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Introduction to Figure Drawing
October 7 – October 28, 2025 | 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: High Museum of Art, Yellow Workshop, Greene Family Education Center
Registration Required
Learn to capture the dynamic energy of the human figure in charcoal. Draw from mannequins and live models, finding the essence of a pose, and build initial sketches into developed figure drawings with form and weight.
Week 1: Draw from the shoulder and elbow, making large, light, and loose marks. Begin with simple gesture drawings designed to capture the action line, and then learn to measure the height and width of a pose to create an angular silhouette.
Week 2: Warm up with gesture drawings. Then, use contour lines to develop your angular silhouette into a pose with structure and depth. Practice finding the large forms—the pelvis, ribcage, and skull—and note their directions. Observe the curvature of limbs as you continue to develop your drawing.
Week 3: Learn to describe the structure of the head, feet, and hands. Look for light, medium, and dark tones in the figure, and practice conveying each shadow shape simply and clearly.
Week 4: Integrate skills from previous lessons into a final, longer-form drawing.
About Studio Classes
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 introductory-level Studio Class; it is designed to accommodate all levels of skill and talent. If you have never taken a drawing class before, this is a great place to start. You will learn new skills that you can use in your artistic practice.
The registration fee includes all materials, weekly access to world-class art in the museum’s galleries, hours of expert instruction, and access to a Friday afternoon Open Studio during the run of the class. Participants will also have the opportunity to exhibit select works in a Studio Classes student exhibition opening in December.
Studio during the run of the class. Participants will also have the opportunity to exhibit select works in a Studio Classes student exhibition opening in December.
About your Instructor
Larkin Ford grew up in rural North Carolina, which informs the enigmatic narratives he weaves through his art. Ford teaches drawing and painting at the High Museum of Art and Georgia State University and previously was a visual arts professor at Emory University’s Oxford campus. He has exhibited work nationally at MOCA GA, Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, Kai Lin Art, Whitespace, and Swan Coach House Gallery, and internationally in Ireland, Japan, and Belarus. He received his BFA from University of North Carolina (UNC) Asheville and his MFA from Georgia State University.
Please note that in the event of a session being canceled, November 4 is reserved as a makeup date.
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