creative research gallery and drawing center
a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization

  

DRAWING CENTER STUDIO

 

  

 

DRAWING ESSENTIALS

Ten individual four-week classes focusing on
the most essential skills and knowledge to serve the beginning or novice drawer.

Available in Two Formats: Online OR In-Person at Manifest's Central Parkway Studios (M1)

Try one, or take them all! (25% discount for the full package.)

 


Drawing Essentials
AN INTRODUCTION TO BASIC DRAWING CONCEPTS

“Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together.”
– John Ruskin



The mechanics of drawing don’t have to be mysterious. Slow and careful looking, deliberate mark-making, patient comprehension, and fearless revisions are the foundations of any productive observational drawing practice. 

Whether you’re picking up a pencil for the first time, or brushing up on your skills after a studio sabbatical, Drawing Essentials is the perfect place to start. This ten-class series offers a foundation in basic observational drawing practices and techniques, to unite the hand, the head, and the heart.  

You may sign up for any class within the series individually—as a “refresher” on a specific topic—or you can register for the entire series for a significant discount! 

This class provides two optional formats - online OR in-person (see below):

**NOTE: This series will is offered in both online and in-person formats for the Drawing Center’s 21st Season.

Whichever meeting plan a student selects will apply to every class meeting for that month’s registration (If someone registers for the in-person option for September’s Composition course, they will only have access to the in-person instruction offered for that month).

If space is available, students may switch between online and in-person formats from month to month.

Those wishing to register for the (discounted) full series at the beginning of the cycle will be asked to select whether they would prefer to work online or in the studios for the entire 10-month series.

 

Series Instructors:

Online: Samantha Haring, Resident Instructor

In-person: Chris Marin, Artist-in-Residence

 

Fee:  Individual 4-week Classes: $200

Full Series Price (all ten courses): $1500 (a 25% discount!)

 

Course Schedule*:

Online - Thursdays 6-9pm
In-Person - Tuesdays, 6-9pm

 

Minimum Enrollment: 4  
Maximum Class Size: 10

!! Please note that in-person and online sections meet on different days of the week. !!

 

Level: All levels are welcome. Drawing Essentials is geared towards beginners and those wishing to improve their basic drawing skills. Each class will feature short demonstrations, specific lessons, and individual feedback for each student. Drawing is a practice that has a far reach, and whether your artistic goals are for pleasure or profession, we believe that anyone can learn to draw and in doing so, learn to appreciate the world more deeply.

 

 

 



*** [ REGISTER HERE ] ***

2024-2025 COURSE SCHEDULE
(See full descriptions in Essentials menu below.)

TUESDAYS (in person)

Composition
September 3-24
Registration Deadline: Saturday, August 31, 2024

Measuring Your Observations
October 1-22
Registration Deadline: Saturday, September 28, 2024

Gesture and Contour
November 5-26
Registration Deadline: Saturday, November 2, 2024

Space/Depth/Perspective
January 7-28
Registration Deadline: Saturday, January 4, 2025
 
Value
February 4-25
Registration Deadline: Saturday, February 1, 2025
 
Volume
March 4-25
Registration Deadline: Saturday, March 1, 2025

Texture and Surface
April 1-22
Registration Deadline: Saturday, March 29, 2025

Introduction to Color 
May 6-27
Registration Deadline: Saturday, May 3, 2025
 
Optical Color/Perceptual Color
June 3-24
Registration Deadline: Saturday, May 31, 2025
 
Expressive and Symbolic Color
July 8-29
Registration Deadline: Saturday, July 5, 2025

THURSDAYS (online)

Composition
September 5-26
Registration Deadline: Monday, September 2, 2024

Measuring Your Observations
October 3-24
Registration Deadline: September 30, 2024

Gesture and Contour
November 7-December 5 (no meeting 11/28)
Registration Deadline: Monday, November 4, 2024

Space/Depth/Perspective
January 9-30
Registration Deadline: Monday, January 6, 2025
 
