Drawing with Wet and Dry Materials
February 25 – April 1, 2025 | 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: High Museum of Art, Blue Workshop, Greene Family Education Center
Registration Required
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The registration fee includes all materials, weekly access to world-class art on view in the museum’s galleries and special exhibitions, hours of expert instruction, and additional access to a Friday afternoon open studio during the run of the class.
The registration fee includes all materials, weekly access to world-class art on view in the museum’s galleries and special exhibitions, hours of expert instruction, and additional access to a Friday afternoon open studio during the run of the class.
Learn drawing strategies with both dry and wet drawing materials, such as charcoal, chalk, pastel, and ink, to create expressive drawings. Draw from observation and imagination, and discover how to use lines, shapes, textures, composition, and color.
Week 1: Begin with an outline of the drawing methods that will be explored. Explore contour drawings, and work from observation as you create designs using pencil, charcoal, and white chalk on different kinds of paper.
Week 2: Sketch in the galleries, taking inspiration from works in the museum’s collection. Back in the studio, explore adding value in your composition as you create visual textures with graphite, charcoal, and Conté crayons.
Week 3: Warm up by making line drawings with colored pencils. Then, experiment with different layering and color mixing techniques to achieve painterly effects with dry media. Drawing from life, spend the rest of class creating expressive work by incorporating chalk and oil pastels.
Week 4: Focus on drawing with a brush while using ink to convey value, visual textures, and illusion of depth in your drawings.
Week 5: Explore watercolor techniques by adding watercolor to line drawings in ink and pencil. Begin work on a large drawing or on a small series of drawings, either from life, memory, or imagination.
Week 6: Complete individual projects using a combination of techniques explored in previous classes. We will conclude our time together with a celebration of our drawing process and a reflection on all we’ve learned.
About Studio Classes
Studio Classes enable you to expand your art-making skills through guided, step-by-step instruction with expert teaching artists. Over multiple weeks, you will learn alongside other creative adults and delve deeply into the artistic process, explore new techniques, and build your practice.
This is an intermediate-level Studio Class. The curriculum and instruction are intended for adults with some prior experience.
The registration fee includes all materials, weekly access to world-class art on view in the museum’s galleries and special exhibitions, hours of expert instruction, and additional access to a Friday afternoon Open Studio during the run of the class.
About Your Instructor
Daniel Mantilla is a Colombian-born artist with over a decade of experience teaching young people, families, and adults. In his paintings, drawing-collages, and cutouts, Daniel explores ideas of transition and instability. He previously lived in New York City, where he recorded instructional videos for public television. His art has been exhibited across the United States and internationally. He has studied paintings in museum collections in Spain, conducted research on cadmium-free acrylic paint, and holds an MFA from Hunter College.
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