THIS IS AN ONLINE CLASS. We use the Zoom platform for online classes. Login codes are sent prior to the first class only. Some email systems such as Hotmail block our emails to you. Please check your junk folders, and if you have have not received your class info, please contact us (contact@seattleartistleague.com) 15-30 minutes before your class begins so we can reply with the login codes. We will get you into your class.
Let us know if you have any questions.
Figure in Interior with John Lees
- Teacher: John Lees
- Class Length: 6 Weeks
- Class Days: Fridays, beginning October 25
- Time: 10:00 – 1:00pm PST, 1:00 – 4:00 EST
This is a class that is as much an exploration into drawing materials as it is about the figure as a subject.
Throughout this figure study course, we will study master drawings, paying close attention to the use of various materials such as graphite, charcoal, ink, and gouache. Students will learn how these tools have historically been employed to define proportions, create depth, and explore the interaction between line, value, and space. Participants will draw from live models on zoom, and combine them with transcriptions (interpreting master drawings), draw from perception (drawing from life), and draw with improvisation (developing images from abstract marks).
Key themes include the tactile quality of different materials, the relationship between drawing and writing, and the influence of scale and paper color on the final image. Students will also be encouraged to keep a sketchbook, experimenting with different papers and mediums to discover what best suits their personal style.
By the end of the course, students will have a refined understanding of which materials and techniques best support their artistic goals. They will enhance their drawing skills, sharpen their critical thinking, and develop a deeper appreciation for the expressive potential of drawing.
Don’t miss this opportunity to draw the world around you with guidance from John Lees, a treasured instructor in the arts.
This course offers a deep exploration into the art of drawing, focusing on the essential techniques and materials that form the backbone of this visual language. Tailored for virtual settings like Zoom and Padlet, the course welcomes students of all levels, from beginners to advanced artists. The primary requirement is an open mind, ready to engage with both traditional and imaginative approaches to drawing.
Prerequisite: Beginning Drawing
Materials List
- Erasers (Pink Pearl or preferred type)
- Conte crayons (black, sanguine, bistre, white)
- Vine charcoal (optional)
- Pencils (4H to 4B)
- Dip-pen holder and pointed pen nibs
- Bamboo pen
- Inks (black, walnut, sepia, Higgins Neutral Grey)
- Watercolor brush and container for water
- Small jars with lids for ink mixtures
- Scissors
- Flat 1-inch brush
- Clear glue medium
- Palette knife or substitute (for spreading gel medium)
Paper and Sketchbooks:
- Spiral bound Strathmore 400 Series (9 x 12 or 11 x 14)
- Pocket-sized sketchbook with at least 50 sheets
- A sketchbook for visual journaling (5 x 7 or 8 x 10)
John Lees Biography
John Lees was born in 1943 in Denville, NJ. He received his BFA and MFA from the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles, CA. He has been exhibiting in New York since 1977 and has been an instructor at the New York Studio School since 1988. He lives and works in upstate New York. Lees is the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Hassam, Speicher, Betts, and Symons Purchase Fund Award; the Francis J. Greenburger Award; the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Grant; and the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship Grant.
His work can be found in a host of public institutions, most notably the Detroit Institute of Art, Detroit, MI; the Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, MA; The Kemper Collection, Kansas City, MO; the Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; and The New Museum, New York, NY.
Drawings by John Lees
