COURSE OUTLINE for 8-Week Figure Drawing Course — High School Level (2.5 hours each) Materials: vine charcoal, compressed charcoal, erasers, newsprint, drawing paper, clips, drawing boards, easels Model: semi-nude (ensure school-approved permissions + safeguarding norms) WEEK 1 — Introduction + Stick Figures & Gesture In our first session, students will get to know one another, learn class expectations, and meet the model in a professional, respectful environment. We’ll ease into drawing with fun gesture warm-ups and simple stick-figure studies to help students understand movement and the “feel” of a pose. This week is all about comfort, confidence, and beginning to see the human body as shapes, rhythms, and energy rather than details. Goals: Build comfort, learn names, understand expectations, warm up with gesture. 0:00–0:20 — Welcome & Community Building ● Introductions: name + what kind of art they enjoy ● Go over model etiquette, professionalism, boundaries ● Explain course structure + goals 0:20–0:35 — Materials Demo ● Vine vs compressed charcoal ● How to hold charcoal ● Big, loose strokes vs detail 0:35–1:00 — Stick Figures / Mannequins Basics ● Draw simple stick-figure structures: line of action, shoulders, hips ● Discuss proportion lightly, keep it fun 1:00–2:20 — Gesture Drawing with Model ● 30-second poses ● 1-minute poses ● 2-minute poses Emphasize: movement, weight, flow. 2:20–2:30 — Reflection & Clean-up WEEK 2 — Form, Volumes, and Basic Anatomy Shapes Students will learn how to turn simple stick figures into solid, three-dimensional forms using spheres, cylinders, and boxes. We’ll practice breaking the body into basic shapes that make drawing more accurate and less intimidating. By the end of the class, students will understand how artists build a figure from the inside out, using light vine and compressed charcoal to stay loose and exploratory. Goals: Move from stick figures to 3D forms. Warm-up (20 min) ● 1-minute gestures Lesson (30 min) ● Break body into spheres, boxes, cylinders ● Ribcage egg, pelvis bowl, limbs as cylinders Model Work (90 min) ● 5-minute poses using volume construction ● 10-minute poses focusing on light 3D form ● Instructor draws alongside to demo Wrap-Up (10 min) WEEK 3 — Negative Space + Contour Drawing This week focuses on helping students truly see what’s in front of them. Through contour drawing and negative space exercises, they learn to draw what they observe rather than what they assume. Working from the model, they practice capturing clean, confident outlines and noticing the shapes around the figure. This helps improve accuracy, focus, and attention to small but important visual details. Goals: See shapes, not symbols. Warm-Up (15 min) ● Blind contour (hands, objects) Lesson (30 min) ● What is negative space? ● Use chair/prop to practice seeing background shapes Model Work (90 min) ● 5-, 10-, 15-minute poses ● Students must frame the figure through negative space ● Strong emphasis on silhouette and boundaries Review (15 min) WEEK 4 — Proportion + Measuring + Landmarks Students will learn classical measuring methods to improve accuracy in their drawings. We’ll explore body proportions, key anatomical landmarks, and how to use a pencil as a measuring tool. During longer poses, students practice aligning features and adjusting their work through observation rather than guesswork. This week builds the foundation for drawings that feel balanced, believable, and well-structured. Goals: Improve accuracy and observational skill. Lesson (30 min) ● Discuss 7.5–8 head proportions ● How to measure using a pencil ● Body landmarks: sternum, ASIS, acromion, knees, ankles Model Work (105 min) ● 10-minute standing pose focusing on measurement ● 20-minute seated pose ● 30-minute pose focusing on finding landmarks Review (15 min) WEEK 5 — Light & Shadow (Value Studies) In this class, we shift from structure to shading. Students will learn how light falls across the body and how to use charcoal to create depth and form. Through value studies and guided practice, they’ll explore core shadows, highlights, and soft transitions. This week helps students understand how light can bring a drawing to life and make it feel dimensional and expressive. Goals: Introduce shading, structure through light. Warm-up (10 min) ● Sphere shading demo with charcoal Lesson (30 min) ● Core shadow, cast shadow, highlight, reflected light ● Working from general to specific Model Work (100 min) ● 20-minute study focusing on separating light/dark ● 40-minute single-light source pose ● Use compressed charcoal for darks Review (10 min) WEEK 6 — Composition + Cropping + Using the Page Before jumping into long poses, students learn how to thoughtfully plan a drawing. We’ll discuss composition, cropping, balance, and how to use the page intentionally. Students make small thumbnail sketches before creating a more finished study of the model. This class empowers them to make artistic choices and think about why they place the figure the way they do. Goals: Prepare for long-pose by learning to plan drawings. Warm-up (10 min) ● 3 tiny thumbnails of model pose Lesson (30 min) ● Rule of thirds ● Diagonals, balance, leading lines ● Cropping for impact Model Work (100 min) ● Choose one of three poses Do a 60-minute finished study focusing on composition choices Review (10 min) WEEK 7 — LONG POSE Part I (Blocking In) This week begins our two-class long-pose project. Students spend the class carefully blocking in the figure—establishing proportion, gesture, composition, and large shadow shapes. Working slowly and thoughtfully, they learn how classical artists prepare a drawing before adding detail. This is a meditative and focused session where students settle into the rhythm of long-term observation. Goals: Start a sustained drawing. Warm Up (10 min) ● 1 quick gesture to loosen up (without keeping) Pose: Single long pose for the entire class First 90 minutes: ● Block in gesture and proportions ● Establish composition ● Lay in big shadow shapes Last 50 minutes: ● Begin refining forms ● Encourage slow, thoughtful development End-of-Class Check-in (10 min) ● Drawings stored carefully for next week WEEK 8 — LONG POSE Part II (Rendering + Finalizing) Students return to the same pose to complete a sustained, more developed drawing. This session focuses on refining details, deepening values, improving edges, and bringing the figure to life. As the course wraps up, students will have a finished piece, a deeper understanding of the human form, and a clear sense of how much they’ve grown. We end with a gentle class critique and celebration of everyone’s progress. Goals: Complete the long-pose drawing. Pose: Same long pose as Week 7 First 20 minutes: ● Review last week’s block-in ● Minor corrections before shading Next 110 minutes: ● Build value range ● Develop edges: soft, firm, lost ● Compressed charcoal for accents Vine charcoal for blending Final 20 minutes: ● Art walk: students view each other’s work ● Reflection: What did you learn? What was hardest?