Life Drawing Academy News
How to Self-Assess Your Drawing Skills
Do you know what is your level of drawing skills according to the standards of classical art education? Many self-taught artists and art students tend to overestimate the level of skills not because they are proud of their achievements, but because they do not know what the standards are. The following information will help to assess your level of drawing skills on the scale from zero to 10.
51 Portrait Drawing Rules
This video is unique, never before all 51 portrait drawing rules were presented in one lesson. These rules are collected from various sources, including sketchbooks by Leonardo da Vinci, classical canons of head and face proportions, as well as discovered by Vladimir London, a Life Drawing Academy tutor.
Best Encaustic Portrait in the Last 2000 Years
This video is unique; never before in the history of humankind the entire process of making a hot-encaustic portrait of such high quality has been filmed from the beginning to the end. My name is Vladimir London and I'm on a personal journey of making portraits in hot beeswax that surpass in quality all encaustic portraits that were created in the last two millennia.
How to Learn Sculpting
We received the following message from Evahn, who asked how to learn sculpting:"I am mostly interested in learning how to sculpt the human figure and wonder if taking the Life Drawing Academy Correspondence Course would be the best way to move forward."
Why Life Drawing Classes do it wrong
In this video, you will discover why so many art students struggle with drawing realistic figures and portraits from life and have no improvement of their drawing skills despite attending life drawing sessions for years. Also, you will find out how to benefit from life drawing classes, how to learn figurative drawing and where to get the most needed skills of proficient figure and portrait drawing.
The Best Drawing Course
We received questions from Fred, who is interested in taking online courses to improve his drawing abilities. He's wondering which courses are better suited for this purpose. To find the answer, read the communication between Fred and Alex, Life Drawing Academy support member
Eight Reasons to take personal tutoring at Life Drawing Academy
Question from Ethan: "I was wondering which course should I start out with first the Drawing Academy course or the Life Drawing Academy course. I am a complete and total beginner at drawing. Depending on your answer I will enroll in both courses. I will follow through with your art program because it is my dream to become the best graphic drawing artist I could ever be."
How to sketch at life drawing sessions
We received a question from Mauricio, a Life Drawing Academy Correspondence Course student about sketching at life drawing sessions and whether to smudge charcoal or not.
Life Drawing Academy vs top Art Ateliers
We received the following question from Vicky: "How does the Life Drawing Academy Correspondence Course compare to top ateliers, such as the Florence Academy in Italy?"
How to Learn Good Digital Drawing
We received the following message from Amber: "I have always been passionate about art, and I have always wanted to make something out of it. I want to get into digital art and animation. I am also into computer science. I have seen a few videos on your channel, and I like the fact that rigor is emphasized because I genuinely want to be good at it"
How to Learn Drawing and Painting
We received the following message from Dan, who asked how to learn good drawing and painting skills:"I have no art training at all. I'd like to progress to watercolor as well as drawing. Where is the best place to start? Anatomy perhaps? I've no clue about any of this. I'd like to have a solid foundation and then build for the future. What do you advise?"
Children Art School in Novgorod, Russia
Good art skills are not an inborn talent; they are a result of proper art education. There are only few places left where children are taught drawing in accordance with the high standards of classical art education. One of such places is Russia. There, students enter art schools at the age of 9…11. In such art schools, students have lessons on drawing, painting, composition, sculpture, decorative arts and history of arts.
Exterior Drawings by Children Art School Students
Good drawing skills come with proper art education and practice. In some countries, art schools still follow traditions of classical fine art and students are taught proper drawing techniques of drawing from life, including en plein air. Check out some examples of outdoor drawings done by students of such art schools.
How to Draw Birds in Pen and Ink
If you want to learn how to draw birds, in the Life Drawing Academy Correspondence Course, your art tutors will teach you how to do it step by step. Check out some examples of bird drawings done by Vladimir London in pen and ink
Help! I Can't Draw in Pen and Ink
In this video, you will discover: which pen and ink drawing materials you need; which is better - cheap or expensive calligraphy pens; what kind of inks to use; how to sketch portraits in pen and ink; how to make the DIY tools for ink drawing; and where and how you can learn great drawing skills.
Constructive Drawing - How to draw Intersecting Objects
In this video, you will discover how to draw intersecting objects using constructive drawing principles. Such principles greatly help to make realistic artworks especially when drawing from imagination.
How to Intersect Triangular Prisms
In this video, you will learn how to intersect triangular prisms and see 39 unique sketches by Vladimir London. The topic of intersecting geometric objects can be learned in depth in the Life Drawing Academy Correspondence Course because its drawing curriculum will be custom-tailored for every student according to one needs and skills. Good understanding of how to intersect objects is needed for graphic and product designers, architects, engineers, and fine artists who need to draw and construct different things from imagination.
