The Art Museum is partnering with the Arts Council of Princeton to provide free online drawing classes. Weekly classes are taught by artist-instructor Barbara DiLorenzo over Zoom. With an emphasis on drawing with pen or pencil on paper, each week’s lesson will be inspired by works in the Museum’s collections.
This live art-making class is inspired by Mary Cassat’s Young Woman in a Black and Green Bonnet, Looking Down. One of America's leading expatriate artists, Cassatt fully exploited pastel’s painterly and spontaneous qualities, as exemplified by this image of a fashionably dressed woman caught in a moment of repose or reverie. The artist’s bold strokes on the bonnet and colorful upholstery enliven these inanimate surfaces and offset the higher degree of finish on the woman's face. Her concealed eyes convey a sense of psychological privacy. In this class, we will find our own everyday event to capture. Maybe it’s a pet snuggled up near us while we draw, or a family member reading a book nearby.
Watch the recorded drawing class here.
Free registration via Zoom here. (when prompted, click to sign in as “attendee”)
This event will include live closed captions in both English and Spanish. English captions are available directly in the Zoom toolbar by clicking the "CC" icon. To access Spanish-language captioning, open Streamtext, where you can select “Spanish” to see the live captioning.
Para acceder a los subtítulos en varios idiomas, ingrese al seminario web de Zoom durante un evento en vivo, luego abra un navegador web separado para visitar esta página donde puede seleccionar "español" o el idioma de su elección.
Materials List for Drawing Classes
These materials are suggested by the instructor but not required. Any pencil, eraser, and paper will work well.
Paper: For the demonstrations, I use Discount School Supply White Sulphite Paper (12 x 18", 50 lb.). My personal sketchbooks include Moleskine, Strathmore, and a variety of others that have different textures and thicknesses. Everyone has their own preference, so I recommend trying out different papers to see what you like!
Factis Mechanical Eraser: This eraser is helpful for pulling graphite and bringing highlights back into your drawing. It can also be used similar to a pencil, making long strokes of white (erasing the graphite) that add texture to a drawing.
Tombow MONO Zero Erasers: Round & Rectangular: I use the small, round eraser for the tiniest erasing details. It saves time to have such a small eraser on hand, and creates beautiful moments of light.
Faber-Castell Drawing Pencils: Although you can purchase a set of pencils in varying grades, for the drawing demo I'll be using 6B so that people can see the dark marks better. I am not a fan of anything in the H grade, as the graphite is too hard and light for me to sketch comfortably. I love a 4B or 6B pencil, but that is entirely personal preference.
General's Pure Woodless Graphite: These pure graphite pencils are a lot of fun to draw with. I usually add them to a pencil lengthener so that I can hold them like a paintbrush. Big, loose marks can be even more fun to draw with—so if you have the ability, give this a try!
Koh-I-Noor Pencil Lengthener (I add the woodless graphite to this): This pencil lengthener was first introduced to me in art school. My drawing teacher would use compressed charcoal in the extender, and hold it like a paintbrush. It allows an artist to draw with a loose hand, moving the entire arm to create curves and gestures. Without it, sometimes a small nub can be harder to hold onto or can limit the range of motion.
LATE THURSDAYS! This event is part of the Museum’s Late Thursdays programming, made possible in part by Heather and Paul G. Haaga Jr., Class of 1970. Additional support for this program has been provided by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Curtis W. McGraw Foundation.
