Recent Figure Work

This term I filled a sketchbook with figure work done in Derwent Inktense watercolour pencils. I like the way they feel when I draw - working a bit smaller than usual and trying to maintaing a loose, but accurate style. I put the water on at home, where I can lay the paper flat for a bit of control. These sketches are anywhere from a few minutes to 15 minute poses with a variety of models. Some of them are still waiting to be painted - I'll post them later.

Too Loose??

These conte drawings were done with my left hand - so yeah - a little loose but I'm happy with how they turned out. These are from our Friday drawing at Neilson Park. We get some brilliant models - they give us interesting and subtle poses and that great energy that fuels inspired drawing.

Life Drawing at Haliburton School of Art and Design

It has been a busy year for classes and a great year for Figure Drawing! It's hard to believe we are almost at the end of May - running full tilt into Summer. I am really looking forward to being back at Haliburton for the week of July 17-21 to teach a whole week of Life Drawing!

It's a fabulous way of immersing yourself in drawing from the figure  - a focussed and  intense time of growth and skill development. I'm always blown away by how much progress my students make by the end of the week - and they are too. We have some great models lined up and it's such a great art community - lots going on throughout the week. I hope you can join me!

Recent Works

I take every opportunity I can to draw from the figure. These are some recent works from my Friday Figure Drawing drop-in at Neilson Park Creative centre, as well as some from a workshop I took with John Leonard in April. 

Spring Classes Coming Right Up!

The weather's not quite warm enough for the shirtless look, but it's getting there and Spring classes are just around the corner.

We are trying something new this term: A Field Trip to the Art Store: Art Supplies Demystified. 

The title says it all - an hour and a half of going through your materials list and explaining what everything is, why you need it and why you need the more expensive one. I'm looking forward to this workshop…you can never have enough beautiful art supplies!

Coming up in the first week of April at VISUAL ARTS MISSISSAUGA, I'll be teaching 

Figure Drawing and Mixed Media, Monday evenings 7-10,

Introduction to Drawing, Tuesday mornings, 9-12

and Drawing With Pastels, Tuesday afternoons, 1-4

Saturday, June 10, 9-3: ON THE SPOT DRAWING workshop

Monday and Tuesday, June 19 & 20:  BEYOND THE DRAWING: MIXED MEDIA AND THE FIGURE - 2 Day Figure Drawing workshop

At Neilson Park Creative Centre, Spring Classes begin April 13 with 

Introduction to Figure Drawing

 Drawing Explorations in Media and Technique

Click on the links for more information.

I'm thrilled to be teaching at Haliburton School of Art and Design again this summer.

Join me for an exciting and intense week of drawing from the figure:

Life Drawing: Basics and Beyond

Spring is Almost Sprung...

...and Pop Up Workshops are popping up all over!

I'm very excited to see my workshops happening all over the GTA and beyond.

Sat. & Sun. April 22 & 23, I will be at Neilson Park Creative Centre in Etobicoke for a 2-day Artful PopUp Workshop.
For more information click here.

Sat. & Sun. June 3 & 4, CBBAG will be hosting a 2-Day PopUp Workshop at the Bindery in Toronto.
Click here for more information.

Saturday, June 24, I am pleased to be teaching a one-day workshop with the fabulous Meta4 Gallery in Port Perry. They feature beautiful fine arts and crafts by Ontario artists and artisans, and are a hub for art education and community involvement. I'm really looking forward to working with these enthusiastic people.

Saturday, July 15,  Paper Engineering: Pop-Up Workshop at Haliburton School of Art and Design - a full day workshop. See the PDF file for HSAD Summer programs here.

My Artful PopUp Workshops are suitable for all skill levels. I work closely with my students to ensure a successful outcome for everyone! The emphasis is on learning Paper Engineering techniques that can be adapted to your artistic vision. We use painted and decorative papers, decorative punches and other embellishments to bring your pieces to life. If you've taken one of my workshops before, you'll know that I'm flexible in my approach and open to requests. If you like working with paper (origami, making books, collage, scrapbooking) you'll love making your own Pop Up pieces.

Variations on the Theme of Rust

These are prints made from a rusty plate I found whilst walking one day. It was conveniently square and I beveled the edges so it wouldn't cut through the paper. I took a couple of 'blind prints' - without colour - which turned out great, but don't translate well in a photo. These were experimental pieces - I'm an occasional dabbler in printmaking. I love the process, but have trouble keeping things clean - not  a technician! 

I played first with water-soluble graphite - I like the Lyra-brand crayons because they're nice and dark. Then I added Inktense crayon colours, mixing them up with the graphite. The results were lovely and subtle - like granite rock or lichen. 

 I finished up with Akua Intaglio inks, first the magenta, then the Paynes Grey - taking two prints from each without re-inking between pulls. 

It was a happy and fortuitous day in the studio, just messing about with colour. 