How to Draw a Mug with a Handle
In this video tutorial, I will answer questions from Rose, one of the Correspondent Course students and also will show you how to draw a reclining cylinder and a mug with a handle in perspective using constructive drawing principles.
Why you need constructive drawing to draw portraits
Questions from John: "Although it is very nice to see someone practicing faces and heads that are like Greek Statues, would it not be a good idea for learning portraits to do an actual portrait. Isn't it just as important to learn to see the exact distances and lengths on the face of the person in front of you? Could you please advise me if this comment seems ignorant or lacking. I would like to learn."
Tree Drawings by Ivan Shishkin
Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin (Russian: Ива́н Ива́нoвич Ши́шкин; 25 January 1832 - 20 March 1898) was a Russian landscape painter
What is the Best Way to Learn Drawing? Skills vs. Creativity
The ideal approach is when an academic school develops creativity and gives skills simultaneously. That is why, in Russian art school, apart from drawing and painting, students also learn philosophy, economics, history, and all other subjects to get a deeper understanding of the world, to form their personal views, and to develop their creativity.
Becoming an Artist - What students learn in Russian art academies
The skill to draw realistic portraits and figures does not necessarily make someone an artist. To become a fine artist at a high level, students must...
Human Body Proportions in Contrapposto
In this video lesson, you will discover how to draw a female figure standing in contrapposto with the necessary knowledge of a human body proportions.
How to get a strong art education
Learning drawing is not possible by reading 'how to draw' books. This is a long and hard process of practicing, with a teacher polishing students' understanding of drawing principles step by step.
How to Get Good Portrait and Figure Drawing Skills
Discover how to draw good portraits by watching video lessons from the Life Drawing Academy art course
How to Draw Portraits in Profile
How to draw portraits in profile is a skill every proficient fine artist must have. When making portrait drawings, an artist has to use the knowledge of proportions and anatomy, especially when drawing models from life because anatomy is hidden beneath the skin and proportions are not obvious.
Theory of Contours
We need contours for constructive drawing because contours are virtual cross-sections that help to describe the object's three-dimensional construction. It is better to use contours instead of outlines when drawing greatly foreshortened objects. Also, it is better to apply pencil strokes along contours when hatching tonal values to make an object appear more thee-dimensional.
Contours of a Cube
Contours of a Cube are always straight lines. Some directions of contours help to reveal three-dimensional construction of a cube while others will flatten it. That it is why it is important to know how to intersect a cube with virtual planes to draw various contours. Watch this video to find out more.
Contours of a Cylinder
Drawing contours helps to depict such cylindrical objects like cans, mugs, vases, columns, arms and legs, neck, fingers, etc. more convincing and believable. Knowing how to draw contours in the right direction is a great skill every fine artist must have. There are right and wrong ways of using contours. This video will help you with this topic.
Contours of a Cone
In this video, you will discover which contours are suitable for cone drawing and which contours are better to avoid when drawing conical objects.
Contours of a Sphere
Contours of a Sphere are circles in perspective. A circle in perspective appears as a perfectly elliptical oval. In this video, you will find out which directions of ovals reveal spherical shapes the best way depending on the point of view.
How to Draw Hands Using Contours
There is one important thing you need to know when drawing foreshortened objects such as hands in perspective. When a finger is foreshortened, we do not mark its outlines, instead, we only use contours.
How to develop good life drawing skills
In Russia, there is a traditional classical art education system. Unlike in the West, it wasn't derailed in the 20th century. This system steadily and methodically prepares fine artists starting from art schools for children to postgraduate degrees.
Vladimir London Sketchbooks
Making sketches is just one small part of the art education you will receive in the Life Drawing Academy Correspondence Course. This course will cover all you need to know, from traditional drawing techniques to anatomy for artists and figurative drawing. A dedicated team of art tutors will walk you all the way step-by-step from your current drawing skills to the advanced level.
Sketching Five Portraits a Day
Many beginning artists think that getting good drawing skills requires a lot of time. They also believe that drawing portraits is difficult. Lack of time is one of classic excuses. I will show you how to get good drawing skills with little effort at your end.
How to Sketch a Skull
To draw realistic portraits, an artist must know the anatomy of a human head, its construction and proportions. Good understanding of what lies beneath the skin gives great advantage in portrait drawing. That is why, in this video, I will show you how to make fast sketches of a skull.
