In The Atelier: Inspired by the Great Masters

In this ongoing art program we will take a look at work by the “Great Masters” of the art world and work on a variety of projects as we study their styles and influences. We will be inspired by a new artist every month and will include such names as Van Gogh, da Vinci, Cezanne, Picasso, Michelangelo, Lautrec, Dali, Modigliani, Wyeth, Matisse, Seurat, Klimt, and Rockwell. Each week we will have a new art project that coincides with our monthly influencer (Great Master), and learners will focus on a singular technique or element of the artist’s work or style. Learners who choose to participate for an entire month, for example, will have explored three different areas of one artist’s work. Learners will be introduced to the material with discussion, videos, and live demonstrations. We will explore one or more techniques at a time, but these techniques can and will be revisited throughout the month and beyond. Learners will be encouraged to experiment with their drawing and art and our focus will not be on a finished product but rather the steps needed to complete the work (though we will aim to complete in class when possible). Igniting the spark of influence and inspiration, while exploring a variety of art fundamentals and techniques, by examining some of art history’s biggest names will be the overarching goal of this ongoing study.
Upcoming sessions:
May – Henri Matisse (13th = Painting with Scissors, 20th = Wax Resist, 27th = Still Life)
June – Modigliani (10th = Portraits in his style, 17th = Around Town, 24th = Concept of Colour)
July – MC Escher ( TBD = Reflections of Self, TBD = Breaking Perspective, TBD = It’s an Illusion )
August – Pierre-Auguste Renoir ( TBD = Master Study , TBD = On a Boat , TBD = Let’s have Lunch ) September – Norman Rockwell ( TBD = Life Moments , TBD = Expressive Expressions, TBD = My Family ) October – Van Gogh ( TBD = In My Room, TBD = The Night Sky, TBD = My POV )

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How Does Your Garden Grow? Sr

In this live class we will examine flower specimens and identify four major parts of the flower, talk about function, and location of the parts. We will focus on creating original drawings inspired by our reference. To create these drawings we will talk about shading, shape, texture, and drawing from observation. Learners will not have homework. Previous experience with drawing is helpful but not required. Learners will go away with an original drawing and the inspiration to observe and examine the flowers they see every day.

Faces, Hands, and Feet! Drawing People: Flex

In this six week flexible schedule drawing program we will explore the fundamentals of drawing people. Each week learners will be able to find teacher videos that include demonstration, how to, and/or lectures. Learners will also find reference materials in the classroom. Learners will be expected to share drawings by posting in the classroom each week and will be encouraged to participate in ongoing discussions and assignments as well as teacher lead peer critique. Teacher interaction will be high and personalized based on participation and completed assignments/exercises. Teacher and learner interaction will take place in the outschool classroom. The teacher will initiate and participate in discussions, feedback, response videos, and image submissions in response to learner participation. You can expect the teacher to follow along with your progress and respond to all participation. Learners will be expected to participate weekly to advance through the program effectively and received the personalized attention.
Week One: Faces – A look at drawing faces using fundamentals such as proportion, measurements, and value.
Week Two: Faces – Breaking down the parts of the face – eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hair.
Week Three: Faces – Drawing facial expressions
Week Four: Hands – Using shapes and movement to draw the hands.
Week Five: Feet – Drawing feet for figures using shapes and movement.
Week Six : Summary Week – Drawing figures focusing on the previously explored faces, hands, and feet. Learners should have an interest in drawing and previous drawing experience is welcome but not required.

Doodle With Delight

In this 4 session class learners will participate in a live session with paper, pencils, and pens in hand. Be ready to doodle! The teacher will provide a series of instructions, how-tos, prompts, and demonstrations for our materials and learners will follow along and practice the skills discussed. The Doodle Topics we will cover include:
Week #1 – NAMES, LIFE, DOCUMENTATION (doodles ideal for journaling)
Week #2 – THOUGHTS, IDEAS, BRAINSTORMING (using prompts to spark creativity)
Week #3 – CHARACTERS, FACES, EXPRESSIONS (using shapes to create oodles of doodles)
Week #4 – ZENTANGLES (using shapes, line, space, and texture. doodling to relax)
Learners who have some drawing experience are encouraged but beginners are always welcome. Learners will be asked to be on camera and be comfortable sharing their work with their peers. Class sizes will be kept small to ensure we create a safe and close environment of encouragement, accountability, and kindness.

