Visual Arts Centre

The very first life drawings were found as part of prehistoric cave paintings. Today, life drawings are still constantly being produced by artists all around the world. Learning how to make sketches from life is rewarding, albeit challenging. Hence, there is no doubt that life drawing is an essential skill to any artist’s practice.

Here are some reasons why life drawing is practiced.

1.Challenges and improves your observational skills and draughtsmanship

Reproduction drawing (IV) (After the Leonardo cartoon), by Jenny Saville

Life drawing is a crucial skill to pick up in art practice. The human body is beautiful yet complex. When you are in a life drawing class, the model poses with various gestures and movements over several poses. This is during which you will have to observe and capture how the body appears when each movement and emotion is made. The more you look and observe, the more you see. Life drawing sessions are great for you to attempt to capture all the subtle details that build up the human form.

2. A great refresher for capturing proportions

Panthea 01 by Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum

Capturing the right proportions is one of the hardest skills to master. When you experience a life drawing session, there will be multiple poses within a session – you will have to work within a short period of time to capture the right form and proportions. Hence, life drawing sessions serve as great time for you to practice on capturing form and proportions at a fast and efficient manner.

3. Converse with the community of art enthusiasts

Studies for the Libyan Sibyl by Michelangelo Buonarroti

When you are at our life drawing class, you will be attending it with many other students and artists. You will have fun interacting and talking to fellow participants, observing their works and looking at the various styles of art. At the end of the day, you might be able to learn a thing or two from your fellow participants!

4. It is a unique experience every session!

Seated Figure of Mercury by Parmigianino

Whenever you join a life drawing session, the environment changes, the model may or may not be the same and the poses done would vary. As such, whenever you come for a life drawing session, you can look forward to a fresh experience.

5. The human form is beautiful!

Jamaal by Robert Zeller

Life drawing involves a model. When there is a life model in front of you, you will get to observe the beauty of the human form as you translate what you see on to your sketchpad. Hence, these life drawing sessions may perhaps be an introspective session for you and provides you the opportunity to relax and appreciate the human form.

6. Wonderful way of relaxation

Lesson FigureFigure drawing by Kenyon Cox

Life drawing sessions are usually very tranquil. When you come for life drawing sessions, you can get a quiet time to yourself, your pencil and paper. A 2.5 hours of relaxing figure drawing and sketching might just be all you need to unwind and settle down for the night.

Come join us for our nude and portrait life drawing sessions once every month, on Thursday evenings.

Sign up for our life drawing sessions using these links: Click here for more information on our nude life sessions! We are running a promotion, a 4 sessions life drawing pass for $180nett (U.P. $240nett).

All art materials are provided and light refreshments of biscuits and tea will be served.

*Course fees are nett priced and includes the hiring of life models, guidance by a professional instructor and all art materials.

As our figure drawing sessions involves nudity, the Nude Life drawing sessions are restricted to participants aged 18 and above.

Email us at [email protected] or call us at 6733 2155 for any enquiries!

Ideas extracted from these websites:

Visual Arts Cork: http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/figure-drawing.htm

Mark Mitchell: https://www.markmitchellpaintings.com/blog/the-importance-of-life-drawing-in-art/

What can you learn from the course?

For the 12 sessions art course, you will learn be able to try out at least 2-3 mediums in offered in our studio. Our studio currently offers – drawing and sketching, watercolour painting, acrylic painting and oil painting. Through the course of 12 sessions, you can choose the medium of your choice to work on first, before moving on to the next one. The flexibility to switch between mediums (e.g. after doing drawing and sketching, you can move on to oil painting!).

Student working on her oil painting. 学生正在画她的油画

Student using our still life sets for oil painting. 油画石膏写生

Student completing his own creative work. 学生在画自己的创作作品

Victor, our student using his mouth to paint his oil painting.  伟良同学用嘴叼画笔画出的油画作品

Student completing her creative oil painting. 学生在画自己的创作作品

Typical scene in our art studio – everyone is busy painting! 画室一角

Our Art Studio 画室一角

Student working on her watercolour landscape学生正在画水彩风景画

Student copying a watercolour work. 学生在临摹水彩花卉作品

Plaster cast sketch 石膏写生

Plaster cast sketch 石膏写生

Who is this course suitable for?

For students who are looking to try out all mediums, or would like to find the medium for your choice, you can look froward to grasping the foundation level of all mediums. For students who are looking to be really well versed in one medium (e.g. being really good at oil painting or drawing and sketching), we would recommend you to dedicate all sessions to focus and learn that sole medium, until you are well acquainted with it. Should you like to focus on one medium itself, you may reach a beginner – intermediate level of competency.

*Flexible schedule: Choose any lesson slot according to your preference!

参加我们的12堂专业绘画课程,可以学素描、油画、水彩、丙烯画的绘画技巧,课程由专业导师授课,适合零基础和不同的水平的提升,根据学员的绘画能力,量身定制个性化课程。

*我们的课程时间非常灵活,轻松自由,您可以任意选择上课时间。