Introduction to Drawing with Chalks and Charcoals

Pre-requisites for enrolment

Special Information

• Willow charcoal
• Compressed charcoal
• Charcoal pencil and/or Conte pencil
• White chalk stick
• Chalk pastels (black, white, grey, brown, plus a few brighter colours or box set such as 'Inscribe')
• Oil Pastels (black, white, grey, brown, plus small selection of brighter colours or box set )
• Putty rubber
• a medium sized paint brush
• Masking tape
• Hair spray or fixative
• Sketchbook/A3 hardback thick cartridge paper
• a few additional sheets of toned paper, such as pastel paper, sugar paper or brown wrapping paper (more information will be available each week)

Content of Course

This course involves a series of creative skill building, such as:

1. How to use primary sources and studio set ups to trigger an imaginative and inventive responses through drawing and composition.
2. Introduction to Conte, charcoal and compressed charcoal techniques.
3. How to consider light sources and tonal range.
4. Introduction to chalk pastel techniques with muted colour before moving on to brighter hues.
5. Introduction to oil pastels techniques and a more painterly approach.
6. How to collect and develop secondary sources as visual research.
7. Develop and produce a series of related and ambitious and personal compositional drawings.

 

Teaching method(s)

This course will be based and delivered in specialist art and design studios. Students’ progress will be monitored and supported by the tutor with individual advice given to each student. Teaching will include practical demonstration of technique, one to one tuition, group discussions and critiques.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Use Conte pencils, charcoal, chalks and pastels effectively and with confidence;

• Use drawing to develop a range of complex compositions derived from primary and secondary source materials;

• Resolve and present a series of intensive and coherent compositional drawings.

Sources

Core Readings

• Avery, M,. 1970. Drawings by Milton Avery. 1st ed. New York, N.Y.: Grace Borgenicht Gallery.
• Lowry, L.S. and Levy, M. 1973. Drawings of L.S. Lowry. 1st ed. London: Jupiter Books.
• Spira A, Lampert C, 2019. Paula Rego Obedience and Defiance, Art/Books.
• Rose, B., 1982. A century of modern drawing from the Museum of Modern Art, New York British Museum. Trustees.; Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston, Mass.); Cleveland Museum of Art.
• Stobart, Jane. 2011. Extraordinary Sketchbooks, , A&C Black, Bloomsbury Publishing plc, London.
• Masked M, Sothern J. 2014. Drawing Projects an Exploration of the Language of Drawing, Black Dog Publishing, London.
• Elderfield, John. 1988. The Drawing of Richard Diebenkorn, Museum of Modern Art, New York and Houston Fine Art Press
• PDF. The Drawing of Richard Diebenkorn, Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Research some of the charcoal or chalk drawings made by the following artists;

Web Sources

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.