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Doodle with Delight: FLEX

In this flexible schedule version of this 4 session class learners will participate in an asynchronous session with paper, pencils, and pens in hand. Be ready to doodle! The teacher will provide a series of instructions, how-tos, prompts, and demonstrations for our materials and learners will create, share, and discuss the various techniques and their applications in other art. Peer feedback will be a part of this flexible schedule program and learners will be asked to share thoughts, drawings, photos, and videos in the classroom. Our individual doodles will be collected and combined into colouring sheets handed out in the final week as a keepsake and worksheet from all of our shared expressions.
The Doodle Topics we will cover include:
Week #1 – NAMES, LIFE, DOCUMENTATION (doodles ideal for journaling)
Week #2 – THOUGHTS, IDEAS, BRAINSTORMING (using prompts to spark creativity)
Week #3 – CHARACTERS, FACES, EXPRESSIONS (using shapes to create oodles of doodles)
Week #4 – ZENTANGLES (using shapes, line, space, and texture. doodling to relax)
Learners who have some drawing experience are encouraged but beginners are always welcome. Learners will be asked to be on camera and be comfortable sharing their work with their peers. Class sizes will be kept small to ensure we create a safe and close environment of encouragement, accountability, and kindness.

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Attire that Inspires: Drawing Global Traditional Apparel FLEX

Ever wonder about the clothes they wear in different parts of the world? In this six week flexible schedule class we will draw our way around the globe. With a focus on drawing technique and artistic development we will take a look at some of the most recognizable pieces of traditional and modern apparel from various parts of the world. Using video demonstrations in the Outschool classroom, games, quiz (using nearpod), and classroom discussion, learners with the teacher, will explore line, shape, value, and scale in their drawing. Learners will engage in drawing exercises, share to the classroom, and be guided through peer feedback. Learners are expected to be able to share their work to the classroom and so parental assistance may be necessary to navigate the technical aspect of uploading images to share.
In this class we will explore:
Week 1: Contour Drawing – shape and pattern Sardinian Costume
Week 2: Negative Space – French Coiffe
Week 3 : Value – light and shadow with The Sari
Week 4: Composition – drawing scale with lederhosen and dirndls
Week 5 : Proportion and Pattern : examining 2D and 3D with Scottish Kilts
Week 6: Trying out Texture : drawing techniques to show texture with parkas, mukluks, and mittens of First Nations.
At the end of this program learners can expect to have developed an increased artistic language and understanding of the elements of art and design. We will have explored line, shape, colour, texture, scale, and value. Learners will have developed a process for creating drawings from reference.

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Learn to Draw your Dungeons & Dragons Character

In this 4 week class learners will bring their characters from Megan Hardy Dungeon & Dragons campaigns (https://outschool.com/teachers/Megan-Hardy?usid=dmMhTMXF&signup=true&authTrigger=follow_teacher&follow=true&utm_campaign=share_leader_link)
and learn to draw, colour and bring to life their characters and quests.

Week 1: In the first week of this drawing class learners will introduce their characters. Using drawing to explore proportion, gesture, expression, and movement, we will create concept sketches to conceptualize our finished character art. We will explore character design and develop character design sheets to guide our work in future weeks.
Week 2: In the second week create a line drawing of our character in full body and bust. We will explore contour drawing, create colour swatches for our work, discuss composition and visual hierarchy. We will look at costume design, details, and line variation.
Week 3: In the third week we will colour our character sheets and explore color, value, form, and stylized versus realistic rendering. We will use color theory to understand complimentary colors in shading, creating tone, and work with light sources and cast shadows. We will talk about rendering techniques like blending, hatching, cross hatching, and contrast.
Week 4: In the final week of this character class we will use our learned skills in combination to complete our coloured character sheets. We will use drawing and shading techniques to depict character support items such as pets and environments. We will explore ways to draw and depict character abilities and special items. We will ensure we have equipped all artists with the ability to use a variety of techniques and art elements to create future characters on future adventures.

