Thing you can’t draw? Think again. The How to Not Suck at Drawing class at Bluestocking Social โ taught by co-owner, artist, and Castle High School art teacher Matt Fitzpatrick โ is for individuals of any artistic ability, or lack thereof. Across 10 classes a year at this basement bookstore at 606B S. Weinbach Ave., aspiring artists explore a variety of subjects, techniques, and mediums.
Evansville Living joined a class to see if was possible to start from scratch and, with the right instruction, adopt a better drawing proficiency.
THE SCOOP
Putting pencil to paper, Fitzpatrick demonstrates techniques for recreating
a subject image; ours was a portrait of Fitzpatrickโs own face. He sketches on the left, allowing space for mistakes and tin- kering before drawing the final product.
Fitzpatrick gives advice, like making light marks to start because โit is easier to correct things,โ he says, than restart from scratch. When guiding our class on drawing faces, Fitzpatrick noted they are not symmetrical. Still, there are some general constants, such as
that the distance between the nose to chin is the same as the eyebrow to nose or the hairline to the eyebrow.
THE VERDICT
There is no need to be disappointed if your drawing does not turn out the way you expect. Fitzpatrick stresses that the point of each class is to learn and improve. With guided direction, our portraits filled out with more focus.
NEED TO KNOW
All materials are provided by Bluestocking Social, so the only requirement is to show up.
Attendance varies between classes, which usually average 6-10 participants but have seen as many as 30. Each $5 hour- long class is held monthly from January to October, and Fitzpatrick is exploring new elements, such as setting up a still life or scene for participants to draw.
