Intro to Figure Drawing: The Block-in
Adult Course | Registration opens 8/5/2025 10:00 AM MDT
This course is a 6 week introduction to drawing the human figure from life.
The Block-in is the first stage of a drawing - the initial sketch. You will learn how to quickly and effectively capture the dynamic gesture, flow, and masses of the figure.
By practicing countless starts over the 6 weeks, you will learn the shapes, proportions, and basic structures of the human form. As the weeks progress, you will be given an introduction to basic anatomical landmarks and structural ideas intended to prime you for the following class in anatomy should you choose to take it.
While intended to lead right into the next course on anatomy, this class can also be taken as a stand alone intro class for anyone new to figure drawing.
Some drawing experience is helpful but not required. This is an intro course and beginners are welcome!
Drawing board
Paper: Canson Mi-Teintes “moonstone”
Vine Charcoal in soft and hard grade
Cotton rag
Knitting needle (14”, thin)
Kneadable eraser
Paper blending stump
Alexander Soukas
Alexander Soukas' serious training in the fine arts began upon attending the Walnut Hill School for the arts, one of five high schools in the United States dedicated to rigorous training in music, ballet, theatre, writing, and visual arts. Unsatisfied with his studies, and desiring to pursue a career as an artist, he began homeschooling as a way of earning his diploma while undertaking an apprenticeship with realist figure painter Jason Polins. Soukas studied traditional painting and drawing in Boston with Polins for 4 years, where he now visits as a guest instructor at Polins' atelier, The Boston School of Painting. Years later, Soukas studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in a coordinated program with the University of Pennsylvania for a year before leaving to seek a more rigorous classical training at Studio Incamminati. While there, he worked for and studied under Nelson Shanks as one of his last apprentices. https://www.alexandersoukas.com/