Instructor Profile: Heather Gentleman


 
Could you talk about the value and relevance of studio courses at a time when the presence of digital and AI-generated images is ubiquitous in visual culture?

There really is no replacement for the human touch in art making. Al takes what has already been created and spits it out in a new form. When working by hand, the results are endless and are only restricted by capability, which can be learned and developed by engagement in regular practice. There is also no room for “mistakes” which often redirect where a work is going. I see my process as a relationship between myself and the work. There needs to be room for experimentation and risk-taking in making art. AI doesn’t allow for that. Much like searching on Google for a correlation between two subjects to support an idea instead of reading various books, AI is prescriptive and doesn’t allow for discovery.

What skills do you teach in Drawing Skill Studio 1 and 2? And how do you respond to someone who says 'I cannot draw'?

In Drawing Skills 1, I teach basic drawing skills, beginning with observational drawing of still life. Throughout the course, students learn skills that are scaffolded, starting with proportion and measurement, then value and form. We then move to architecture where students learn about composition and perspective. Follow onto portraiture where students apply the techniques acquired through still life, then to anatomy working with life models. I tell students if they can learn the techniques in Drawing 1, they can learn anything. In Drawing Skills 2, students delve into more detailed techniques such as drawing hands and feet, fabric, and working from a clothed model. They also learn how to develop concepts and narratives and build their own drawings based on their interests and focus.

How does taking a painting course enrich our observation skills, and ability to depict colour and three-dimensional space?

It is best to hone observational skills through drawing. If that has already been developed, it can be broadened through painting. Whether working from a reference or a still life, a painting course will help students continue to explore how measurement, proportion and perspective are inherent to creating a representational image. Learning how to see is keenly important. I often have my students crop small areas of a reference to isolate the colour which can sometimes be quite revealing and surprising. With any kind of observational work, it is important to put aside what one thinks one sees and see what is truly there.

A painting course can also teach students the properties of colours and value such as a shadow consisting of both the colour of the object and its complementary or reflective colour from a surface which bounces back onto the object.  Understanding how value works is inherent in creating a three-dimensional painting which includes form shadow, cast shadow, the terminator line and the bounce of light. After learning this in a painting course, the student can continue their own practice with these skills.


Full of Grace, Conte and charcoal on paper, ink and transfer on acetate 27” x 38” (9" x 11" each) 2022  © Heather Gentleman

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