Life Drawing

Jon deMartin

From right: Jon deMartin, Triton, 2002, red & white chalk, 18 x 24 inches; Jon deMartin, Gilda with Turban, 2006, black & white chalk, 20 x 15 inches

Class Description

The emphasis on this class will focus on finding the action and constructing the figure convincingly in three-dimensional space by using strong geometric and perspective concepts.   Structural landmarks relating to the skeleton will be used as guidelines for tracking the figure’s movements in space.  The ability to capture fleeting movements while thinking three-dimensionally will enable the artist to represent the figure in poses that would otherwise be impossible for the model to hold for a longer amount of time.  This skill will increase an artist’s creative freedom in narrative figure work.  There will be both short and long poses to help the student process and work on specific objectives given.
Modeling form is only as successful as the artist’s ability to construct a three-dimensional line drawing. This is the hallmark of classical drawing. Lectures and demonstrations will be given to lead the students through this clear and logical process of drawing.

About the Instructor

Jon deMartin’s work centers on the human figure within an environment with an emphasis on 16– 18th century drawing techniques, but applied to contemporary subject matter. He stresses the importance of drawing from both life and the imagination as the ultimate goal in composition and picture making.

Jon’s work has been reproduced in publications such as ‘The Classicist’, Classical Drawing Atelier’, ‘Lessons in Classical Drawing’, Watson-Guptil Publications. ‘Star Wars Art: Visions’, (Abrams Publication), and the ‘Classical Life Studio: Lessons & Teachings in the Art of Figure Drawing’, Sterling Publications. He has written and illustrated over twenty-five articles on classical figure drawing technique for ‘Drawing Magazine’. His work has been featured in magazines such as Art Connoisseur and American Art Collector.

He has exhibited at Hirschl & Adler Galleries, the John Pence gallery (including a solo show), the Arnot Museum, the Butler Institute of American Art, the Florence Griswald Museum, the Beijing World Art Museum, and the exhibit ‘Contemporary American Realism’.

DeMartin has taught life drawing and painting for more than twenty-years at schools including the Arts Students League, the Grand Central Academy of Art, the Janus Collaborative School of Art and Studio Incamminati. He is the author of Drawing Atelier THE FIGURE: how to draw in the classical style, which has been translated into Chinese and French.

You can follow Jon on Instagram– jondemartin and website–www.jondemartin.com

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