Chiaroscuro: Light & Shadow with Charcoal Drawing
Instructor: Rick Wheeler
April 7, 14, 21, 28, May 5
Wednesday 9:00 am - noon
$160 museum members/$210 nonmembers

Chiaroscuro is an Italian concept (and to some degree credited to the Greeks) heavily used by such Renaissance and post-Renaissance masters as Leonardo da Vinci and Caravaggio. Chiaroscuro is a way of drawing or painting with strong lights and darks in order to create a sense of light on form, creating the illusion of 3-dimensional objects on a 2-dimensional surface. Our choice of medium is charcoal, also a classic. Its rich blacks show nicely on standard white or toned drawing paper. We'll be working from photos, still lifes, as well as outdoor sketching, as time allows. Several ways to use charcoal will also be introduced, which will help you on your next trip to your local art museum. Impress your friends with new knowledge regarding past masters. Our main goal, however, is to help students strengthen their drawing skills, particularly their 3-dimensional effects. Class is structured for beginners to intermediate levels of drawing.