Foundations: Course Outline

Why keep a sketchbook
Sketching objects from your day
Introduction to the three ways of visual thinking. Feeling Edges, Abstracting Shapes and Constructing Volumes
Introduction to sketching on location: Story, composition, edges and shapes

Introduction
Theory
– Three essential sketching skills
– Sketching your life
– Three principles for putting together a sketching kit
Demo: Testing your kit
– Good lines
– Pens and pencils
– Brushes
– Watercolour pencils
– Watercolour
– Extra pens
Gallery: Examples from Liz’s sketchbooks
Exercises: Indoor and Outdoor
Plus Questions, Feedback, Takeaways
Bonus Material
– More about Watercolour Pencils including colour chart video and blog articles
– Additional videos about paint, brushes and sketchbooks
– More about Fountain Pens
– Further reading
Group Run-through 2022: Livestream Replay Q&A session

Introduction
Theory
– Seeing in order to draw
– Seeing and Feeling Edges
– Sketching your life
Demos: Contour Drawings (vegetables)
– Blind Contour
– Point to point contour drawing
Gallery: Examples from Liz’s sketchbooks
Exercises: Indoor and Outdoor
Plus Questions, Feedback, Takeaways
Bonus Material
– More about feeling edges
– Open-ended continuous line demo
– Further reading
Group Run-through 2022: Livestream Replay Q&A session

Introduction
Theory
– combining similar colour shapes
– using negative shapes
– mapping light vs dark
Demos: Shape Exercises (still life objects)
-Colour Shapes- Negative Shapes
– Shadow Shapes
Gallery: Examples from Liz’s sketchbooks
Exercises: Indoor and Outdoor
Plus Questions, Feedback, Takeaways
Bonus Material
– More about abstracting shapes
– More abstracting shapes examples
– Additional Demo and Exercise: Tree shapes
– Additional Demo and Exercise: Abstracting shapes in differing light
– Further reading
Group Run-through 2022: Livestream Replay Q&A session

Introduction
Theory
– Seeing Volumes
– Three aspects of constructing volumes
– Examples
Demo: Seeing through volumes – books
Gallery: Examples from Liz’s sketchbooks
Exercises: Indoor and Outdoor
Plus Questions, Feedback, Takeaways
Bonus Material
– Additional Demo: Edges vs Volumes – Tasmanian Cottage
– Additional demo and exercise: Cameras
– More constructing volumes examples
– Further reading
Group Run-through 2022: Livestream Replay Q&A session

Introduction
Theory
– Gestural setup
– Shape-based gestural setup
– No setup (working with ink only)
– Some further considerations (tools, subject matter, size)
Demos: Using minimal or no setup
– Gestural line setup
– No setup – ink only
– Watercolour pencil lines
Gallery: Examples from Liz’s sketchbooks
Exercises: Indoor and Outdoor
Plus Questions, Feedback, Takeaways
Bonus Material
– More minimal setup examples
– Gestural Setup – Blackhouse Village
– Gestural Setup with paint – Bassano
– Minimal Setup with paint – Blue cottage
– Minimal Setup with watercolour pencil – Spanish Mission church
– Further reading
Group Run-through 2022: Livestream Replay Q&A session

Introduction
Demo: Indoor – Teacup
Demo: On Location – Christmas Tree at Martin Place (Dec 2014)
Exercises: Indoor or Outdoor
Plus Questions, Feedback, Takeaways
Bonus Material
– Direct watercolour (paint only) teacup – 2019
– Watercolour pencil and watercolour teacup – 2020
– Further reading
Group Run-through 2022: Livestream Replay Q&A session

Introduction
Theory
– Looseness
– Line and colour: tight vs loose
– Outlines
– Texture (or pattern)
– Tone
– Further Considerations (scale, time)
Demos: Exploring Line and Colour Options – clothing
– Texture and Tone
– Pattern (3 versions)
Gallery: Examples from Liz’s sketchbooks
Exercises: Indoor and Outdoor
Plus Questions, Feedback, Takeaways
Bonus Material
– Four quick and loose versions of my teacosy
– More examples of balancing line and wash
– Additional exercise: Landscapes
– Further reading
Group Run-through 2022: Livestream Replay Q&A session

Introduction
Theory
– Getting it on the page
– The rule of thirds
– The rule of thirds variations
– Framing the view on location
– Composing the view on location
– Setting out the view on location
Demos: Using a viewfinder
– Indoors: Desk Still Life
– On Location: Street Scene (Balmain)
Gallery: Examples from Liz’s sketchbooks
Exercises: Indoor and Outdoor
Plus Questions, Feedback, Takeaways
Bonus Material
– More examples of composing the view
– Additional exercise: Rule of thirds
– Using a phone (camera app) as a viewfinder
– Further reading
Group Run-through 2022: Livestream Replay Q&A session

Introduction
Theory
– Telling a story
– Framing your story
– Composing your story
– Strengthening your focus
– Personal Response
Demos: Designing a sketch with thumbnails
– On Location: Thumbnails (Paddington)
– On Location: Thumbnail Review
– On Location: Sketching with a focus
Gallery: Examples from Liz’s sketchbooks
Exercises: Indoor and Outdoor
Plus Questions, Feedback, Takeaways
Bonus Material
– Sketching thumbnails from photos of Asolo
– More examples of creating a focus
– Additional Exercise: Local Icon
– Further reading
Group Run-through 2022: Livestream Replay Q&A session

Introduction
Theory- Planning for spontaneity
– Thinking of object and context
– Simplifying complexity
– Working within time constraints
– Using the power of white (leaving the sky till last)
– Threading images together
Demos: Spontaneous sketching
– On Location: Cafe Sketching (Manly)
Gallery: Examples from Liz’s sketchbooks
Exercises: Indoor and Outdoor
Plus Questions, Feedback, Takeaways
Bonus Material
– More examples working from a focus
– Additional demo and exercise: Norfolk Island
– Bonus Demo: Asolo
– Further reading
Group Run-through 2022: Livestream Replay Q&A session

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