Sketching in the Galleries

This summer, I really wanted to teach something to my peers! New Haven Promise so graciously provided us with many enriching informational lunch hour talks and workshops and after attending a couple, I though to myself; "I can lead a workshop too, and it can be relaxing!" So, I organized and lead two 60 minute drawing workshops for my fellow interns.

For the first workshop, I a small group around Mrs. Pinckney and the Emancipated Birds of South Carolina, a piece created by Yinka Shonibare, who is a Nigerian - British artists. On the second day, we gathered around Father Time, a piece by an unknown artist. I selected these pieces because they were large 3D sculptures that we could all gather around and observe as we practiced noticing light and shadow, form and line.

To begin, I lead the group through some minute sketches. These sketches ranged from 30 seconds to 2 minutes long. Having such a small amount of time to create a sketch makes some people nervous, but is also forces them to draw quickly, with out focusing in on details.

Following the minute sketches, we worked on some 5 and 10 minute long sketches. During these longer sketches, I directed the group to notice things like the way the light was creating shadows, negative space and texture. I also explained the history of the pieces, materials that they were made of and answered any questions that students had as they drew.