Sketching into painting
Weekend-long practical course
17 November 2018 10.30am - 5.30pm18 November 2018 10.30am - 5.30pm
The Clore Learning Centre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
£420. Includes all materials, lunch and wine reception at the end of the first day.
Klimt / Schiele
Terms and conditions
This intensive weekend course will take as its starting point the Klimt / Schiele exhibition, with particular focus on Gustav Klimt’s use of preparatory sketches in the design of his paintings and friezes.
‘A rough drawing or delineation of something, giving the outlines or prominent features without detail, especially one intended to serve as the basis of a more finished picture or to be used in its composition.’
The definition of a sketch, Oxford English Dictionary
Sketching as a tool to rehearse, investigate, speculate and explore remains a fundamental practice for many contemporary artists and forms the basis of this practical course.
Some of the earliest sketches can be traced back to the Ancient Egyptians who drew with brushes onto broken fragments of pots. In classical antiquity and during the Middle Ages, strict conventions which limited the scope for invention meant sketches were perceived as a means to an end and tended not to be preserved.
The first independent sketches made their appearance in the fourteenth century with the rise of Naturalism. The importance of drawing in the training of the apprentice was cemented and became known as the "triumphal arch" to painting. In the fifteenth century Leonardo Da Vinci established the unfinished drawing or sketch as an independent means of artistic expression and experimentation, with Raphael and Michelangelo advancing the process. During the same period the cartoon emerged as a method to transfer a preliminary charcoal design on paper directly onto a fresco using pin holes. Meanwhile, North of the Alps, Dürer exemplified the importance of drawings as the storehouse of ideas, demonstrating an unrivalled virtuosity of inventive penmanship.
From the seventeenth century onwards drawings and sketches became established and started to be collected. The notion of the sketch as an end state, not just a preparatory tool for painting, became more accepted. Over time the language of drawing began to evolve, with Vincent Van Gogh injecting a new monumentality with his reed-pen drawings. Picasso’s sketchbooks brought new invention and did much to influence twentieth-century conceptions. Earlier in the century Royal Academicians Stanley Spencer and William Roberts, among others, favoured the squaring up method which involved using a grid system to scale their drawings onto a larger canvas.
About the course
Day one will begin with an illustrated talk and discussion of the tutor’s sketchbooks, how they are used and how they eventually become ‘maps’ for paintings. Participants will then make a series of preliminary studies from a studio set up with both clothed and nude models, which will underpin a painting on day two.
Pictorial invention and an imaginative approach will work alongside direct observation. The set will reflect Klimt’s propensity for pattern and decorative motif and will be returned to throughout the two days.
There will be no models on day two as participants will be encouraged to work from the preliminary studies they made on day one. Each day will conclude with an informal group critique. The work produced throughout the weekend will be inspired by Klimt but will not seek to replicate a particular work.
All materials will be provided for the course. Over the two days participants will be using a combination of pencil, coloured pencil, pastel, chalk and gouache paint. Participants will work on a selection of paper types including tracing paper, toned paper and heavy cartridge paper.
Participants are advised to bring something to carry work home in, as there are no storage facilities available.
Please note - Oil paint will not be used during this course.
This course takes place in the new Clore Learning Centre at the Royal Academy of Arts.
This course is suitable for all levels, but participants will ideally have some prior experience of drawing, painting or another creative practice.
This course is for you if:
• You have some prior knowledge of drawing or painting and would like to extend your skills in working from preliminary sketches and using observation, imagination and pictorial invention.
• You would like a new perspective in using drawing as a preparatory or predictive tool.
• You would like to develop your knowledge of and skills in a combination of wet and dry media on various paper types.
• You would like the opportunity to develop your skills within a small group in the RA’s Clore Learning Centre.
Minimum age 18
The number of participants is strictly limited to enable detailed feedback from the course tutor.
£420
Saturday 17 – Sunday 18 November 2018
10.30am – 5.30pm on both days
Includes:
• An introductory illustrated lecture to the course
• A complimentary ticket to the Klimt / Schiele exhibition
• The opportunity to work from professional life models on day one
• All specialist practical art materials
• Course learning materials and hand-outs
• Lunch and refreshments on both days
• A drinks reception at the end of the first day
• A certificate of participation upon course completion
About the tutor
Mick Kirkbride
Painter and teacher Mick Kirkbride is a graduate of the Royal Academy Schools. For many years he was Senior Lecturer in Visual Studies at the London College of Fashion, University of the Arts. In 2004 he was elected a member of The New English Art Club, becoming the curator of its education programme in 2014. Mick has taught drawing at all levels, most recently as drawing tutor on a range of post-graduate specialisms at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). For the past two years he has led a series of life-drawing sessions for Friends of the RA based in the Keeper’s House.
Mick’s own paintings are essentially suppositions: they seek to make visible narratives that exist in the mind’s eye. His inventions are always underpinned by observational drawing, with the human figure as the key structural motif.
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.