Value
February 6-27
Registration Deadline: Monday, February 3, 2025
 
Volume
March 6-27
Registration Deadline: Monday, March 3, 2025

Texture and Surface
April 3-24
Registration Deadline: Monday, March 31, 2025

Introduction to Color 
May 8-29
Registration Deadline: Monday, May 5, 2025
 
Optical Color/Perceptual Color
June 5-26
Registration Deadline: Monday, June 2, 2025
 
Expressive and Symbolic Color
July 3-24
Registration Deadline: Monday, June 30, 2025


LOCATION: Unless otherwise specified, all courses are hosted at Manifest's new facility at 'M1' in Clifton at 3464 Central Parkway (see map and directions below). Manifest's new facility provides multiple studio classrooms, private lesson space, a darkroom, a film processing room, and a multi-purpose lecture and class meeting space as well as on-site parking, grounds, and exterior spaces in which to relax, discuss, and make art. The studios are outfitted with professional equipment, furniture, and study aids.

Map to Manifest's M1 Studios   |   Studio Calendar   |   Darkroom Calendar

Instructor Bio: ONLINE on Thursdays

Samantha Haring is a Midwest painter from Des Plaines, Illinois. She makes quiet paintings in a noisy world. Haring earned her MFA from Northern Illinois University and her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has also studied in Italy at the International School of Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture; it was there that she fully developed her commitment to light, color, and observational painting. Haring’s work has been published in New American Paintings and recent Manifest International Drawing and Painting Annuals.

Haring was one of the 2015-2016 Artists-in-Residence at Manifest Gallery. She has been a Resident Instructor at the Drawing Center since 2016; she also teaches drawing and design courses at the University of Cincinnati’s School of Design. She currently maintains a studio in Cincinnati, where she spends an inordinate amount of time staring at the color of dust.

 

Instructor Bio: IN-PERSON on Tuesdays

Originally from Lubbock, Texas, Chris Marin earned his BFA in Painting and Drawing at Texas Tech University in 2016 and his MFA in Fine Arts at California College of the Arts in San Francisco in 2018. Following his time as a student, Chris spent two years as an Artist-in-Residence at Lubbock’s Charles Adams Studio Project before returning to higher education at Texas Tech and, most recently, Louisiana State University, where he was an Assistant Professor of Practice. Chris has relocated to Cincinnati to spend a year as Manifest Scholar in Residence.

Chris has exhibited his work across the country, from Florida to California and Texas to Illinois. In the past year, Chris had work included in two notable shows - Voices: Discussions on Identity and Society Through the Latinx Perspective at the Nancy Fyfe Cardozier Gallery and Soy de Tejas: A Statewide Survey of Latinx Art (curated by Rigoberto Luna) at the Centro de Artes Gallery.

While his current work is founded in the traditions of two-dimensional depictions of the figure, it actively explores the potentials of both the soft sculpture and painting worlds. Chris can regularly be found researching historical events, linguistics, and cultural similarities between his inherited Mexican-American culture and his Jewish culture, all in the service of giving visual emphasis to the narratives in his artwork.

COMPOSITION

MEASURING YOUR
OBSERVATIONS

GESTURE & CONTOUR

SPACE / DEPTH & PERSPECTIVE


Composition is the foundation of all good design. Learn to create visual harmony through the thoughtful arrangement of shapes and forms. Organizing pictorial space in an aesthetically pleasing way is the first step toward creating an image that communicates. Come harness the visual power of order, design, balance, and harmony.

Topics covered:

  • Design principles: symmetry, balance, rhythm, movement, proportion, anomaly, contrast, emphasis, hierarchy, unity
  • Seeing in shapes
  • Organizing the picture plane
  • Thumbnails and considering edges
  • Introduction to compositional theory, including the rule of thirds, ratios, and other compositional forces

Materials List:

• 2B pencil
• Kneaded eraser
• Retractable eraser (either the Factis BM2 or Tombow Mono)
• Pencil sharpener
• Sketchbook, recommended size 9x12”-14x17” (two recommendations: Strathmore 400 series Field Sketchbook, 9x12”, 70 pages (link) or Strathmore Recycled Sketch Pad, 14x17, 100 sheets (link)


Learning to draw is learning to see. Creating an accurate drawing requires letting go of what you think something looks like, and honing your attention on what your eyes actually see. Perceptual tools like angling, measuring, and sighting offer foolproof methods for creating truthful drawings every time you step into the studio.

