Spring Nature Sketchbook Series
Ages: Teen to Adult   Instructor: JP Panter
Sketchbooks provide a valuable store of visual images for artists to jot down ideas, inspirations, and important observations for future art making - or create your sketchbook for sheer enjoyment. Did you know that sketching integrates math and science into visual literacy?

In this class we will cover: different types of media, pen & ink, watercolor, charcoal, collage and much more! We will study perspective & composition, landscapes and natural history, still life, figure, architecture and interiors, portraits, and birds & mammals. Students will be asked to work in their sketchbook on free assignments outside of Nimbus, and create a final collaborative book with their classmates.

"JP" is a sketchbook fiend and will share her vast collection of marvelous sketchbooks with you. $65 (includes sketchbook)

Nimbus Sketch Class #1
Our first class together will include an overview of sketching and materials. We will look though some of my personal sketchbooks from the last 20 years, as well as many other reference books on sketching & technique that I have collected. You'll get ideas about what kind of a sketchbook you want to have and you'll see many examples of short / fast drawings, long studied drawings, reference drawings, and sketches made from a wide variety of mediums.

Why sketch? To improve drawing skills, to keep a record or log of your travels, to get reference material for future artistic projects, as a hobby, to branch out and test new materials and techniques in art (this could include collage, sewing, journaling, collecting, etc), as relaxation, personal growth, and for fun.

Nimbus Sketch Class #2
It sounds like psychology "how not to be intimidated by people" but really, it's about drawing the human figure. I really am going to teach you simple tips and tricks for drawing people in motion! We are also going to spend some time on the importance and tradition of portraiture. Drawing the figure is part of all professional artists' training. I'm going to introduce you to the 'drawing on the right side of the brain' concepts for drawing people (clothed, or not). And I'm going to show you a technique used by the Disney animators to handle tricky gestures and movements. Anyone can draw, sketching and knowing these tricks will vastly help you to improve and hone your skills.

Please note: There will not be a nude model for this class however I will be bringing reference material to discuss figure drawing and nude model study.

Nimbus Sketch Class #3
Increasing Ambition with Animals is a two part class about both drawing animals and about expanding the media you can work with. Similarly to the drawing figure class I'm going to cover animals in motion. We are also going to talk about making drawings more interesting with textures, lines, patterns. And we are going to spend some more time considering the value of composition and relaxing with longer drawings. In addition to trying out new pens, ink, markers, pastels and the like, we will be drawing LIVE ANIMALS today, THINK of the fun!!!

Nimbus Sketch Class #4
Straight lines vs. Curvy lines, today's class is all about the value of line. How I saved this until our fourth class I just don't know! I'm going to walk you through the world of perspective and on into the worlds of architecture and landscape. We are going to draw a building and talk about architecture as much as we can, right up until we draw a landscape and talk about the grand tradition of landscape art!. It's going to be a jam-packed session of both drawing and information. At the end, I think you'll even be a little impressed with yourself.

Because this will be our last class together at Nimbus until more courses are added, I will also hand out a book list and the syllabus for two additional classes if you are interested in continuing on in your sketchbooks.