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Paint with Me: Gentle Water Wakes

In this class learners will be introduced to acrylic painting techniques needed to create representational or impressionistic depictions of water wakes from reference images. No two paintings are ever the same when we bring unique artistic interests and flair. THIS IS NOT A STEP BY STEP CLASS In this class we will work together using the same techniques and using the same medium but create individual artworks.
In class #1 we will look at reference options and materials. We will sketch out our work and create a colour chart with our acrylics for use in our larger works.
In class #2 we will work together on laying out our backgrounds, mid tones, and look at using negative space. We will create a value scale at the start of this class and use that to help guide our painting. In class
#3 we will finish our work by paying close attention to light, shadow, texture, and details. We will discuss preserving acrylic works and will discuss, briefly, the usage of isolation coats and varnish for acrylic painting and when preservation is necessary and when it is not.

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Let’s Make a Comic Book! FLEX

To create a comic book from concept to completion learners should come to class excited with a written story or robust idea. We will work together to create our own comic books and put them together in a class anthology for all learners to add to their comic book collections. Learners will interact with the teacher and their peers by using classroom video demonstrations, brainstorming threads, sharing and developing visual work together.

Learners will interact with the teacher and each other using the Outschool classroom, nearpod for collaboration boards, visual games, and summary quizes. All of our classroom interaction will occur on the outschool platform and there is no sign-in needed to use the additional nearpod features. Learners will need the capability to reply to materials and brainstorming using written word, video replies to one another, and most importantly uploading photos of their art work to the classroom. Some learners may need parental assistance to upload their work to the classroom successfully.

Learners can expect the course to explore:
Week 1: In the first week learners will share their story concepts, we will work with thumbnail sketches and storyboards to identify the pacing of our comic book. We will use contour lines, sketches, and gesture drawing to establish main characters, costumes, and visual elements to support plot points.
Week 2: This week will have us exploring the various ways to produce illustrated comic books. We will decide on our use of ink and colour and using classroom prompts, nearpod collaboration boards, and video replies we will talk about the process of digitizing for reproduction. Using polls and votes, we will decide as a group on page size and layout so that our comics can be combined into an anthology at the end of this program. We will see video demonstrations and nearpod visual games to look at different art styles in sequential illustration. At the end of this class we will have decided upon page number, page size, and page panels for our personal comic books.
Week 3: Learners and the teacher will delve into panel layout and sketching our page content. We will use a cut paper exercise to talk about page layout and composition, and we will have a real world scavenger hunt to help us look at comic books from our own collection that demonstrate key aspects of composition, line quality, and visual hierarchy. Learners will be drawing their panels and stories in pencil at this stage and the teacher will schedule one on one live meetings OR correspondence to ‘check in’ on progress.
Week 4: This week we will pause with our pages and take a look at Cover Art. With video demonstrations, classroom sharing, and discussion, learners and the teacher will explore art materials used to create cover art. We will look closely at font use, margins, and we will practice digitizing art while we create compelling covers for our comic books. Learners will share their covers in the classroom
Week 5: This week learners will discover all about inking. We will participate in exercises on line quality, line variation, and talk about how artists have inked work over the years. We will participate and share in an activity using hatching and cross hatching to create value. We will look at portraying mass, depth, and form in our objects. Along with the teacher demonstration we will share and comment on an inking exercise in high key value.
Week 6: This week learners will begin to colour their comics and will explore and implement decisions about spot color, limited color palette, and full colour. We will explore the print process and learn why certain decisions about colour is made in book creation. Some colour theory concepts will be touched on here to examine how to use colour to reinforce action in our composition.
Week 7: In the second to last week of this course learners should be completing their comic books. Together we will take a look at reproduction options, and will be uploading to the classroom. Learners will be shown how to bind their work and protect their original art. Before Week 8 begins each learner will have uploaded their comic book to be added to the class anthology. This week will also include a look at distribution options for comic book creators.
Week 8: After weeks of hard work Learners will present their comic books to each other. As a fun nod to each other’s creative efforts, learners will engage in an exercise called “in my style” where we take all of the drawing skills we have learned in previous weeks and draw a character made by another learner in their own style. Collaboration during this week is lighthearted and fun. We will include a “guess the side kick” game using Nearpod and upon completion by everyone the class anthology will be available for each learner.
For this program learners are expected to have a keen interest in drawing and comic book creation. This class is for experienced artists and artists who feel comfortable sharing their work with classmates.

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