Drawing Essentials

This class started it all for me. In 2013 I enrolled in Drawing Essentials. Its difficult to describe in words just how important a step this was in my artistic journey. This class kicked off a never ending journey of art discovery guided by master draftsman Glenn Vilppu. Glenn is not only an amazing art instructor, he is an amazing mentor. Enrolling in one of his classes is the beginning of a serious art journey for any novice and a much needed refresher and additional step in the art journey of the avid student. Once you take this class you will never turn back, it all starts here. It did for me.

This course covers the fundamentals of drawing (art materials, how to see/draw value, measure, how to shade forms with ambient and direct lighting and more). The approach taught is very practical (starting with thumbnails) while tying into knowledge from the Old Masters (Master studies). A broad range of subject matters are covered (still life, landscape, head drawing, animals etc.) as the overall approach to drawing applies to all subject matters. How to use reference materials (especially photographic references) is also discussed. There are weekly video lessons with assignments which can be submitted for review on a weekly basis. Glenn critiques the assignments personally and is able to give very helpful advice on where improvements can be made and also what worked well in the drawing. There is a surprising amount of knowledge to be gained through the course. The lessons are very helpful and I definitely learned a lot from working on the assignments. Wherever your starting point, you're likely to make progress and improve your artwork through this course. There are also weekly drawing demos by Glenn and students can submit any questions they have which will be answered every week. Glenn has a lot of practical experience drawing and working in the industry. It's very interesting to listen to his observations, anecdotes and words of wisdom. He definitely knows his craft and overall, this course is great for learning and strengthening the fundamentals of drawing.

This course goes over the basic skills needed to progress as an artist. The things I learned in this class have never become obsolete, but rather, I continually return to what I learned here in this course to strengthen my drawing skills. Glenn does a fantastic job presenting the concepts involved and personally reviews your work where he shows you what you did right or wrong and how to fix them. Truly an exceptional class with a Master of his craft.

Essentials is the single most meaningful art class I have ever taken. I would recommend it wholeheartedly to any artist (or aspiring artist) of any skill level. If you are a beginner, Essentials will ensure that you learn perfect technique from the start, so you won’t develop any bad habits that you need to break at a later date. If you are an experienced professional, Essentials is a rare opportunity to spend some quality time focusing on the fundamental tools that make your drawings spring to life while receiving feedback from a true master. For artists of any level, Essentials is the ideal introduction to Glenn’s overall approach to drawing and composition, as well as an introduction to the content in several of his other signature classes (figure drawing, head drawing, landscape drawing, animal drawing, etc.). Even though Essentials is not a prerequisite for Figure Drawing 1, I am really glad that I decided to take Essentials first, because the skills I cultivated there enabled me to absorb the Figure 1 material in much greater depth. I especially looked forward to the weekly critiques, and I learned as much from my classmates’ crits as I did from my own. Glenn meets each student where they are and critiques at the appropriate level for their ability, whether they are first-time students or tenured art professors (my class included several of each). He is always supportive, encouraging, and respectful, though he definitely doesn’t hold back: he cuts right to the heart of what each person needs to do to grow as an artist. I cannot recommend Essentials more enthusiastically!

I remember taking this when I was younger and starting my first art journey. I remember that I didn’t quite understand how to study and what the essential tools of drawing was all about. This course, taught me what I need to practice and the basic approach for any future work. Values, basic construction, thumbnails, general to specific, rendering form and how to study by yourself. If you are beginner this course will definitely give you a good foundation.