Thumbnail Image: Student work, Inge V.
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APPLICATIONS CLOSEDWINTER TRIMESTER DATES: 14 January to 30 March 2024
CLASS SCHEDULE 1: Mondays & Wednesdays 19:00 - 22:00 CLASS SCHEDULE 2: Tuesdays & Thursdays 19:00 - 22:00 CLASS SCHEDULE 3: Sundays 9:30 - 16:30 (lunch break 12:30 - 13:30) STUDY LOAD: 6 lesson hours per week, 66 instructed hours total (some additional homework is assigned outside of class) INSTRUCTORS: Edoardo Durdin (schedule 1), Rutger van Bruggen (schedules 2 & 3) LANGUAGE: English is spoken during lectures & demos. Individual critique in Dutch or English. LIMIT: 12 students maximum per group TUITION COST: € 545 (Tuition does not include course materials. See materials list below.) Registration for the Winter Trimester is now closed. Applications for the next trimester of classes at DARA will open in June 2024. |
Introduction to Classical Drawing is the fundamental course in our part-time programme, in which students advance their core drawing skills pertaining to mark-making, line quality, gesture, tonality, proportion, and form.
Duration: An enrollment period of two trimesters is recommended.
Duration: An enrollment period of two trimesters is recommended.
ABOUT THIS COURSE
Selected student works & exercises completed in this course.
Course Description
Are you totally new to DARA? We strongly encourage you to start with this class.
Introduction to Classical Drawing serves as DARA's foundation-level course to academic artistic training, emphasizing the development of strong technical drawing skills which are essential to all drawing and painting courses offered in our atelier.
Following in the European academic tradition, students in this class develop proficiency and a high level of draftsmanship in drawing with traditional media through rigorous master copies after nineteenth century figurative works. This training prepares students to draw from life, and familiarizes students with core principles of academic drawing and painting which continue to feature in all classes at DARA.
Instruction in this class heavily emphasizes lectures and demonstrations alongside one-on-one feedback. Students divide their time between master copies, which are ongoing long-term projects throughout the trimester, and a series of shorter exercises centered around core concepts pertaining to proportion, gesture, conceptualization of form, and rendering.
Assignments in this class are completed from print reproductions of academic drawings. Drawings are made at a 1:1 scale with the original reference, however the studio does not teach the sight-size method.
- CurriculumFirst Trimester
All first trimester students work in graphite.
Master copies assigned during this trimester are figurative studies after the works of French academic painters Charles Bargue and Jean-Léon Gérôme. Work on these projects in class comprises one half of the trimester.
Note that master copies typically take students an average of between 30 to 40 hours to complete up to the atelier's standards, and must be approved by the instructor before advancing on to the next project.
Short exercises assigned during this trimester are largely focused on technical drawing basics: developing controlled mark-making abilities in graphite, learning to measure from observation, understanding tonality and its relationship to form, and conceptualizing form as geometric primitives.
Homework is assigned outside of class each week.
Second Trimester & Continuing
After the student's first master copy in graphite has been passed by the instructor, he or she advances to more challenging master copies after a wider array of academic artists.
For their second master copy, students may choose to continue studying after Bargue and Gérôme in charcoal, or may copy an academic nude after one of their contemporaries in graphite. All third-level master copies are completed in charcoal.
Short exercises assigned from the second trimester onwards focus largely on the figure, emphasizing ideas about gesture, anatomy, and using a sculptural approach to model form. Course Materials
The following materials are required for participation in this course.
Buying supplies at DARA?
Items on the list marked * are available to buy at the atelier.PAPER:- * White Fabriano Accademia paper, 200gm2, size A3 (minimum 6 sheets)
- White sketch paper pad for graphite drawing, size A3 or A4
DRAWING TOOLS:- * Faber-Castell graphite pencils - at least one of each: 2H, H, HB, B, 2B, 4B
- * Grey kneaded eraser
- * Blending stump 8mm or 9mm
- Utility/crafting knife (example here)
- * Sandpaper block (example here)
- 1 knitting needle
- 1 roll masking tape
- Ruler
- Tracing paper pad, size A3 or A4
- A few pointed round synthetic-hair paintbrushes, small to medium sizes 2-8
OPTIONAL MATERIALS:
These items are not required, but are recommended to bring:- Tombow Mono Zero precision eraser
- Pencil storage case/toolbox
- Portfolio case
- Pencil extender
- Acetate sheet (montagefolie) size A3 (useful for protecting drawings from smudging during transport)
- Notebook for writing notes
- Binder for organizing classwork & homework assignments
Financial Aid
Student Discount
Are you 21 years old or younger OR are you studying full-time in a university or other accredited school during the trimester?
