Matthew | Drawing Tutorials Online Blog

Albert Bierstadt Master Class

by Matthew | Aug 3, 2018 | MasterClass, The Blog | 2 comments

Every so often I film a Master Class lesson. What is a Master Class lesson you say? It’s where I analyze the work of an old master. In this case it’s the work of Albert Bierstadt. It’s a great way for members of Drawing Tutorials Online to hone their image making skills.

In this particular video below you will learn why this image works. You will also start to understand why some of your images work and why some don’t. I’m super passionate about image making. Throughout my eighteen year illustration career I was always trying to create an image that made sense to the viewer. I was always looking for ways to improve my picture making skills.

This video below is just a short sample of what our Master Class lessons have to offer you. If you would like to see many more videos just like this one check out my course listings page.

I’m passionate about helping artists improve their craft in both drawing and image making.

Thanks so much for watching. Leave a comment below, let me know if you learned something from this Master Class lesson. Click on the image below to enlarge the images from this lesson.

Alice’s Sketchbook Continued

by Matthew | Jul 6, 2018 | Sketchbook Videos | 2 comments

The Spring semester ended back in April. However I’ve had Alice’s sketchbook video on my iPhone for sometime now. Alice was an absolute pleasure to have as a student in class.

Alice’s improvement over the entire academic year was pretty incredible. She really is an example of what hard work and devotion can do for one’s portfolio of drawings. Improve them immensely.

I wish Alice all the best as she moves forward with her education in the Animation Department at the School of Visual Arts.

Alice thank you so much for sharing your sketchbook. Thank you so much for being such a great student! Definitely stop by in the future, I would love to see what you are working on!

Check out Alice’s Instagram. Thanks again Alice for sharing your art.

Emily’s Sketchbook – Part Two – With Elmo

by Matthew | Apr 21, 2018 | Sketchbook Videos

Each year there is always a student that makes up the heart of the class, Emily is that student. Emily brings so much energy and passion into the classroom. I love her for that. If I could bottle up her energy I would, it’s fun and contagious.

Emily has really made some great strides with her artwork over two semesters. Her art is definitely unique to Emily. The shapes of her characters are really interesting. Emily also has this great knack for drawing really thin detailed line which I totally love.

With one more week left in the Spring semester at SVA I’m really going to miss all of the fun energy that Emily has for her work and the work of other students in the classroom.

Emily thanks so much for sharing another sketchbook. Definitely visit next semester, or else.

Check out Emily’s instagram. Thanks again Emily for sharing your art.

Song’s sketchbook – Visiting Student Day

by Matthew | Mar 31, 2018 | Sketchbook Videos | 3 comments

Song was a student in my class a couple of years ago. She visited my my class recently and lucky us, she brought her sketchbook.

I remember back in the day when Song was a student in my class she was a little lost. She was completely unsure of herself. Her confidence was just not there.

However she perservered and her skill set began to grow. Her confidence also started to grow. It’s really amazing to see her progress. She always had a natural talent within her, it just needed some nurturing to allow it to flourish.

We all periodically lose our confidence when it comes to creating our own artwork. The key is to keep creating. Never stop learning new techniques, never stop taking classes.

Yes you want to be aware of the talent around you. Yes you want to have role models too. But there comes a time when you just have to put your head down, cut away all of the noise and get to drawing. Get to working on you.

That’s just want Song did and I’m happy to say that she chose me to be her thesis instructor. It should be a wild ride and I’m totally ready to help in any way I can.

Take a look at Song’s Instagram.

Read more about some of the courses offered at Drawing Tutorials Online.

Alice’s Two Mini Sketchbooks

by Matthew | Mar 17, 2018 | Sketchbook Videos, The Blog | 3 comments

Okay you have definitely got to check out Alice’s two mini sketchbooks. All the way from Shanghai Alice can draw with the best of them. I knew from way back in September of 2017 that Alice had a lot of natural raw talent.

Her life drawing is super bold. Her life drawings are big and they have a ton of gesture. I really like how Alice adapts to different drawing environments. Her life drawings are really expressive. She draws mainly with her arm in class, not her fingers.

However in her tiny sketchbooks she is able to draw in such a loose way using just her fingers.

Arms, hands and fingers, you want to use them all when you draw. Always mix up what you are drawing on, just like Alice. In class she draws on a big 18 x 24 pad. However like she said in the video she is really comfortable drawing in a tiny 6″ x 6″ sketchbook. I love that sort of variety.

Be aware of how you draw. Draw only with your fingers and your drawings can look stiff. You want to be conscious of how you draw on a regular basis. When you start to move your arm you bring a loose gestural feeling into your drawings.

Alice is really progressing in class. The sketchbook that she is currently working on is amazing. I hope to film that one in a few weeks.

Thanks for watching. Alice thanks for sharing your sketchbooks!