Drawing the human form
Three-week practical evening course
2 May 2018 6.15 - 9.15pm9 May 2018 6.15 - 9.15pm16 May 2018 6.15 - 9.15pm
The Life Room, Royal Academy Schools
£250. Includes all materials, light refreshments on arrival and a drinks reception at the end of the final session.
Terms and conditions
Learn the essentials of drawing the human form, working from both male and female life models, while also exploring line and tone, anatomy and proportion, in the Royal Academy’s historic Life Room – a space purpose-built for life drawing – with practising artist Adele Wagstaff.
The representation of the human form has been a key subject of interest for artists since the earliest times. The representation of the body was of primary concern for Early Cycladic art and culture dating from 3200 BC. The human face and body were portrayed in both symbolic and realistic ways in Egyptian art dating back to 3000 BC. Ancient Greek sculptors championed the idea that the human body was the ideal subject for sculpture, and Roman artists captured the idealised yet remarkably life-like forms in masterpieces like the Motya Charioteer (created between 480 and 470 BC, now in the Museo Giuseppe Whitaker in Sicily) and Aphrodite Crouching at Her Bath (a Roman copy of a Greek original from the second century AD in the British Museum).
In art schools across the world, classical works provide inspiration and continue to be copied by students today. In this course, participants explore the human form by studying the anatomy of the figure through a series of poses of different lengths, drawing individual figures, as well as the interactions of two models posing together.
Working from male and female models, and using a range of poses and art materials, this course will introduce and explore the human anatomy and scale in depth through a variety of resting and action poses under the guidance of practising artist Adele Wagstaff.
Each session will be clearly defined by focusing on a different subject:
Week one – The female form
Week two – The male form
Week three – The interaction of two figures: male and female
Each session is from 6.15 – 9.15pm
About the course
The course will reference and make use of expertly selected items from the Royal Academy’s own Archives and Collection – a unique and exceptional scholarly reference and teaching tool which has informed artists and their practice since the Royal Academy’s foundation in 1768.
As well as learning from carefully chosen archival material, participants will develop skills in observation, representation and rendition.
Participants will focus on a variety of drawing techniques while observing the human form, working under different light conditions, using different materials and studying measurement and proportion.
Models will work through a series of short as well as long poses.
All levels are welcome.
This course is suitable for all levels.
This course is for you if:
• You have an intrinsic interest in drawing or some prior knowledge and would like to improve upon existing skills and learn new techniques and approaches.
• You would like a new perspective in your approach to life drawing.
• You would like the opportunity to develop your skills and ideas in a small group setting and in the historical surroundings of the Royal Academy’s Life Room, with one-on-one teaching and expert led guidance.
• You have no prior experience of life drawing but have an interest in the theory, practice and history of art and drawing from life.
Minimum age 18
The number of participants is strictly limited to enable detailed feedback from the course tutor for each participant on the work that they create.
Price: £250
Wednesdays, 2-16 May 2018
6.15pm - 9.15pm per session
Includes:
• The opportunity to work from both male and female life models
• Special reference to works in the Royal Academy library and archives on life drawing
• All practical materials
• Light refreshments upon arrival and a drinks reception at the end of the final session
• A certificate of participation upon course completion
About the tutor
Adele Wagstaff
Painter Adele Wagstaff trained at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Slade School of Fine Art where her teachers included Andrew Maclaren, Myles Murphy, Patrick Symons, Norman Norris and Euan Uglow. Following her graduation from the Slade, where, in the Life Room Adele focussed her practice on working from the nude in sustained poses, Adele continues to focus on the human figure, portrait and still life.
About the space
The Life Room
The Royal Academy’s historic Life Room sits at the heart of the RA Schools. Usually closed to the public, this unique and significant space was designed in the 1860s, when the galleries and art school first moved to Burlington Gardens.
The semi-circular seating arrangement, based on an ancient design, traces its British history back to Hogarth’s Academy in St Martin’s Lane, c.1730. Directional light is used to enhance the delineation of the model’s musculature and aid life drawing, which has been practised in this room by generations of Royal Academy artists and students
Our courses and classes programme
Our programme of short courses and classes offers the opportunity to explore a range of subjects, led by expert tutors and practising artists.