Discover the Best Life Drawing Classes Near Me
Drawing from life has long been a classical pursuit for artists. In life drawing classes, you practice by drawing a live model in various poses and gestures, or drawing a still life of arranged objects. Sometimes known as figure drawing or gesture drawing, it can be a highly detailed study, a loose and expressive sketch, or a gesture drawing which quickly captures the model’s pose and action.
Life drawing helps you become a better artist. When you understand the muscles and skeleton of the body, you can draw the human figure more accurately and with more expression. Drawing from life forces you to draw directly from your subject, with all the unique details that make it interesting.
Why You Should Learn Life Drawing
Practicing life drawing will improve your artistic skills and creative expression. It gives the creative side of your brain the opportunity to do something new and novel. A regular life drawing habit refreshes your creativity and takes you away from your usual routine. Plus, you’ll enjoy time with people who share your love for art, or just want to explore something new.
Many communities have art clubs, galleries, museums, and art shows. You can immerse yourself in the work of other artists to enrich your own. Online forums and social media allow you to connect with artists around the world, and find art that excites your own creativity.
If you want to pursue a career in art, create a portfolio to show off your work and network with people in your classes, professionals in the field, social media, and industry shows and events. Many artists pursue their work as a side hustle, selling artwork online or at festivals and galleries. The median annual wage for fine artists is $50,000.
5 Ways to Learn Life Drawing
You can learn life drawing in a variety of ways. Consider whether you are able to travel to a location or prefer to learn at home. Do you have a suitable space for making art? Can you find someone to model for you if you are working on your own? What style of learning suits you best?
Here are five ways to learn life drawing:
- In-person life drawing classes – Attending a class at an art school or community center is a great way to learn the fundamentals of life drawing. Classes provide instruction and demonstrations, and you’ll have the opportunity to draw from live models in a supportive environment.
- Live online life drawing classes – In a live online class, you have the benefit of a professional artist to demonstrate and guide you through life drawing. They answer your questions in real time, and you can share your experience with other students remotely.
- On-demand life drawing classes – Online tutorials, videos, and online courses are widely available and easy to access. You can find many lessons for free, and they can be a great supplement to traditional classes and self-study.
- Independent life drawing practice – Nothing beats practice, and you can do that on your own. Set up a still life with objects around your home or find a friend or family member to pose for you.
- Life drawing lessons in books or magazines – Printed lessons are on hand for whenever you want to practice your life drawing, even if you don’t have online access. You can follow along at your own pace and keep your reference materials to revisit in the future.
In-Person Life Drawing Classes
You can find in-person life drawing classes at locations around the country. Here are some of the classes offered on Coursehorse.
Personal Studio Time: Life Drawing with a LIVE Model at Creatively Wild Art Studio Dumbo in Brooklyn, New York, is the perfect opportunity to practice the discipline of life drawing with a live (clothed) model in an art studio. Hone your practice and capture the human body's essence, musculature, and posture while sharpening your observational skills and your developing style. This class is self taught and does not provide any art instruction or art supplies. Students bring their own pencils, charcoals, inks, pastels and paper or sketchbooks to work with.
Fundamentals of Drawing & Painting at Chelsea Drawing & Painting Workshops in New York City is a private class with artist Raphael-Raúl. This private, in-person class will cover how to compose a still-life, mark-map your drawing, measure proportion, see tonal values, and apply them. You will learn color harmony by painting in pastels. You will also learn the Elements of Art, the visual language used to read a painting, and you’ll discuss art history and art appreciation. You can schedule a private class time with the artist when it works best for you.
Chelsea Drawing & Painting Workshops is an art workshop inspired by the Renaissance workshops of the fifteenth century, where apprenticing artists worked and shared ideas and techniques under the guidance of a professional master artist in his workshop-home. The art classes are offered in an intimate home art studio in the heart of the Chelsea Art district of New York City.
Classical Sketching/Drawing Workshop at ArtClassBklyn.com - Lefferts Garden in New York City teaches you how to draw the human figure in an informal, individualized setting free of embarrassment. Starting with the basic building blocks of contour and gesture drawing, you’ll create life-like renditions of what you observe. You’ll have the opportunity to draw from a live model in this class.
You can use the provided materials at the first class, but you are asked to bring materials to later classes. This workshop includes printed handouts, demonstrations, and streamed video lectures for you to follow at home in their own studios.
Learn to create fine art at ArtClassBklyn.com from National Endowment Fellow and professional MFA Painter and Graphic Artist Dan Freeman. You’ll learn how to not only see but observe and perceive, and translate your perceptions into conceptions and creations.
