Life Drawing Academy News
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.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 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 memberEight 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 inkHelp! 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.Tree Drawings by Ivan Shishkin
Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin (Russian: Ива́н Ива́нoвич Ши́шкин; 25 January 1832 - 20 March 1898) was a Russian landscape painterWhat 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 courseHow 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.