Charcoal Drawing: Light, Shadow & Form (Sundays 5-6:30pm)

Sunday: 5-6:30pm
Fall 2: Nov. 1-Dec. 20 (no class Nov. 29)
Ages: 15-adult

Instructor: Mellissa
Fee: $185

Charcoal Drawing: Light, Shadow & Form

Adults | 7 weeks | 90-minute sessions

What if you could draw with light as much as shadow?

Charcoal is a great place to begin drawing. It’s forgiving enough to experiment with and bold enough to turn a few simple shapes into something dramatic. In this hands-on class, you’ll learn to look closely, build a range of grays and blacks, and give your drawings a sense of depth and form.

We’ll start with approachable exercises and build your skills over seven weeks. Working from a variety of subjects, you’ll practice proportion, composition, and observational drawing while learning to see highlights, midtones, shadows, and the spaces between objects.

You’ll try different types of charcoal, papers, and blending tools. You’ll also use erasers todraw light back into dark areas—one of the most satisfying things about working in charcoal. Along the way, you’ll have room to experiment with your own marks and develop your own way of working.

Whether you’re picking up charcoal for the first time or returning to drawing after a while, you’ll find a supportive place to get started. No previous experience is needed.

What You’ll Explore

• Drawing with vine and compressed charcoal
• Creating everything from soft grays to deep blacks
• Using light and shadow to make forms feel three-dimensional
• Seeing proportion, composition, and negative space
• Making expressive marks and soft transitions
• Building up charcoal and lifting it away with erasers

Class Details

• Adults
• Seven 90-minute sessions
• Maximum 12 students
• No previous drawing experience needed
• All charcoal, paper, erasers, blending tools, drawing boards, and other materials provided by the studio

Come get your hands dirty—and discover how much you can do with black, white, and everything in between.