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Humanities LibreTexts

1: Introduction to Drawing

  • Page ID
    437114
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    Welcome to Drawing! I am excited to have you in this course and to see the creativity, growth, and individual perspective that each of you will bring to your work. This course is designed to be a fun, supportive, and engaging introduction to drawing. You do not need to have previous drawing experience to be successful. What matters most is your willingness to try, practice, observe, and continue improving throughout the semester.

    Drawing is more than making something look realistic. It is a way of seeing, thinking, problem-solving, and expressing ideas. Throughout this course, you will learn how to slow down and look carefully at the world around you. You will explore how line, shape, value, texture, space, proportion, perspective, and composition can be used to create stronger drawings. These concepts may feel new at first, but each assignment is designed to help you build your skills step by step.

    We will use simple materials—pencil, pen, and paper—to explore many different drawing techniques. Even with these basic tools, you will discover how many different effects, styles, and ideas can be created. You will practice drawing from observation, experiment with mark-making, create value and shading, study perspective, and develop drawings that reflect both technical skill and personal meaning.

    As the semester moves forward, you will begin building a portfolio that shows your progress as an artist. Your portfolio will not only include finished drawings, but also practice work, sketches, revisions, and reflections that show how your ideas and skills are developing. One of the most important parts of this class is recognizing your own growth from where you begin to where you end.

    My goal is for this course to help you gain confidence in your ability to draw and to understand that art is a process. Mistakes, revisions, and challenges are all part of learning. I encourage you to ask questions, take creative risks, support your classmates, and be open to trying new techniques.

    This course is a journey, and my hope is that you will be able to see your artwork advance throughout the semester. As you learn new techniques, practice different drawing concepts, and take creative risks, your portfolio will begin to show your growth as an artist. Each assignment is an opportunity to build confidence, strengthen your skills, and discover what you are capable of creating.

    I look forward to working with you this semester and seeing the many ways you develop as artists.


    This page titled 1: Introduction to Drawing is shared under a CC BY license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Laura Kramer.

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