Online Class: Harvest-time Still Life Drawing on Dark-Colored Paper

In this beginning-to-intermediate-level class, practice creating observational studies of gourds and other fall harvest produce using conté and charcoal on toned or darker-colored paper. 

Drawing inspiration from the contrasting tonal details found in Georgia O’Keeffe’s drawings on earth-toned paper, teaching artist Sudeshna Sengupta will guide participants using hands-on instructions via live demonstration on how to create three-dimensional mass, tonal values, highlights, and shadows in their drawings. 

Participants are welcome to set up their own still-life scene using fall harvest items/found objects from nature. Or, they can follow along with the setup used during the live demonstration. 

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This class is suitable for youth ages 12 and up. Children are welcome to participate alongside their adults.

Space is limited, reservations required.

This program will take place via the video conferencing app – ZOOM. Details for accessing the Zoom meeting will be with your receipt upon registering and again sent via email the day prior. Please register in advance in order to access the program. Note that all programs are in Mountain Time.

Supplies needed for this class: 

• Canson Mi Tientes Earth Colors or Black or Gray Tones Pastel Paper pad in 9” x 12” to 12” X 16” size or similar paper pad. Thicker paper (140 lb or higher) is better.
• Newsprint pad or sketch pad for warm-up sketches.
• A graphite pencil and an eraser
• Charcoal (black) Pencils in Medium (2B) and Soft/Dark (4B or 6B)
• A white and or gray charcoal pencil.
• Set of white, black, and terracotta Conté.
• 3 to 5 Blending stumps (AKA Tortillons, often comes with drawing pencil sets) and or Q-tips.
• Optional: Masking tape to keep the paper flat especially is the pad is larger, color pencils or pastels, soft cotton rags for blending larger areas (cut-up pieces of old cotton t-shirt works well).

About the Instructor:

Sudeshna Sengupta’s career as a teaching artist spans multiple decades, continents, and cultures that inform her pedagogy for decolonizing studio art. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree in 1985 from Visva-Bharati, an international university founded in India, by the humanist poet Tagore, the first non-European Nobel Laureate (1913). After teaching art and design at the college level in New Delhi, Seattle, and California, she taught at NMSU-Alamogordo, where she established its first intaglio printmaking studio in 1995. Since moving to Santa Fe a few years ago, she has taught credit courses in online studio art at the Santa Fe Community College. Her etching prints are in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi; Association Musée d’Art Contemporain, France; Kala Institute, Berkeley; Artists Trust, Seattle, Chandigarh Govt. Art Museum, India, Gerald Champion Memorial Hospital, NM, and more. Her etchings and lithographs from the permanent collection of the NGMA have been featured in a major exhibition on Women Printmakers of India in 2024 at NGMA, New Delhi. She also conducts workshops and short courses and presents lectures and community-based art events for various age groups with civic, cultural, and community organizations in the U.S. and in India, often with a focus on multicultural and intercultural experiences that emphasize human, cultural, and environmental connectedness through creativity. To see her art please visit notes-and-doodles.com and Instagram.

This class is being offered on a sliding scale.

$10 minimal fee.

$20 covers the cost of the class.

$30 covers the cost of the class, plus a contribution to support educational programs.