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John Singer Sargent Study – Member Critique

by Matthew | Jul 3, 2019 | The Blog, Video Critiques

Arjun is a current member of Drawing Tutorials Online. Not only is Arjun a member but he contributes to the site on a weekly basis. His questions always stir up great conversations.

He is always working at his craft of digital painting using Procreate. Arjun also signed up for my One Month Coaching where he really jump-started his progress. Arjun is a tireless artist devoting countless hours into improving his technique.

Arjun utilizes the member critique gallery on a weekly basis which is part of his weekly ritual for constant improvement. In this digital portrait painting, Arjun worked on a study of Lady Agnew of Lochnaw painted by John Singer Sargent in 1892.

Studying the great masters is a great way to learn. In this critique, I share with Arjun the importance of seeing shapes of value. These shapes represent the different surface planes on Lady Agnew’s face. The key takeaway from this critique is how to see the shapes of value, then shading them in their appropriate value.

One of the most important jobs of the portrait painter is to shade shapes in a sold way. If you have the time I would suggest working on a study of Lady Agnew the same way Arjun did. Do your best to squint to see the different values placed around the face. It will certainly help you to improve your portrait painting.

Check out Arjun’s website. Thanks again Arjun for sharing your art.

Beautiful Statues to Draw

by Matthew | Jun 21, 2019 | The Blog | 27 comments

Tomorrow I will be teaching a figure drawing class at the Metropolitan Museum Of Art without a figure drawing model. Instead we will be drawing from some really amazing statues.

I’ve been drawing at the Met since I was in college. I used to go there once a month to draw both paintings and sculptures. If you do not have access to a traditonal life drawing class, drawing statues and paintings at a Museum is a great substitute.

Life drawing is great whether it’s from a live model or from a statue created hundreds of years ago. I encourgae you to get to a museum this Summer and draw. Don’t concern yourself with that nosy art critic looking over your shoulder, just have fun.

As you know I’m teaching small group classes at the Met this Summer. For those of you who cannot join me I’d like to offer you a free PDF download that contains some pretty amazing sculpture. Use it to practice this weekend.

There is something amazing that happens when you draw from beautiful art.

Download Your Free PDF

I currently have three classes scheduled this Summer. If you are looking for something different to do, you can learn more at MatthewArchambault.com

Four Drawing Techniques To Practice

by Matthew | May 11, 2019 | The Blog, Video Critiques

As you know every Monday I film video critiques for members of Drawing Tutorials online. I have been filming video critiques for ten years now. It’s really important that you get into the habit of receiving feedback on your artwork.

The key element with the weekly critiques is context. I’m able to give you specific guidance on the artwork you’ve posted in relation to a certain course. I also answer questions that you ask. Again it’s all about context.

The other really cool thing with the critiques within the member’s area of DTO, is consistency. it’s one thing to get feedback once. It’s another to get contextual feedback on your work on an ongoing basis.

I trust the four drawing techniques taught in the video tutorial below will help you. They are simple yet hard drawing techniques to implement. They are hard because they take a lot of practice. The practice can become tedious. However, if you are looking to draw accurate portraits they are a must.

Don’t forget to sign up for my free drawing course right below. Thanks so much for watching, let me know what you think.

Kate’s Sketchbook

by Matthew | May 4, 2019 | Sketchbook Videos, The Blog | 1 comment

Kate is a student currently enrolled in my foundation drawing at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan New York. Kate was nice enough to share two of her Moleskin sketchbooks. If you stick with her sketchbook video you can really see her progression from start to finish.

What I like about Kate’s sketchbooks is that she is not afraid to experiment. Kate is a first-year student so experimentation is the name of the game. I also like how she has jumped around drawing many different subjects.

Kate is really into big simple shapes. However, she also likes to draw with detailed line work. That really showed through in her dinosaur drawings.

The semester is just about over and I’m going to miss having Kate in class. She really held nothing back always jumping into each assignment given with a great attitude.

Enjoy her sketchbook.

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

Mixed Media Figure Drawing

by Matthew | Apr 20, 2019 | Drawing Tutorials, The Blog | 6 comments

I recently uploaded a brand new course to the member’s area over at Drawing Tutorials Online. This course focuses on drawing the figure using diverse mixed media.

To start with I went old school and used my favorite Strathmore illustration board. I then painted the board using simple acrylic paint. Fifty percent water, fifty percent paint.

I then just started to draw on the board using my favorite black Prismacolor Col-Erase pencil. As I progressed I started to apply the white charcoal to the light area of the torso only. The concept is taken from oil painting, keep your light’s a bit more opaque and your shadows a bit more translucent.

As I started to build up the white charcoal pencil gradually, I then proceed to blend the white charcoal with a bristle brush. Using light pressure to soften all of the edges. Needless to say, this drawing technique is super fun.

The key is to be patient and work in layers. I also incorporated a blending stump in a minimal way. Too much blending stump can work against you making everything too soft.

I encourage you to sign up to see this course in its entirety. I am offering it as a free course with a downloadable PDF that explains my materials in much more detail than this blog post. You can sign up right below.

Don’t forget to sign up for my free course right below. Drawing the figure in a mixed media sort of way could be something new for you to explore.

Delaney’s Sketchbook – Every Square Inch

by Matthew | Apr 13, 2019 | Sketchbook Videos, The Blog | 4 comments

Wow, how time flies by. I remember back in September when Delaney’s class just started. I also remember seeing Delaney’s first sketchbook. I never saw anything like it. It was one big hot mess, it looked like it was dragged to school behind the School of Visual Arts bus.

Delaney is definitely different and she plays by her own rules. I love that about her. I love having students like Delaney in class who’s work is so dramatically different. It makes the classroom such an interesting place to learn and grow.

What I also like about Delaney is that she puts her heart and soul into each assignment in class. She tried every single traditional technique taught in class. She approached each traditional technique in her own style.

Even if you mainly love traditional realistic type drawings you have got to love Delaney’s passion. Every single square inch of her sketchbook is filled to the brim.

Check out her sketchbook, I trust you will definitely get inspired to start drawing today.