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Drawing and Painting
Don't hide your inner artist under a bushel. A drawing or painting nightcourse can unleash the Leonardo lurking inside all of us...
Nobody is a really an absolute beginner artist. It might be a while ago now, but we all used to think we were the bestest drawers around, and had the gold stars, ruined clothes and bits of colouredy paper stuck to the fridge to prove it. We might not have had as much time to devote to our artistic endeavours lately, with exams, work, family, etc all getting in the way, but deep inside we all know we can draw and paint.
We just need the encouragement. Which is exactly what art nightclasses are for. Budding artists of all levels will find the expert guidance, supportive classmates and productive environment they need to get their artistic juices flowing. The courses are even named in a way to be welcoming and attract people with limited experience – ‘Art for All’ and ‘Art & Design Made Easy’ for example or ‘Can’t Paint, Can’t Draw’ for people who want to get right back to basics. ‘Drawing the Animal Kingdom at Dublin Zoo’ also caught our eye.
One of the best ways to get re-acquainted with art is with a course in drawing and sketching. This will boost your confidence and make you realise that art is something that can be learned. Most people complain that they can't draw a straight line, but this is not strictly necessary unless you are drawing rulers, sticks or very skinny people. In a drawing class you will get to try out a variety of media, such as pencil, charcoal and ink, and decide which suits you best.
People tend to start off drawing objects, models or still life. You can find yourself shading a distinct likeness of your keys, shoe or an old banana. Some courses concentrate on drawing the human form, which can be more embarrassing if you get it not completely right. Drawing is really the basis for a lot of other artistic endeavours and even a short course will help you develop the skills and techniques necessary to create preliminary sketches and strong completed works.
Alternatively, you could try painting. A big advantage of painting is that there is lots of colour and potential for a mess, which makes it fun. A painting course will teach you how to paint from a variety of subjects including still life, life models, portraits and landscapes. You will learn about line, colour, texture, form and movement and soon your friends and family will be hanging your masterpieces in pride of place in their halls and bathrooms. Painting students are encouraged to experiment and develop their own style, or go for the traditional seascapes and fields of rolling corn.
That is not to say you should just stick to drawing and painting. There is a huge range of other art type nightcourses to choose from at locations all around Ireland. Beading, calligraphy, mosaic, silk painting, sculpture, pottery, decoupage, wood block printing and many more options are out there. But for the purposes of this article we’re sticking to drawing and painting – the originals and the best.
Everyone has artistic potential. A surprising number of famous people are or were very successful amateur artists. Winston Churchill took time out from saving civilisation from the Nazis to paint “colourful, slightly photographic works” which were exhibited under a pseudonym and highly acclaimed. Hitler’s paintings were less celebrated at home and abroad after WWII. Former England football goalkeeper David ‘Calamity’ James has often been seen with a brush in his hand, while the singer Tony Bennett and actors Anthony Quinn and Dennis Hopper are all respected artists.
Still, the point isn’t really to discover the amazing talents that are hidden deep within yourself and become the next Picasso. Art nightcourses are so popular because they are a great way to relax, do something creative for a change, make some new friends and have a laugh. Nobody expects you to become a master, but most people are surprised at how quickly they can improve when shown the basics by a qualified teacher.
Making mistakes is all part of the creative process. Everyone in a beginner’s art course will realise quickly why pencils have erasers. But with a bit of effort most people will soon begin to improve, and before you know it the drawings or paintings you produce will start to resemble what they are supposed to. And by the end of the course you will have something original which you created yourself to show for it. All of which are excellent reasons to enquire about taking a painting or drawing nightcourse at a location near you today.
- All about Pottery
- Art Attack
- Artistic Endeavours
- Calligraphy
- Creative Writing
- Getting Creative
- Learn to Paint
- Mosaics & Stained Glass
- Rogers rates Puppetry
- Sculpture
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