Art News

Learning the Skills of Life Drawing

It is always wonderful to have visiting professionals in school, and we were excited to welcome Charlotte, an artist and former Royal Academy life drawing tutor, along with her model Anna for a workshop on drawing from the figure.

As anticipated, our students were challenged to draw not just from direct observation, but also to harness self-expression and imagination in some extraordinary work. Charlotte encouraged students to look closely at muscles and sinews, considering the anatomy of the human form in order to make sense of each pose. She directed them to use a wide range of mark making techniques, avoiding the temptation to simply create outlines. Our cohort of 27 students worked on the floor with charcoal and pastels: anyone who was tempted to revert to their own ‘safe’ way of working discovered that Charlotte’s black socks proved to be highly effective erasers!

At the end of the workshop we were all exhausted but truly inspired. Many of our Upper Sixth artists are sending off portfolios for applications to Art and Design related courses, so this was a great opportunity for them to be able to add in some strong life drawing. JUDITH RENFREW Head of Art