How to Learn Anatomy for Artists - Sketchbooks Tour
In this video, I will talk about how to learn anatomy by sketching. Here are some of my sketchbooks where I make anatomical drawings and scribble notes about proportions and construction of a human body, head and face.
Tonal Rendering Rules
In this illustrated article, you will find out how to apply tonal rendering the right way. There are 25 rules you need to know to do it proficiently.
Drawing from Photos
This video asnswers two questions:- Is Drawing from Photos Art?
- Why is copying photos treacherous?
How to Draw a Torso
What if you have to draw just a torso with no measurements of the head and legs available to build the necessary proportions? In this video, I will demonstrate how to do it.
Book - How to Draw a Portrait
A new book has been published on the topic of how to draw portraits the right way. These step-by-step instructions for beginner artists are written and illustrated by Vladimir London, Life Drawing Academy tutor.
The "How to Draw a Portrait" book is available in both kindle and soft cover formats on Amazon.
How can I learn life drawing from videos
To learn good drawing skills, do not copy artworks you see in the video lessons. Instead, get a sketchbook and write down the sequential steps of how to draw figures and portraits, note the proportions and anatomical features. Then, make your own drawings from life, memory or imagination.
How to Draw Portraits in Perspective
As an art tutor, I often receive portrait artworks for critique. Many drawings have the same common mistakes. One of such mistakes is using an incorrect perspective. To learn how to use the correct kind of perspctive when drawing a portrait, watch this video.
Calligraphy
The word "Calligraphy" originates from Greek kalligraphia, which consists of two roots: kalli- beautiful (from kallos beauty) and -graphia writing; and "beautiful" in the case of calligraphy means artistic, stylized, and elegant.
Fine Motor Skills
Fine Motor Skills is ability to make small movements of hands and fingers with high precision of eye-hand coordination. Needless to say, fine motor skills play an important role in making well-crafted drawings. If you can plan and control your finger movements with precision, this will result in better quality of drawings.
What we can learn about Life Drawing from the Old Masters
One- or two-point perspective is not always suited for drawing portraits and figures from life. The Old Masters knew this very well and were drawing foreshortened figures using orthogonal or parallel perspective. They depicted foreshortening of lengths, while keeping proportions of widths intact.
How to get good skills by drawing just 20 minutes a day
Many art students say: "I don't have time." This is a classic excuse. Every person on this planet has twenty-four hours per day, no more no less. Everyone is equal in this respect. Why do you fill your day with things that prevent you from doing what you love? Here's the truth: it is not a matter of time, but priorities.
How long does it take to learn drawing?
Art students who would like to become fine artists, start their art education in art schools from the age of 9 or 10. By the end of this school, which takes 4 to 5 years, they have very good drawing, painting, decorative arts, composition, and sculpting skills as well a firm knowledge of the history of arts. Art academy entry exams include...
Tonal Rendering Critique - Personal Tutoring at Life Drawing Academy
In the Life Drawing Academy Correspondence Course, art students from various countries send us their drawings for critique together with questions they have. We provide constructive feedback and advice on how to improve their drawing skills. Here's an example of such communication between Mike, a Correspondence Course student from Greece and Vladimir London, Life Drawing Academy tutor.
How to Divide Depth in Perspective
In this video, you will discover how to divide depth in one- and two-point perspective. This method was described by Piero della Francesca in his book "De prospectiva pingendi". Leonardo da Vinci took this method further, bending the rules of drawing in perspective to achieve better looking artworks.
How to Spot Mistakes in Perspective Drawing
Drawing in perspective is one of the most important topics when it comes to depicting any three-dimensional object on a flat surface. Whatever you draw - a simple geometric figure or a portrait - it has to be in correct perspective. In this lesson, you will discover some very helpful tips for spotting mistakes in perspective drawing.
How to measure angles with a pencil
How to measure angles from life is one of the most fundamental skills to have. It is especially useful when you draw objects in perspective. This knowledge helps to draw not only vanishing lines, but any tilted lines you see in life.
How to Draw Intersecting Cylinders
In the history of arts, there are many examples of intersecting cylinders. Any fluted column has such geometry. Here, you will discover how to make a drawing of the cylindrical column segment.
How to Measure Relative Proportions with a Pencil
Measuring relative proportions is one of the most fundamental skills every fine artist must have. Without this skill, it is impossible to make proportionate and realistic artworks. In this article, you will discover how to measure proportions using a pencil.
How to Sculpt a Portrait - Video
Discover how to sculpt a female portrait in beeswax never hardening clay, make soft silicone and hard gypsum molds, and cast a head sculpture in hard gypsum
How to Sculpt a Head
In this video, you will find out to cast a sculpture of a classical male head using very affordable casting materials
How to Cast a Classical Bust
In this video, you will discover how to make a mold and cold cast a classical bust. Every sculptor has to have good drawing skills. Making your own cast of a classical bust is the great way to learn the three-dimensional construction of a head and make a model that you can draw from life.
