drawing, or “block-in” focusing on the various techniques that we can employ as we strive for accuracy in shape, proportion and gesture. Using plaster casts as our subjects, we will then move straight into modeling form. During this time students will learn to think about their drawings in sculptural terms by utilizing the same conceptual model of light fall which was covered earlier. By learning how to analyze what the light is actually doing in real life, students will learn how to accurately translate visual information onto their drawings and take much of the guesswork and frustration out of the process. We will also be looking at optical illusions and discussing some of the quirks of our own visual processing which can often lead students to be fooled by some of the common visual tricks that our eyes play on us, leading to distortions in our drawings.
The class will include lectures and demonstrations by the teacher as well as one-on-one critiques with students. Time will also be spent discussing materials as well as some good, practical ways to set yourself up for success before you even begin your drawing.