Topics covered:

  • Angling
  • Measuring
  • Sighting and proportions
  • Organizational lines
  • Perceptual strategies for accuracy

Materials List:

• 2B pencil
• Kneaded eraser
• Retractable eraser (either the Factis BM2 or Tombow Mono)
• Pencil sharpener
• Sketchbook, recommended size 9x12”-14x17” (two recommendations: Strathmore 400 series Field Sketchbook, 9x12”, 70 pages (link) or Strathmore Recycled Sketch Pad, 14x17, 100 sheets (link)

 


A good drawing has sensitive lines and specific edges. Paying attention to contours, contrast, and the speed of the mark will increase your visual acuity and expand your visual language.

Topics covered:

  • Movement, energy, fast drawing
  • Thumbnails
  • Blind contour, continuous line contour, broken line contour
  • Edge control
  • Sensitive lines
  • Negative space

Materials List:

• 2B pencil
• Kneaded eraser
• Retractable eraser (either the Factis BM2 or Tombow Mono)
• Pencil sharpener
• Sketchbook, recommended size 9x12”-14x17” (two recommendations: Strathmore 400 series Field Sketchbook, 9x12”, 70 pages (link) or Strathmore Recycled Sketch Pad, 14x17, 100 sheets (link)


Space is the place. Conveying a sense of depth on a flat surface is one of the most satisfying visual tricks an artist can pull. Broaden your perspective and increase the depth of your imagery.

Topics covered:

  • Linear perspective: 1 point, 2 point, 3 point
  • Edge quality, line variety
  • Overlap
  • Non-western perspectival systems
  • Interior space

Materials List:

• 2B pencil
• Kneaded eraser
• Retractable eraser (either the Factis BM2 or Tombow Mono)
• Pencil sharpener
• Sketchbook, recommended size 9x12”-14x17” (two recommendations: Strathmore 400 series Field Sketchbook, 9x12”, 70 pages (link) or Strathmore Recycled Sketch Pad, 14x17, 100 sheets (link)


VALUE

VOLUME

TEXTURE & SURFACE

INTRO TO COLOR


We see the world through light and shadow. Light reveals form and creates beautifully poetic illusions of contrast, form, and space. Seeing shadow-shape relationships is the first step towards describing and, ultimately, understanding the role light plays in a composition.

Topics covered:

  • Shadow shape mapping
  • Value scales
  • Additive value techniques
  • 6 levels of light

Materials List:

  • 2B, HB, 2H pencils Prismacolor premier colored pencils: white, black (2 each)
  • Kneaded eraser
  • Retractable eraser (either the Factis or Tombow Mono)
  • Pencil sharpener
  • Sketchbook, recommended size 9x12”-14x17” (two recommendations: Strathmore 400 series Field Sketchbook, 9x12”, 70 pages (link) or Strathmore Recycled Sketch Pad, 14x17, 100 sheets (link)
  • 1 sheet Canson Mi-Teintes paper, 19x24”, Stygian black
  • 1 sheet Canson Mi-Teintes paper, 19x24”, either Steel grey or Felt grey



Creating the illusion of form on a flat surface has long been the aim of perceptual artists. Through a variety of lighting scenarios, we will explore the beautiful nuances and subtleties of value drawing.

Topics covered:

  • Edge quality
  • Three kinds of light: direct, reflected, ambient
  • Reductive value techniques
  • White and black pencil on toned paper techniques
  • Rendering simple solids in full-value
  • Atmospheric perspective

Materials List:

  • 2B, HB, 2H pencils Prismacolor premier colored pencils: white, black (2 each)
  • Kneaded eraser
  • Retractable eraser (either the Factis or Tombow Mono)
  • Pencil sharpener
  • Sketchbook, recommended size 9x12”-14x17” (two recommendations: Strathmore 400 series Field Sketchbook, 9x12”, 70 pages (link) or Strathmore Recycled Sketch Pad, 14x17, 100 sheets (link)
  • 1 sheet Canson Mi-Teintes paper, 19x24”, Stygian black
  • 1 sheet Canson Mi-Teintes paper, 19x24”, either Steel grey or Felt grey

 


There is nothing like the visual impact of a full value drawing. Describing a variety of light effects on different surfaces and textures is an easily attainable skill… with practice. Bring your keen eyes and your curiosity, and be prepared to observe with intention and care.