Life Model Drawing Sessions at The Art Studio - Westminster in Westminster, California offers figurative and portrait artists uninstructed time to work from life. The studio provides professional models on a stage and professional lighting.
Drawing sessions are project-based and include projects of all sizes. Artists of all levels of experience are welcome, from beginner to advanced. You’ll learn the elements of art, techniques, and mediums in a sanctuary for creating, socializing, and collaborating. Use your time to create a portfolio, gallery work, or commission work.
Weekly Portrait and Figure at The Art Studio - Westminster in Westminster, California teaches you how to paint a portrait, or further develop your skills by oil painting for form, design, and color. During the first three days, students will concentrate on values, subtlety of form, how to get a likeness, and refining edges. In the fourth class students get to put it all together while working from life with a live model.
Portrait and Figure Studio at The Art Center Highland Park in Chicago, Illinois gives you an opportunity to draw or paint from live models. The class studies form through anatomy, values, color theory, and lighting. You’ll explore a variety of techniques and work in the medium of your choice. Students at all levels of experience are welcome.
The Art Center – Highland Park (TAC) is a non-profit arts organization that offers more than 400 art classes in Highland Park and its surrounding communities. TAC also brings national and regional art of established and emerging artists to their galleries through 20 exhibits of contemporary art each year.
In Anatomy and Drawing the Figure in Three Color Chalk at Evanston Art Center in Evanston, Illinois, each class begins with a lecture to explain and clarify the anatomical information. Students then draw from a live model, incorporating the lessons of the day. You’ll interpret anatomical subtleties from life using charcoal and red and white chalk to depict the figure without skin or 'ecorche'. Students will study the body in sections – torso, arm, leg, and head – and learn the function and form of bones, muscles, and tendons.
Figure Drawing from Lifeat Art on 30th - North Park in San Diego, California teaches you to apply the principles of form and proportion as well as gesture and movement with the aid of a live nude model. You'll develop better observational skills, draw short and long poses, create basic human proportions, and work with lines, shape, and value. You’ll create several sketches of each week's live model.
Art on 30th offers classes for beginning as well as advanced artists and houses studios for working artists. Founder Kate Ashton envisioned a space that would be inspiring not only to work in, but for all who visit.
Figure Drawing: People and Faces at Richmond Art Center in Richmond, California covers how to draw the figure, facial expressions, and portraits. You’ll focus on proportion and anatomy, line quality, value and composition strategies to improve your technical skills. This class explores different methods and approaches while drawing from reference, observation and a live model. You’ll learn to draw the head, the figure, portraits and facial features, movement, hands and feet, and expressive and experimental figures.
Richmond Art Center delivers arts experiences through hands-on learning, well-equipped studios, traveling programs, and gallery exhibitions. The Richmond Art Center originated in 1936, when local artist Hazel Salmi, who worked for the WPA, traversed the streets of Richmond with a suitcase packed with art supplies, eager to teach art to anyone interested.
Virtual Life Drawing Classes
In-person life drawing classes are the fastest way to build your skills. You’ll receive real-time instruction from a professional artist, advice on your technique and materials, and access to live models. Plus, you’ll meet classmates who share your interest in drawing, and build connections in your local art community.
Life drawing classes aren’t available in all areas. Fortunately, you can still hone your drawing skills in virtual classes, and even enjoy personalized instruction from expert teachers. When you take a virtual life drawing class, you can choose courses from professional artists no matter where you live, without leaving your home.
Many online classes require you to provide your own materials, but your instructor will provide a supply list that you can fulfill at a local art store or online seller. Take a look at some of the online life drawing classes you can choose from at CourseHorse.
Experience creativity, connection and community in Beginner’s Drawing in 90 Minutes at The Art Studio NY. In this drawing foundation class, you’ll strengthen your core drawing skills as you take your artwork to the next level. Whether you are a total beginner or a more experienced artist, you’ll master drawing techniques like shading, line, tone, mark marking, and cross hatching. You can draw from still life, landscape, or whatever inspires you most.
Online Drawing with Graphite 101 led by Pastimes for a Lifetime is a fun and informative class suited for beginners or students seeking a refresher. This class focuses on learning measuring and drawing skills and honing sensitivity in the hand, and will complete unique projects that improve hand-to-eye coordination. You’ll learn to sketch and shade with graphite pencil in order to produce dimension, perspective and texture on paper.
Unleash your inner artist in Fear-Free Beginner's Drawing 101 from The Art Studio NY. You’ll receive one-on-one expert art instruction designed for beginning drawing students. The class uses charcoal and pencil to explore still life, realism, abstraction, landscape, and portraiture drawing. You’ll learn techniques like shading, expressive line, mark-making, composition, contour drawing, quick sketches, 3-D effect, and dimension. You can be part of an art-loving community in a private community Facebook group for students only.