These samples are just a few of several prints I made from this plate. Later, I may work into the surface, but I really enjoy the aesthetic of 'the found'.

Winter Classes Start Next Week!

It's January already, and Art Classes at Visual Arts Missisauga begin next week! So - not a whole lot of time, if you're thinking about signing up.

I'll be teaching Figure Drawing on Monday evenings. I have some great models lined up and looking forward to another fantastic session.

On Tuesday mornings - Introduction to Drawing - a great class for Absolute Beginners, or those getting back into drawing after a long hiatus.

I've had a lot of requests for a Pastel class, so here it is: Tuesday afternoons at VAM. Looking forward to lots of exciting drawing discoveries!

Check out VAM's offerings here: http://www.visualartsmississauga.com/programs/?type=adult-programs

Figure Drawing Workshop

It's been a busy Fall session. Some of my classes didn't run, so I took advantage of the time and took a few classes myself. These drawings are from a happy weekend in Studio B at Neilson Park in a Figure Drawing workshop with John Leonard. Two full days of nothing but drawing from the model. It was so great!

Memory Drawing - First we did a quick gesture (grey pastel). We spent a couple of minutes just gazing at the model. Then we closed our eyes and did a contour drawing, trying to keep the second drawing as close to the first as we could.

                          

Two-handed Drawing.   

Cross-Contour.

Two-handed Drawing

10-30 second gestures

Two-handed contour drawing

Fast gestures.

New PopUps

Deciding what projects to do for a workshop involves a lot of time in the studio, allowing my brain free rein to see where it will take me. A big pile of newly painted papers inspired these designs - using 'found' shapes to build structures around. It's an exciting process that opens up new ideas and ways of thinking about this art form. 

Pastel Workshop

Join me for a 4-day Pastel Workshop at Neilson Park Creative Centre. Thursdays, starting November 24 to December 15, all day, 9:30-4:00. Learn new techniques, hone your drawing skills and enjoy the versatility of this very exciting medium.

Stones Series

I took a week-long workshop with Steve Rose through HSAD at OCADU earlier this summer. It was so great to have nothing to do but draw and paint under the direction of Steve's excellent tutelage. These drawings are the result of a busy week of drawing and conceptual exercises. They are painted on paper, then layers of chalk pastel and mark-making. 

What's Left

A PopUp piece that was chosen for the Etobicoke Art Group Annual Juried Show in May. 

Back To School

This summer was great - full of new experiences in learning and teaching. I participated in a 5-day workshop at SynStudios 'Gathering of Masters' in Montreal, taught for 2 weeks (Life Drawing and Paper PopUp) at Haliburton School of Art and Design, spent a week with Steve Rose in his Impressionism: Passion, Power and Paint at OCADU, and still had time to swim, bike and hike. 

Fall classes are filling up quickly - I'll be back at Visual Arts Mississauga and Neilson Park Creative Centre, teaching Drawing to all skill levels. Whether you are an absolute Beginner, or you've had some experience and want to explore new ways of seeing, or learn new media techniques - I've got lots of offer and looking forward to an exciting Fall session.

As well - check out up-coming workshops: A two-day PopUp workshop at CBBAG,

and Oct.31 Magic Monday at Visual Arts Mississauga.

In November, I'll be teaching a 4-day Pastel Workshop at Neilson Park.

Click on the links to see class information. 

Make a Pop Up Accordion Book

with the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Arts Guild…and me! On September 10-11. Looking forward to a great weekend of paper engineering.

SynStudio Gathering of Masters

I just returned from a fabulous 5-day workshop at SynStudio Art School in Montreal. Something a little different for me because a lot of the people were in the video game industry. These are from the saturday night figure drawing event with Samantha Youssef.

Poses were a minute or less.

Life Drawing at Haliburton

Time is quickly running out to sign up for summer classes at Haliburton School of Art and Design. I'll be teaching an introductory course of Life Drawing, July 18-22. A great, intensive week of learning the basics for absolute beginners, or an excellent class for those wanting to improve their drawing skills. I'm a long-time Life Drawing instructor and I maintain an encouraging and safe classroom environment in which to learn. You can check out student testimonials here.

Full immersion is the way to go, and the summer vibe at Haliburton is fabulous! 

Summer is Coming…

time to sign up for art classes at Haliburton School of Art and Design!

 If you or someone you know is interested in learning how to draw from the model, I'll be teaching Life Drawing: Basics and Beyond July 18-22. A great opportunity to immerse yourself in drawing from life and to enjoy Haliburton at its summer best. I've been teaching Life Drawing for a few years, as well as including it in my regular art practice. Students can count on expert guidance in an exciting and supportive class atmosphere and enjoy watching their drawing skills improve daily.

I'll also be leading a one-day workshop in Paper Engineering, Saturday, July 16. Have fun playing with paper pop-up. You can contact me here, or on my Helen McCusker Artist page on Facebook if you have questions.