Draw What You See! Middle School Observational Drawing Class

THE NITTY-GRITTY

• FOR WHO: Ages 11*-to-15 (class size: minimum 3, maximum 9)

  *Not all 11-year-olds are ready, but highly-motivated 11-year-olds are welcome!

• WHERE: Online via Zoom

• WHEN: The class meets once a week for 11 weeks

• FALL 2025 (Pick One):

  • Tuesdays 12-12:55pm, September 2-November 18, 2025 (11 weeks - no class on 9/23)

  • Thursdays 3-3:55pm, September 4-November 20, 2025 (11 weeks - no class 10/2)

• SPRING 2026:

  • TBA

⚠️ Important: This class requires at least 3 students to run. If the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be notified one week prior and receive a full refund.

WHAT IS THIS CLASS ABOUT?

A lot of tweens and teens get frustrated trying to accurately draw what they see - but anyone can learn!

I’ll introduce engaging drawing exercises, inspired by classics like Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, to help train learners in observational skills, including contour, negative space, proportion, and value. Early exercises will look messy — but these foundations lead to big breakthroughs later!

WHAT HAPPENS IN CLASS?

• 10-15 minutes: intro discussion & demo

• 30-40 minutes: drawing time

• 5-10 minutes: wrap-up, discussion, optional sharingk what the experience was like for them.)

• In many weeks, we will be starting but not necessarily finishing a drawing exercise, so to maximize their learning, I will ask students to finish those drawings after class (see the “Homework” section below).

AN IMPORTANT NOTE ON HOME PRACTICE & PROGRESS:

• To truly improve, learners should expect to practice outside of class. This course provides the foundation, but consistent effort between sessions is key. In most weeks, we’ll start and not finish a drawing — students who only draw during class time will see far less progress than those who put in regular work on their own.

• Students are encouraged to email one or more photos of their work each week for personalized feedback (prior to the day of class!).

• Before the course begins, I also ask students to complete a few simple 'before' drawings to use as a progress benchmark.
  

WEEKLY ROADMAP:

• Week 1: Intro to concepts and materials

• Weeks 2-3: Contour

• Week 4: Negative space

• Week 5: Proportion

• Week 6: Practice

• Week 7: Value

• Weeks 8-11: Faces & self-portraits (student-provided photo required)

  
  

ART SUPPLIES NEEDED

• I’ll provide more details to registrants, but in short:

  • Sketchbook (11x14 or A3 preferred)

  • Access to a printer for the first few weeks (I’ll upload printouts to classroom)

  • Toned paper

  • A quality eraser

  • A few different drawing pencils

  • White charcoal pencil

CLASS POLICIES

• Siblings must register separately

• Refund if canceled 21+ days before start; after that, credit valid for 6 months

• No refunds or make-ups for missed classes

• Class recordings available for those who miss a session (if I’ve previously met the learner)

• Cameras must be on at the start for verification; optional off during work time

• Please ensure no adults appear on camera

👉 View all my class policies here