If you’re ready to take your drawing skills to the next level, Online Drawing with Graphite 102 is an intermediate level class that continues where Drawing 101 leaves off. You’ll develop your measuring, sketching and shading skills using tinted paper and larger formats, with more challenging subject matter like still life set-ups.
Private Group Life Drawing Classes
Are you planning a group event for your business or organization? How about a drawing night for a group of friends? Coursehorse has life drawing classes for private groups that they can deliver to you, wherever you are.
In Virtual Group Drawing & Sketching Class you’ll complete a graphite still life drawing. Your group will learn how to use hatching and cross hatching techniques to build value and create depth in your drawing. You’ll practice using basic shapes to build objects and learn the tricks of using dynamic composition to make a beautiful drawing. Customize your artistic experience by choosing from still life, landscapes, botanical, faces, or another drawing style you like. All you need for this class is a graphite pencil and your preferred drawing paper. For a $150 fee, you can customize your course by adding a game or a second event with all materials included. This class can accommodate up to 255 people.
If you don’t see the class you’re looking for, Coursehorse can create it just for you. Reach out using the Contact Us button on their website to begin planning your group experience. It’s simple to book a class with CourseHorse. You don’t need to know how many will be in your group; just take your best guess and finalize the number of people one week before your class. There’s no booking fee or extra charges. You’ll receive a confirmation within 24 hours of your reservation.
CourseHorse recommends joining your class on Zoom, but they can accommodate Google Meets, Microsoft Teams, and WebEx. If you’d like an in-person activity, some courses can even come right to your office or home.
What Will I Need to Learn Life Drawing?
You don’t need many materials for life drawing, and they are affordable. Have your materials ready before you start so you can make the most of your lessons.
Drawing paper
Large size drawing paper will give you plenty of room to work and experiment. Choose a good quality paper in at least A2 size, that is 200 gsm or heavier. Ph-neutral or acid-free paper made from wood pulp is excellent student paper. When you have mastered life drawing, you may want to create your art on museum-quality 100 percent cotton archival quality paper.
For graphite drawing a smoother paper works well. If you will be working with softer materials like charcoal or sanguine, a coarser tooth holds onto dust particles. Some people like to use a sketchbook to take notes, record the sequential steps of life drawing, and practice body proportions.
Graphite pencils
Graphite pencils are the most essential tool for drawing. You don’t need a full set of five grades of graphite softness; just two grades will fit all your needs. Choose any art store brand of HB pencil and a 2B or 3B. You’ll improve your drawing skills because you learn to vary the pressure on your pencil to achieve a wide range of tonal values.
A pencil knife and pencil extender
You can’t draw with detail if you are using a dull pencil. Get a sharp pencil knife, craft knife, or scalpel to use for sharpening your pencil. Use a pencil extender so you can use every inch of your well-sharpened pencils.
Erasers
You really just need two erasers – a rubber one and a soft, kneaded eraser. If you need a more pointed tip for erasing fine details, cut your rubber eraser in half diagonally.
Drawing board
A drawing board is a sturdy surface to hold your paper and keep it from moving while you draw. It doesn’t have to be from an art store – pick up a sheet of hardboard or plywood at a building materials store and cut it to at least A1 size. Use clips or masking tape to fix your paper to the board. A drawing easel is helpful for working when standing. If you don't have one, prop a drawing board on a chair and sit in front of it.
Sanguine, charcoal, colored pencils, and chalks
A pencil creates high quality lines and allows you to see the detail in your work as well as your mistakes. But as you hone your skills you might enjoy using soft materials that offer different tones, rich deep blacks, and dusty shading.
Charcoal comes in chunks, sticks, and pencils, and in several grades of softness. It's messy and easy to smudge, and you’ll need to fix your charcoal drawings before storing. Sanguine is naturally occurring chalk that has a red-brown color and is available as sticks and pencils. Sanguine pencils have the advantage of not staining your hands, but sticks can be applied in various ways so the marks are wider and more expressive. This is also true of colored pencils and chalks like pastel. Use white chalk or pencil to make highlights in your artworks on darker paper.
Is it Difficult to Learn Life Drawing?
You may be concerned that you don’t have a talent for life drawing, but as with any new skill, your work will get better with instruction and practice. Drawing might be easier if you have previous experience or acute observational skills, but nothing replaces the value of an experienced teacher and your own patience and persistence.
Don’t worry about where your drawing level is. Focus on your trajectory, and whether you learned something new in your class. As a beginner, you’ll improve every time you show up and make marks on your page.
