Figure Composition and Story

Figure Composition & Story assumes you’re learning to draw figures for a reason. In this class, students learn to draw proportionally accurate but simple figures that can be drawn quickly and clearly. We then take a deep dive into figure composition as it’s used today in animation, film, game design, graphic novels, figurative painting and some children’s books. This is also a great foundational class for those interested in storyboarding. We address figure drawing in perspective. Students learn numerous compositional approaches, including strategies from earlier eras applicable today. This class is about planning figure-based art projects. We discuss the role of character archetypes, how to create casts of characters, and their value in telling visual stories. Students develop proficiencies through numerous exercises and a final story-telling project based on figure composition with limited props. All my Drawing America classes involve lectures, presentations, and individual recorded critiques of student work every week. Students may work digitally, traditionally, or using a combination of both media.