Old Master Drawing
Learn by copying the great draughtsmen.
For centuries artists learned by copying the masters. Each day pairs you with one artist's drawings, so you can study a different way of making a line, building a form and handling light.
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Watteau: three chalks Done
Watteau drew with red, black and white chalk on toned paper. Copy his light touch: a few placed lines for the pose, then accents only where the form turns or the light catches.
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Leonardo: studies and notes Done
Leonardo drew to understand things. His sheets are full of repeated attempts, studies from several angles, and notes. Copy one study and try to work out what question he was asking.
+1 more
Dürer: hatching Done
Dürer built form with lines that follow the surface, like rings around a tube. Copy a small section closely and keep every hatch line curving with the form.
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Rembrandt: speed and ink Done
Rembrandt's pen sketches are fast and confident. A few lines give you a whole figure. Draw in ink if you can: no erasing, just commit to each stroke.
+4 more
Michelangelo: the body as form Done
Michelangelo thought like a sculptor. His figure studies are about mass and muscle wrapping around bone. Shade from the core shadow outward and make every form turn.
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Rubens: rhythm Done
Rubens drew figures as chains of flowing curves, one shape leading into the next. Look for the S-curves running through his poses and exaggerate them in your copy.
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Your own master study Done
Ten minutes per drawing, chosen from all the artists this week. Pick one thing to steal from each, a line, a way of hatching, a value plan, and use it on purpose.
+1 more