How to Sculpt a Head of the Princess - Video
In this video, you will see the complete process of making a small sculpture – a head of the Princess. The original sculpture is done in waxy oil-based clay and for casting purposes, two molds, soft silicone and hard plaster were used.
How to Sculpt an Ear - Video
In this video, you will learn the unique method of ear proportions, which was developed by Vladimir London. This method is taught in the Life Drawing Academy course
How to Cast a Mouth Sculpture
In this video, you will find out how to make a mold and cast a mouth sculpture with classical proportions and correct anatomy that you can use as a model to draw from life.
How to Sculpt a Mouth
In this video, you will learn how to sculpt a sculpture of a mouth, which can be used as a model with classical proportions that you can draw from life at any angle. This tutorial contains two different ways of sculpting a mouth - using a paper template and a very special method on three spheres.
How to Cast a Nose Sculpture
In this video, you will learn you how to make a mold and cast a sculpture of a nose in resin plaster.
How to Sculpt a Nose
You may wonder how to learn to draw portraits if you don't have classical sculptures nor models to draw from life. In this video, I will show you how to sculpt a realistic nose that you can use as a model for drawing. This sculpture is based on the nose of David, that Michelangelo Buonarroti carved in marble more than 500 years ago.
How to Sculpt Eyes
In the Life Drawing Academy Correspondence Course, you will learn how to sculpt eyes and make a model with classical proportions and correct anatomy to draw it from life from different points of view.
How to Make a Paper Hand Model
In the Life Drawing Academy Correspondence Course, you will get a unique template of paper hand model. Making such a model provides the first-hand experience of learning the hand's planes. Drawing this model from life will prepare you for drawing real hands.
How to Make a Shoulder Girdle Paper Model
This Shoulder Girdle paper model is available exclusively to Life Drawing Academy Correspondence Course students as a part of personal drawing curriculum. Life Drawing Academy students use this model to draw a shoulder girdle from life and learn construction and anatomy of a human skull, neck and shoulders.
Best Paper Skull Models
In this video, Vladimir London, a Life Drawing Academy tutor, will demonstrate a couple of paper skull models that you can make at home to draw from life.
How to Make and Draw a Skull
In this video, you will discover proportions and construction of a skull, how to make a paper skull model and how to draw a skull from life with the necessary knowledge of its anatomy...
How to Make a Model of Doric Capital
In this video, you will see how to make a Doric capital paper model. In the Life Drawing Academy Correspondence Course, students learn various topics, including proportions, construction, perspective, anatomy, and so on. To learn classical orders, they make models of column capitals to draw them from life. Watch this video to find out more.how-to-make-model-of-doric-capital
15 Elements of Composition
In this video, you will discover 15 Elements of Composition that you can use to compose beautiful works of art to tell a story, induce emotions, and pass the message to viewers...
How to Render Tonal Values
In this video, you will find out how to sculpt a sphere and draw it from life with the necessary knowledge of tonal values terminology...
Golden Proportions in Art
In this video, you will find out what golden proportion or golden ratio is and how to use it in art...
Encaustic Portrait of Daphne by Vladimir London
In this video, I will show you the complete process of making an artwork in the ancient technique – hot beeswax painting. I want to outperform all known ancient portraits in terms of quality and expertise, as well as all current encaustic portraits. To put it simply, I aim to create the finest encaustic portraits of the past 2000 years."
Drawing Vermeer
In this video, Vladimir London, Life Drawing Academy tutor, makes fast sketches of 28 Vermeer's masterpieces at the Exhibition at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Never before have so many of this Old Master's artworks been arranged together. To see Vermeer's paintings and Vladimir's sketches, check out this video.
How to scale drawings
In this video, you will find out to scale drawings using a proportional caliper. A good proportional caliper is one of the sculptor's most useful tools. However, it can be handy not only for making sculptures, but also for scaling up or down drawings. If you don't have such a tool, it is easy to make one yourself...
Is life drawing required for designers?
If a student receives a limited spectrum of art education, this will limit his or her ability to create good works of art. These days, we see narrow specialization in many design schools. Watch this video to discover how you can benefirt from the Life Drawing Academy courtses...
Drawing skills for industrial designers
At Life Drawing Academy, we regularly receive questions and comments from students from all over the world. Gabriel asks: "I am currently studying industrial design, where drawing from imagination and rapid sketching of ideas are essential skills. I'm curious to know if the program you offer could indirectly assist me in improving these skills."
