“I can’t draw.” – Ideally no one ever

If you can move some part of your body, you can draw. This class will cover tips and tricks to “draw better,” but will more importantly investigate what “drawing better” even means. It will break down what drawing is on a fundamental level and make you re-investigate what your motivations are for drawing. After getting through what drawing is, we’ll talk about some foundational concepts that will help you gain more confidence in your drawing. Good drawing is so often viewed through the lens of realism, but we'll question that assumption together.

This chat will dive into what we can do to circumnavigate our preconceived notions of drawing so that we can all proudly say that we can(’t) draw. Although the class is probably most useful to someone with little drawing experience, there will be topics covered that could be helpful or insightful to people at any stage of their drawing journey.

Requirements

Show up with a mark making implement (pencil, paint, pastel, ketchup, etc) and something to make your mark on (probably paper).

- You will gain more confidence in your ability to draw
- You will be equipped with questions to reinterpret what is “good drawing” when it comes to your own mark making.

Elliot Keeler is an artist, illustrator, and writer. They grew up longing to draw, asking multiple friends, teachers, and family members to “teach me how to draw.” It always ended in frustration and a crumpled up piece of paper. In college they took a drawing course where they did everything they possibly could to avoid drawing (like yelling at a piece of paper covered in charcoal to see what pattern it made). It wasn’t until a painting course where their professor Ursula Schneider forced them to properly sit down and draw. Ever since, it has been a loving journey of getting to know and be comfortable with drawing.