Welcome to Drawing to Learn, Workshop #1 – Trees, with Roseann Hanson.

I’m so happy you are joining me for this course!

As you move through the lessons and complete the homework, please use our private Field Arts Community forum (further info below) to post your work and ask questions—I will be on the Community nearly daily to help you and provide encouragement!

DAY 1 — September 30, 2023

Lesson 1 - Study Your Subject

• Study your subject: say the words out loud or write them down;

• Don’t sketch anything yet;

• Study the subject thoroughly;

• Walk around it if you can; or if it’s an animal, just sit and study and take notes.

Lesson 2 - Make Marks

• Use scrap paper, pages in the back of your field journal, or your main journal pages where you will work on your final study drawing;

• Make marks representing the subject—you can do them as quickly or carefully as you like;

• Consider them “detail doodles”—these are like the words in your new language of drawing.

Lesson 3 - Find Shapes

• Using the essence of the subject you gleaned during your Steps 1 and 2 (intense study), find the big shapes that represent the subject (say it outloud and do a little thumbnail);

• Find the “negative spaces” and again sketch little thumbnails

• Keep doing these multiple times until you feel like you are capturing the essence

DAY 2 — OCTOBER 7, 2023

Lesson 4 - Create Your Study Drawing

• Start with a penciled proportion box and make simple pencil-eyeball “measurements” to get proportions right—proportion is like the grammar in this language of drawing;

• Remember you are drawing to learn, so  channel Steps 1–3 here;

• Take your time and dip into your Marks to add characteristics to the subject, and check the shapes—this is your syntax.

• [Watch the video below for a quick demo on measuring.]

Lesson 5 - Dive into the Details

• Choose 2 or 3 things you learned in Steps 1 and 2 and add them as “zoom in” details;

• This could be a leaf, flower, bark texture, or even an insect;

• Group them around the main Study Drawing;

• Enhance with color as a final touch.

Final Homework Challenge - Draw to Learn a Cooper’s Hawk!

• Follow the 5 Steps of Drawing to Learn to create a study of a Cooper’s Hawk using my video below. This lovely male accipiter landed on the fence outside my office-studio and stayed for almost five minutes, allowing me to video him through the window.

• (1) Study him first, saying words and / or writing them; then (2) make “Hawk Marks” to learn his words / language; (3) find Shapes and negative spaces (such as under / around his beak or feet); (4) create your Study Drawing; and (5) add Details.

• THEN be sure to SHARE on our Community Forum under the Cooper’s Hawk topic area!

DOWNLOADS

COMMUNITIES

Please post questions and share your assignments, ask questions, get feedback and encouragement, and meet fellow learners and journaling practitioners on our private Field Arts Community forum. It’s easy to sign up (you do have to create a free account) and very private—we don’t mine your data!

Here is the link to the Drawing to Learn area, it’s password protected so only those taking this course have access:

https://www.exploringoverland.com/field-arts-community?wtp=drawing-to-learn-classes-947120

Password to enter the class area: iamdrawingtolearn