Drawing From Life at Artbarn

In February, seven students from the Grade 12 Drawing and Painting course attended two life drawing sessions at the Artbarn school on Eglinton Avenue. The purpose of this trip was to draw from a live model instructed by Kathryn Chelin, a retired art teacher from Unionville High School.

The two sessions complemented what students have been learning during the figure drawing unit in the course. Students had previously copied Old Masters’ drawings, and created oil paintings from photos of online models. Drawing from life provided the students with a unique opportunity to observe and render form and light in a new way. They were challenged to use a variety of media to create 2 minute and 20 minute poses on paper.

The students — preferring to comment anonymously — reported having a positive learning experience at Artbarn. One said, "I think that the experience at Artbarn was a completely necessary thing. It was almost like learning an everyday life skill."

"It was one of my favourite experiences at Greenwood,” said another. “I felt as though it was truly an experience that was designed for immersion in the world of what it is like to be an artist, which is such a unique opportunity for a student. I personally enjoyed the challenge that the classes offered. My appreciation for the emotion that can be captured in the human form was certainly enhanced."

There was some anxiousness around drawing live models. According to one student, "At first I was a bit nervous, but I was able to relax really quickly. I was able to improve on quick figure drawing skills, and be able to sketch the figure well without going into detail."

Overall, the experience helped students take their art studies further. "Seeing the human figure in three dimensions and understanding how it interacts with light adds a whole new level of complexity."