Drawing for All - Mansfield Woodhouse Library - Adult Learning

Whether you're a complete beginner or looking to refresh your skills, this Drawing for All course is perfect for adults who want to explore the world of pencil drawing.

You’ll learn the fundamentals of drawing, from shading and texture to proportions and perspective, with clear step-by-step guidance.

Through practical exercises and fun projects, you'll build your confidence and develop the skills to create detailed and expressive pencil drawings. No prior experience is necessary, just bring your curiosity and willingness to explore!

On the Drawing for All – Pencil Course, you'll be guided through the essential techniques and skills needed to create detailed and expressive pencil drawings. Whether you're a beginner or looking to refresh your skills, this course will help you develop a solid foundation in drawing using just pencil and paper.

We’ll cover:

• Basic Drawing Techniques: You’ll start with understanding how to use different types of pencils and how to create light, medium, and dark tones through shading and blending. You’ll practice techniques like hatching, cross-hatching, stippling, and scumbling to add texture and depth to your drawings.

• Understanding Proportions and Perspective: You’ll learn how to accurately draw objects and scenes with correct proportions, perspective, and scale.

• Still Life Drawing: You’ll begin by drawing simple objects, such as fruits, vases, and everyday items. This will teach you how to observe and translate three-dimensional objects onto a two-dimensional surface, focusing on details, shading, and texture.

• Drawing from Observation: You’ll be encouraged to observe objects and scenes around you, improving your ability to translate what you see onto paper. This skill is essential for both still life and landscape drawing and will help you develop your observational accuracy.

What you will need to bring to the course:

• Pencils – A basic set of pencils (ranging from hard to soft, such as 2H, HB, 2B, 4B, and 6B).

• Paper – A sketchbook or drawing pad (preferably A4 size)

• Erasers – A good quality rubber eraser and a kneaded eraser (for subtle shading and corrections).

• Sharpener – A sharpener for keeping your pencils in good condition.

• Ruler – A simple ruler for measuring and creating straight lines or grids for perspective.

• Blending Tools – for blending pencil shading (optional but helpful).

• Suggested books for independent reading:

  1) The Art of Pencil Drawing (Collector's Series) by Gene Franks

  2) Draw and Sketch Landscapes by Janet Whittle

  3) The Complete Book of Drawing Techniques by Peter Stanyer