Online Class: The Essence of Line Drawing

In this class, build and strengthen your drawing skills and explore the beauty of line drawing from Western and non-Western traditions. Through interactive demonstrations and a structured overview of tools, techniques, and concepts, teaching artist Sudeshna Dengupta will cover basics like how to hold a pencil to create expressive lines of varying weight and what warm-up exercises will build muscle memory for confident lines and strokes. She will also break down concepts like contour drawing, gesture drawing, and more throughout the lesson. 

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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 program times are in Mountain Time.

Supplies needed for this class: 

• Strathmore 400 series Mixed-media drawing pad or Strathmore 400 series Hot-Press or pad/block or Bristol pad or Mixed-media drawing pad or any other brand of drawing pad in any size between 9” x 12” and 12” x 17”. Thicker paper (140 lb or higher) is better.
• A set of 2B, 4B, & 6B graphite pencils
• White plastic eraser and pencil sharpener
• Charcoal Pencils: Medium (2B) and Soft/Dark (4B or 6B)
• Vine charcoal or Willow charcoal sticks, 1 to 3
• Compressed charcoal stick or black conte stick
• Blending stumps (AKA Tortillons, often comes with drawing pencil sets) and or Q-tips and tissues or cotton rags (clean pieces of old t-shirts work well).
• Masking tape to keep the paper flat especially if a larger pad is used.
• Optional: 11” x 14” or larger newsprint pad or sketch pad, sandpaper block for creating fine point after sharpening pencils

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. 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 US and India, often focusing on multicultural and intercultural experiences that emphasize human, cultural, and environmental connectedness through creativity. To see her art please visit Sengupta’s website!

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.