This 5-day course, designed for complete beginners and those wanting to refresh their skills, offers an entry point into the fundamentals of drawing. In a relaxed studio setting, you will explore a variety of drawing materials and build confidence through guided exercises and demonstrations.

Luke Thurgate teaches strategies for seeing and translating the world around you, focusing on proportion, perspective and tone. Practical exercises will introduce you to the expressive possibilities of different media, including graphite and charcoal. You will strengthen your observational skills by drawing a range of simple subjects, including still life set ups and views from the National Art School campus.

Moving between the analytical and the expressive, Luke encourages you to explore your own individual approach to mark-making. Demonstrations and class discussions will support your learning with personal feedback throughout the week.

By the end of the course, you will have developed a solid foundation in drawing techniques, gained familiarity with a range of traditional materials, and created a collection of studies that reflect your artistic progress and emerging style.

Course Schedule
The following is an indicative course schedule only. The content and pace of the sessions may vary in response to the students in the program.

Day 1 - Introduction and discussion of drawing materials. Mark making exercises followed by line drawings of small objects. Developed line drawing focussing on contours and cross-contours. Introduction to perspective drawing.

Day 2 - Drawing outside responding to the NAS campus. Drawing of simple still life set up. Introduction to ink drawing.

Day 3 - Drawing focussing on negative space. Master copy drawing with discussion of composition. 

Day 4 - Introduction to tonal drawing. Artist talk.

Day 5 - Consolidated tonal drawing of still life set up.

* NAS Short Courses are open to students of ages 16 years and over. The NAS Art Club is open to students between 15 - 17 years of age. 

* Drawing and painting short courses may be held in upstairs studios. If access to stairs is not suitable, please contact us at short.courses@nas.edu.au 

* What to bring? Please refer to the list of required materials in the Art Materials field below. 

Students must supply their own art materials, please refer to the list below.

• Small sketchbook – A5 or equivalent
• Graphite pencils – HB and 2B
• Charcoal pencil – Medium
• Stanley knife
• White plastic eraser
• 2 bulldog clips
• 2 sticks of willow charcoal - large
• 1 stick of compressed charcoal
• Fixative spray
• 1 pad of A2 cartridge paper

Other materials (not required for first class)

• 1 sheet of grey Canson paper
• 2 sheets of brown craft paper (around 280gsm)
• 1 white pastel pencil or white charcoal pencil
  

Enclosed footwear is essential in all studios on campus.