DRSB Workshop Curriculum Overview

Thousands of students have taken this course based on the work of Dr. Betty Edwards.  We have had remarkable success in teaching people to draw and paint, as well as helping to build their levels of artistic confidence and creativity. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, most DRSB Workshops are now being taught virtually.

Each day begins with a lecture on one of the five skills needed to draw any perceived object, person or place. After the lecture students do drawing exercises for the remainder of the morning through the afternoon with instructor guidance. The day ends with a critique of the day's work. By the end of this workshop you will see a remarkable change in your drawing skills.

You will learn the five skills needed to draw any perceived object, person or place.  These perceptual skills are:

1. The perception of edges using pure or blind contour drawing
2. The perception of spaces using negative space
3. The perception of angles and relationships using the skill of sighting
4. The perception of lights and shadows using the skill of light logic
5. The perception of the gestalt or whole which comes from the previous four perceptual skills

Overview of the 5-Day DRSB Workshop

Day One starts with a lecture on the principles of brain hemisphere management, followed by students copying a Picasso drawing upside-down. Later in the day we experiment with blind contour drawings to enable us to slow down our vision and tap into the right hemisphere.

Day Two starts with a lecture discussing the use of the picture plane followed by a detailed drawing of our your own hand on 'grounded' paper. In the afternoon, there will be a lecture on negative space followed by a drawing of a chair done strictly in negative space.

Day Three starts with a lecture explaining the skill of sighting, followed by a drawing of a room corner or other location.

Day Four begins with a lecture on the proportions of the head in profile, followed by a drawing of a fellow student in profile.  I have a specific way of setting up this drawing so that one student draws for 20 minutes while another student poses and visa versa for approx. 4 hours.

Day Five starts with a discussion of light and shadow and a technique of shading called "cross hatching".  We talk about the proportions of the head in full view in preparation to do a self-portrait using all the techniques learned during the week.
  
Every day, a lecture and demonstration precedes the workshop drawings.  At the conclusion of the day, we critique the work.

The Virtual DRSB Workshops cover the same curriculum as described above, with a few alterations to accommodate virtual learning.

More before and afters by previous students