Drawing Course for Beginners: Pencil & Charcoal Basics

Discover the joy of drawing in this beginner-friendly course designed to build your confidence and skills using pencil and charcoal. Over 5 hands-on sessions, you’ll explore line, shading, texture, and composition while learning how to observe and draw from real life.

Nearest start date:

Tuesday, 16 September

Join

The course lasts for 5 weeks and consists of 5 lessons

90% practice and 10% theory

Course program

Introduction to Drawing & Materials

Getting to know graphite pencils and charcoal (types, handling, sharpening)
Warm-up exercises: lines, marks, pressure control
Drawing basic geometric forms (sphere, cube, cylinder) with light and shadow
Understanding light source and form through shading practice

🧠 Focus: Confidence with materials, hand control, light logic

Observational drawing: drawing from real-life objects (mugs, fruit, bottles)
Techniques: contour drawing, measuring proportions
Shading with hatching, cross-hatching, and blending
Intro to composition: placement and balance

🧠 Focus: Proportion, observation, shading to show form

Drawing organic forms: leaves, branches, shells, stones
Exploring charcoal for expressive marks
Negative space and silhouette drawing
Creating depth and atmosphere with tone

🧠 Focus: Organic structure, expressive line, tonal layering

Second lesson: Still Life with Simple Objects

Fourth lesson: Drawing from Nature

Third lesson: Textures & Surfaces

Fifth lesson: Portrait Basics (From a Photo or Bust)

Drawing different textures: glass, fabric, metal, wood
Using both pencil and charcoal to emphasize surface differences
Practice with smudging, erasing, and layering techniques
Creating a small composition of mixed-texture objects

🧠 Focus: Material study, contrast, tactile visual effects

Basic proportions of the face
Structure: how to simplify facial features (eyes, nose, mouth)
Using charcoal for expressive portraits: highlights and deep shadows
Final sketch: build a simple portrait using learned techniques

🧠 Focus: Human form, proportion, expressive drawing

Why join?
🎨 Learn from Scratch with Confidence – No experience needed! We guide you step by step from simple shapes to expressive sketches.
✏️ Master Pencil & Charcoal Techniques – Explore shading, texture, and volume to make your drawings come to life.
🖼 Create Artwork You’ll Be Proud Of – Complete five unique projects, including still life, nature studies, and a portrait.
🤲 Hands-On, Small Group Learning – Get personal guidance in a supportive studio environment.
💡 Build a Strong Creative Foundation – Develop the essential skills to continue drawing on your own or join advanced courses.

What is included in the course:

Five 2h art sessions

All materials: paper, pencils, charcoal, rubber etc

A drink of your choice for every session

Time and Place:

DATE

TIME

September 16, Tuesday