Foundations of Drawing
Build essential drawing techniques while learning to draw people and objects.
Student Artwork
Foundations of Drawing
This course teaches the essential drawing fundamentals needed to depict light, shadow, and form with clarity. You’ll learn to measure proportions in drawings of various subjects, and use proper composition in your art. You’ll also explore topics such as still life drawing and basic human anatomy through observational drawing.
Rooted in classical art techniques and enhanced by modern methods, this drawing course’s curriculum is designed to help you see and think like an artist so you can progress from simple forms to more complex subjects. Through practical drawing exercises designed for beginners, you’ll be able to bring your pencil drawings to life, and learn to confidently use graphite sketching and shading techniques such as hatching and blending.
Whether you're starting your very first drawing class online or returning to basics to sharpen your foundational skills, this course will help you to develop your artistic abilities while nurturing your unique visual style.
- Course Type Online Fundamental Classes
- Duration 10 weeks
-
Skill Level
Level 0 Level 0
This class is for people who have never taken art courses before, or would like to solidify the techniques they already have.
- Language English
You can now combine 3, 4 or 5 classes to avail a 5, 10 or 15% discount on your purchase!
Our Online Courses are now priced in Canadian Dollars to provide you with quality artistic training at affordable prices.
Schedule
Note: This class will be offered online only
Term: Summer 2025
Class Timings: Sundays from 3 PM to 6 PM, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT or UTC-4h)
Date of first class: July 6th
Duration: 10 weeks
Please note that our classes times are listed as EDT (GMT-4) but that starting on Sunday, November 2nd, 2025, all class times will go into EST (GMT-5).
If you are unable to attend the class during the times listed above, you will still have access to video recordings of the class lectures and will still receive personalized feedback from your instructor.
It should be noted that students should set aside a minimum of 3 hours per week to complete assignments for this class. Students may even require a bit more time (4-5 hours per week) depending on how quickly they can work through assignments.
*Please note that this class' duration is subject to change (to either 1.5 hours or 2 hours) depending on the number of enrolled students.
These shorter class formats are conducted with more of a personalized mentorship style, allowing students to have more time devoted to their assignments' critiques and the ability to ask more questions in class, while still maintaining all of the theory and planned curriculum for the regular class length.
Prerequisites
Skill requirements
This class is for beginners and those looking to refresh their drawing skills; there are no prerequisites.
Language and age requirements
You should have at least intermediate level English/French to take this class. Please be advised that there could be artistic nudity in our classes. Students should be 14 years old to enroll.
Required Materials
Material List:
- Eraser (any brand)
- Kneadable eraser (any brand)
- Mechanical eraser pen (Tombow recommended)
- Pencil sharpener (Staedtler recommended)
- Sketching Pencils: HB, B, 2B (any brand)
- Sketchbook with removable pages 11"x14” (any brand)
Optional materials:
- Canson Tracing Paper Pad, 11"x14”
- A blending stump
Optionally, you may draw digitally if more convenient for you.
Tech Requirements for Attending Syn Studio Online Classes
Minimum Requirements
- A strong uninterrupted broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE) connection with a minimum 600kbps bandwidth (up/down).
- A Laptop/Desktop computer equipped with a single core processor (at least 1 GHZ processing speed) or a smartphone/tablet with equivalent processing capabilities
- Good speakers/earphones to listen to the classes
- Browser - IE7+, Safari 5+, Firefox, Chrome
- Operating System - Windows XP, Mac OS 10.6, Linux distro based on 3.0 kernel, Android 5.0, iOS 10
Syn Studio Recommendations
- A strong uninterrupted broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE) connection with a minimum 1.5Mbps bandwidth (up/down). You can also connect to the internet directly using your ethernet cable to improve your experience.
- Laptop/Desktop computer equipped with a dual core processor with at least 2 GHZ processing speed and a 4 GB RAM
- High Quality speakers/earphones to listen to the classes
- Browser & Operating System - We recommend using the latest version of the browser and operating system for an optimal online classroom experience.
Course Outline
*Please note that the following outline is subject to change slightly at the teacher's discretion.
Week 1
Learn about essential materials and the basic skills of drawing.
Week 2
Understand form and negative space and learn all about the proportions of the face.
Week 3
Important perspective exercises and the proportions of the human body.
Week 4
Understand light and shadow with exercises on various shading techniques.
Week 5 and 6
Learn essential principles of composition: Figure and/or portrait drawing exercise, and sketching and gesture drawing.
Week 7
Perceive form, negative space and shadow shapes.
Week 8 and 9
Analyze angles, proportions and perspective.
Week 10
Unite all the basic skills of drawing to create a harmonious finished drawing with wholeness and personality.
Testimonials
Registration
You can now combine 3, 4 or 5 classes to avail a 5, 10 or 15% discount on your purchase!
Our Online Courses are now priced in Canadian Dollars to provide you with quality artistic training at affordable prices.
You will soon receive an email receipt for your purchase.
Please bring a photo ID for the first day of class.
Your transaction was not completed. Please try again. If the problem persists, please email us at [email protected] or call us at 514-998-7625
Questions and Assistance
Feel free to send us an email at [email protected] or give us a call at 514-998-7625
Please consult our FAQ; most of the commonly asked questions are answered in detail there. If you cannot find the answer to your question, please feel free to fill out the form below, or, send an email to [email protected]