Topics covered:

  • Understanding light effects on a variety of surfaces
  • Drapery and patterned forms
  • Full value drawings
  • Modulating edges
  • Describing texture through mark-making and value
  • Introduction to temperature

Materials List:

  • 2B, HB, 2H pencils Prismacolor premier colored pencils: white, black (2 each)
  • Kneaded eraser
  • Retractable eraser (either the Factis or Tombow Mono)
  • Pencil sharpener
  • Sketchbook, recommended size 9x12”-14x17” (two recommendations: Strathmore 400 series Field Sketchbook, 9x12”, 70 pages (link) or Strathmore Recycled Sketch Pad, 14x17, 100 sheets (link)
  • 1 sheet Canson Mi-Teintes paper, 19x24”, Stygian black
  • 1 sheet Canson Mi-Teintes paper, 19x24”, either Steel grey or Felt grey

 


Color is the most powerful element of design. Good color has the alchemical ability to turn the most basic object into something incredibly beautiful. Join us to learn the building blocks of color and its experiential qualities.

Topics covered:

  • 3 characteristics of color: hue, value, intensity
  • Simultaneous contrast, visual complements
  • Subtractive color
  • Transparency
  • Color wheel
  • Color scales

Materials List:

• 24 set of Prismacolor Premier colored pencils
• Retractable eraser (either the Factis BM2 or Tombow Mono)
• Staedler white vinyl eraser
• Pencil sharpener
• Sketchbook, recommended size 9x12”-14x17” (two recommendations: Strathmore 400 series Field Sketchbook, 9x12”, 70 pages (link) or Strathmore Recycled Sketch Pad, 14x17, 100 sheets (link)


   

OPTICAL COLOR / PERCEPTUAL COLOR

EXPRESSIVE &
SYMBOLIC COLOR


Observational drawing is not merely about copying what you see; it’s about understanding why something appears the way it does. In this class, we will identify perceived colors, describe their unique qualities, and attempt to recreate them with increasing finesse and accuracy.

Topics covered:

  • Color temperature and value
  • Local color
  • - 3 kinds of light: direct, ambient, and reflected
  • Color mixing in colored pencils
  • Full spectrum drawing

Materials List:

• 24 set of Prismacolor Premier colored pencils
• Retractable eraser (either the Factis BM2 or Tombow Mono)
• Staedler white vinyl eraser
• Pencil sharpener
• Sketchbook, recommended size 9x12”-14x17” (two recommendations: Strathmore 400 series Field Sketchbook, 9x12”, 70 pages (link) or Strathmore Recycled Sketch Pad, 14x17, 100 sheets (link)


Color has the potential to alter consciousness, affect mood, and transform the mundane into the magical. The psychology of colors and their inherent meaning has a tremendous impact on the content of a work of art. Working with various color palettes, we will explore the communicative power of color.

Topics covered:

  • Limited color palettes and color relativity
  • The role of color in defining spatial depth
  • Color and temperature
  • Unifying and resolving a drawing

Materials List:

• 24 set of Prismacolor Premier colored pencils
• Retractable eraser (either the Factis BM2 or Tombow Mono)
• Staedler white vinyl eraser
• Pencil sharpener
• Sketchbook, recommended size 9x12”-14x17” (two recommendations: Strathmore 400 series Field Sketchbook, 9x12”, 70 pages (link) or Strathmore Recycled Sketch Pad, 14x17, 100 sheets (link)


 

Manifest is supported by sustainability funding from the Ohio Arts Council, and through the generous direct contributions of hundreds of individual supporters and private foundations who care deeply about Manifest's mission for the visual arts.


gallery hours:
tues-fri 12-7pm, sat noon-5pm
closed on sun-mon

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gallery map
2727 woodburn avenue
cincinnati, ohio 45206

drawing center map (m1)
3464 Central Parkway
cincinnati, ohio 45223

   

 


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