How to Use Contours and Outlines in Life Drawing
In this video, you will discouver how to use contours and outlines in life drawing. To begin with, we need to decide on what are the contours and outlines and why are they important in life drawing? Contours are virtual lines. Do not confuse them with the visible outlines of a body...
Why life drawing classes do it wrong
In this video, you will find out why drawing in chalks and charcoal slows down your learning curve, why making fast sketches is not the best way of learning life drawing, and why it is important to use constructive drawing principles when drawing from life...
Artist's Block - How to Get Motivated
Hard-work is much more important than a talent. That is why they say that 5% of talent and 95% of work make a great artist. Above all, I wish you to be driven by your hard work; talent will come...
How to Draw Cylinders from Life
When you're drawing from life, the horizon line always will be at your eyes level. There is no guessing needed. Horizontally located circles appear as ovals in perspective. However, when a circle is at the horizon level, it is seen as the straight line. The vanishing point for a standing cylinder will lie on the horizon line...
VIDEO - How to Measure with a Pencil from life
There are five main ways to measure: measuring vertical alignments, measuring horizontal alignments, measuring angles, measuring cross points, and measuring relative proportions. To find out how to use a pencil to measure from life,
How to Develop Good Rendering Skills
In this video, you will discover how to develop good rendering skills; how to hold a pencil the right way, and how to do proficient hatching and cross-hatching.
VIDEO - How to develop good pencil hatching skills
In this video, you will discover how to develop good pencil hatching skills using simple drawing exercises. These exercises will help to achieve fast speed of hatching, ability to hatch strokes at any angle and length, and effortless hatching on autopilot that depends on muscle memory.
VIDEO - How to Use Pencils - Candle Grip
In this video, you will discover how to use the candle grip - the way to hold a pencil when drawing on a vertically positioned board. This grip allows to make long lines, both straight and curved, with ese and precision. This is an essential drawing skill every fine artist must have.
How to Hold a Pencil
When drawing long lines on a vertically positioned drawing board, it is better to use the "candle" grip. This grip allows making straight and curved lines by moving not just fingers, but the whole hand or arm. This video demonstrates how to hold a pencil with the candle rip the right way.
VIDEO - How to Sharpen a Pencil the Right Way
In this video, you will discover how to sharpen a pencil the right way. It is an essential skill every artist must have. Unfortunately, many art colleges do not bother to teach this skill. A well-sharpened pencil should have the cone length about three centimeters.
How to Stretch Drawing Paper
In this video, I will show you how to stretch drawing paper. This question was asked by Rose, one of the Life Drawing Academy Correspondence Course members. She wanted to know how to stretch paper the right way and we made a special video demonstration to provide our students the best guidance and advice.
VIDEO - How to learn drawing figures and portraits from life
Life Drawing Academy™ is the ultimate course for artists who would like to achieve advanced levels of figure and portrait drawing skills. It is presented online by professional fine artists and art teachers and includes video lessons and personal support by the Academy tutors.
What is the Best Way to Learn Life Drawing?
Life drawing - recreating the human figure - is one of the most challenging of art forms. Many people labor under the myth that great artists are born; that unless you've been blessed you will never paint or draw like a maestro. This is far from the truth...
Contemporary Life Drawing Artists
If you had to choose the greatest life drawing artist ever, it wouldn't be an easy task. So what about the contemporary crop of life drawing artists? Who, living today, are the best artists at drawing the human figure from real life?
Three Life Drawing Artists of the 20th Century
In the second half of the 20th century, time-honored values of traditional fine art have been steadily replaced by modern art. Although the interest in figurative art remained, life drawing would become more expressionist and less anatomical as artists found ways to reinvent how they depict a human body...
Why Life Drawing is Important for a Figurative Fine Artist
Life Drawing, also known as Figure Drawing, is the practice of drawing in order to study the human figure in detail. Some academic environments offer this approach through the drawing from sculptures or casts of the figure. After that practice, the students have to represent a live model, which will either be dressed, semi-clothed or nude...
What artists of the past say about life drawing
Leonardo was a master of human anatomy, performing a great number of exhaustive sketches of muscles, tendons and other anatomical features. He planned to include his drawings in a treaty about anatomy, but the project remained incomplete, thus the unpublished drawings remained with his private papers...
How artists studied life drawing
Life drawing is a representation of the human subject in any of its various forms and positions using any style or type of drawing. Life drawing also includes the studies on individual details such as drapes, anatomical parts, facial expressions, etc. In addition to the living model, through history the artists made use of wooden dummies...
