Drawing is a meditation on time and idea – not to be confused with rendering, which is only a small part of the drawing process. This workshop gives you a chance to really sit down, slow down, clear your mind and watch where your pencil takes you.
For example, there is a technique of automatic drawing, used by the surrealists as a way of putting whatever came to mind down on paper. Paul Klee called it “taking a line for a walk.”
Finding the right drawing implement is also important. Some prefer drawing with a pen and ink vs. a pencil or charcoal. Using homemade pens made from twigs or pop cans can bring novelty into play and begin a whole new experience.
Another technique I find very useful is draw-through monotype: putting a piece of paper down on an inked surface and drawing on the back with a sharp object or a pencil, drawing blind and seeing the result after the paper is turned over. The ink adds unplanned finishing elements to the drawing and this encourages you to repeat the experience to see what happens next.
At my studio, you can try any of these approaches and find what works for you, so you’ll want to continue drawing and stockpiling ideas on paper for later use.
Regarding “without purpose” – of course there is purpose to this class and to the act of using a pencil etc to draw – here we are simply encouraging a different kind of purpose, separate from “true life drawing”, which a lot of people see as the only legitimate purpose to drawing.
July 21, 10 – 4 at my studio (Sunday)– Fee: $ 85, min 2, max 4 participants
August 8, 10 – 4 at my studio (Thursday)– Fee: $ 85, min 2, max 4 participants
August 27, 10 – 4 at my studio (Tuesday)– Fee: $ 85, min 2, max 4 participants
Sept 13, 10 – 4 at my studio (Friday)– Fee: $ 85, min 2, max 4 participants
Drawings on Larry’s website “notice what you notice”
TNT (pen and ink)
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summer (pen and ink)
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ink on napkin
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draw-through monotype
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pen and ink
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pen and ink
all images copyright Larry Calkins
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