If so, you qualify for a 10% student discount off the cost of any part-time course at DARA.
To claim the discount, please email a copy of a valid photo ID which includes your date of birth, or your current student card to [email protected] before the start of the trimester.
Please note that the student discount is for part-time study courses, and does currently not apply for workshops.
Funding For Creative Professionals
You may be eligible for funding for your studies at DARA from Werktuig PPO (permanente professionele ontwikkeling, or “continuous professional development”) if the following applies to you:- You are employed by a Dutch company or organization in the creative or cultural sector.
- You are a self-employed freelancer in the Netherlands in the creative or cultural sector.
How can I check if I am eligible?
Businesses within the creative or cultural sectors are categorized by SBI code.
The list of eligible SBI codes can be found here.
How does this funding scheme work?
Werktuig PPO finances one-third of the total cost of the course, with the remaining amount to be contributed by you or your employer.
Are you interested in enrolling in multiple courses at DARA? Werktuig PPO offers a maximum contribution of € 2000 in funds per 12 months.
How can I apply?
Apply online at: https://werktuigppo.nl/
Applications must be submitted by students. DARA is not affiliated with Werktuig PPO and cannot apply on a student’s behalf. Questions regarding this funding scheme may be emailed to [email protected]
Can DARA students apply for the STAP budget?
Not at this time.- FAQs about this CourseQ: Is this course for me?
A: This course is for you if you are a new practitioner of academic drawing and painting, and are looking to strengthen your drawing skills.
Students of all levels are welcome here (including those who have no experience) but please note that a serious commitment and a high level of patience is required. You can expect to spend between 30 to 40 hours on a single drawing in this class.
Q: Is this course suitable for beginners?
A: Yes, beginners should start here.
Q: Do students work from photographs?
A: No. We work from prints of late nineteenth to early twentieth century drawings.
Q: Does this class teach the sight-size method?
A: No. Students work at a 1:1 scale to the original reference drawings, but not specifically using the sight-size method. Drawing in comparative measurements is taught in more advanced classes.
Q: I already made several Bargue drawings on my own. Do you still recommend me to take this class?
A: This depends. Copying after Bargue and his contemporaries is an important part of this class, but not the sole focus. There is extensive material covered every week pertaining to fundamental drawing principles that will be valuable for students who do not have any formal academic training.
Further, the benefit of copying from a master's work is the result of being pushed to produce a copy as close to the original as possible. It's difficult to achieve this result without working with a qualified instructor who has been formally trained.
If you are not sure, please include examples of your studies in your application, and instructors can better assess your level of readiness for other courses.
Q: What's the point of copying?
A: We believe that the most superior way to learn the difficult skill of drawing and painting from life starts with imitation.
Studying from a master's work hones our skills of observation and enables us to assimilate ideas about composition, mark-making, tonality, form, and craftsmanship into our own process. The result is a profound advancement of technical skill.
At DARA, we consider studying after masters to be an essential facet of academic study, which we believe is a prerequisite to departure into individual style or self-expression.
Q: How long does each drawing take?
A: There are short drawing assignments of around 3- to 6-hours given every week. For master copy drawings, you can expect to work at least 30 to 40 hours per study, potentially longer. There is no exact time frame. Copies must be as close to the original as possible in order to pass, and this takes a different amount of time for everyone.
Q: I want to take this class, but I will probably have to miss some lessons. Can I still register?
A: Please make sure you can attend at least 80% of the lessons before you sign up.
For FAQs about DARA in general, click here.
DUTCH ATELIER OF REALIST ART |