The BROADWAY ATELIER DIPLOMA IN FIGURE DRAWING

THIS COURSE IS CURRENTLY POSTPONED

The 'Atelier method' is a form of fine art instruction that takes its premise from the historic private art studios of  Europe. An atelier consists of a professional artist working with a small number of students to train them in art techniques that prioritise observational skills and craftsmanship.

BROADWAY ATELIER DIPLOMA IN FIGURE DRAWING begins each year in JANUARY.  Applications accepted from September of previous year

This intensive two-year, part-time course, recognised by the Welsh Arts Council, will run over three, three-month semesters with starting dates in January. 

With professional and intensive instruction scheduled primarily during evenings and weekends (averaging three evenings and three weekends per semester) this course has been designed specifically to accommodate those who may have work/family commitments. Students who successfully complete all the requirements of the course will receive the Broadway Atelier Diploma. (Previous students of this course have gone on the gain places at The Royal Drawing School in London)

The BROADWAY ATELIER DIPLOMA IN FIGURE DRAWING is a unique opportunity to enhance your professional development as an artist. Through working alongside a professional artist this  'apprenticeship' in the classical tradition  is designed to deepen your awareness, appreciation, and ability to represent the human form in all its moods and attitudes and is an intensive learning experience based on the technique of 'constructive anatomy'. We believe that this form of intensive course  is unique in Wales, and possibly in the UK, and it maximises your learning through a contemporary approach to a traditional ‘atelier’ education wherein theoretical knowledge and practical skills are taught through a variety of methods in order to enhance and extend your individual creativity.

With small student numbers and an emphasis on studio practice, students receive an in-depth education in figurative drawing skills and techniques (including a thorough basis in human anatomy) both in two-dimensional, and three-dimensional (ecorche) sculptural form. Practical group tuition and self-directed study are supported by regular individual tutorials, formal and informal lectures and critical debate. All teaching is carried out within the environment of a professional artists studio .

Admission to the Diploma course is  through portfolio and discussion of student needs and requirements. There is a maximum of 3 places. Interviews are ongoing until course is filled.

Total cost of course: £12000 (paid in full in advance or by deposit and installments) and includes:

• professional, individual tuition

• formal and informal tutorials

• all handouts and course documentation

• materials for sculpture (ecorche) workshop.

• Basic drawing materials (Other materials can be purchased at the studio at discount prices).

(This intensive two-year, part-time course can also be developed and adapted according to specific and individual client requirements. Contact Jac to discuss.)

For any questions and/or details on how to apply please contact Jac: 

Email: thebds59@gmail.com

Tel:     07969 144474

FULL DETAILS OF TYPICAL COURSE CONTENT

SEMESTER 1

CAST DRAWING

All art academies have historically used this approach to teach the student on how to see form. With a drawing cast you have a colourless static model which makes it much easier to see the form and the play of light. Cast Drawing is an excellent preparation for drawing from the live figure. 

At the Broadway all our casts are of exceptional quality and you will be able to choose from a variety of sections and full casts with which to work. 

The Cast Drawing workshops are fundamentally practice based and you will learn  how to 'block in' efficiently and accurately, and how to understand, both theoretically and practically, the effect of light on form. Learning to locate the shadow-line and identify values correctly, as well as developing a trained eye, are key skills to be gained in this part of the curriculum.

INTRODUCTION TO CONSTRUCTIVE ANATOMY

The concept of constructive anatomy was developed by George Bridgeman who is famous for his hugely successful and influential teaching methods at the Art Students League studios in New York. Even though he taught in the 1930's his methodology is still resonant today and it underpins much of what is now taught at The Broadway. We believe that a thorough understanding of what lies 'beneath the surface' and how it affects what we see and how the model moves is fundamental to the creation of a figure drawing that has, as Da Vinci would put it - the "feeling of its spirit "

The intensive workshops will provide an introduction to the basics of constructive anatomy in order to give you the skills you need to move onto the next semester, which focuses on anatomical drawing. Teaching is through demonstration and explanation, reference to anatomical examples, and one-to-one instruction. You will be expected to spend a minimum of two days a week on independent study. The emphasis in on deepening your understanding of the individually complex and interrelated structural forms within the body: the axial and the appendicula skeleton, the articulation (joints), and the muscular system, while at the same time retaining the integrity of the figure as a coherent and wonderfully articulate  ‘machine’.  You will work with both the skeleton and the live model.

Comprehensive literature and handouts to help you with background information will be provided.

Coursework: Tonal scales, Tonal studies from photographs supplied

Semester projects: 2 Cast drawings, a fully rendered graphite drawing of the skeleton

SEMESTER 2

ANATOMICAL DRAWING

Offering the same high standard of explanation, demonstrations and one-to one attention for students the emphasis in these workshops is on using knowledge and skills already gained to create convincing figures both static and in movement.  You will be introduced to the classical artists and their techniques of anatomical drawing and will continue to work with the skeleton and with a variety of models. Special focus will be on difficult areas such as structure of hands, feet, and facial features.

ECORCHE

An écorché is a sculpted figure showing the bones and muscles of the body without the skin. The study of anatomical figures became popular among the medical academies across Europe around the 17th and 18th century, especially when there was a lack of bodies available for dissections. Medical students relied on these figures because they provided a good representation of what the anatomical model looks like.

Creating an ecorche is an intensive learning experience and at The Broadway we regard it as 'three-dimensional drawing'. It is a excellent exercise for a fundamental understanding of the three-dimensional anatomical form. Écorché statues were commonly made out of many different materials: bronze, ivory, plaster, wax, or wood. In this intensive worshop you will be creating a 60cm statue on a wire frame using air drying clay.

Coursework: a portfolio of copies of 'old master' figure drawings

Semester Projects: copy (drawing) from an Old Master

SEMESTER 3 (The content of this can be negotiated according to student requirements and interests: ie adapted for animators , portrait painters etc)

FIGURE DRAWING

These workshops form the culmination of the learning and skills you will have gained through previous study. The focus is on the rendering of the dynamic human form in all its moods and attitudes.

Workshops are structured around technical advice and instruction aimed at developing your skills and confidence, and focus on realistic, subjectively driven representation. Drawing techniques including composition, proportion, tonal values and the manipulation of light, perspective and foreshortening are all covered comprehensively. The fundamental principle of instruction is based on learning how to draw from what you ‘know’ as well as from what you see.

Models will vary throughout and the workshops will include short, dynamic gesture poses along with longer poses for more sustained observation, including a 6 hour pose where the emphasis will be on creating mood and atmosphere. You will be encouraged to work with a variety of drawing media.

Semester Projects: Final 6 hour figure drawing (or alternative project based on student choice), Self -Reflective essay on practice and process