Introduction

Welcome to Back to Basics with Melissa Forman and Paul Richmond. Together, we will explore the basics of drawing, painting, and the general art making process in order to create more successful pieces.

This lesson is broken up into seven videos, all of which are included below on this page. When you complete one section, scroll down to the next video to continue. You have unlimited access to this page, so you can come back as often as you'd like.

We hope you enjoy this class! Thanks for being part of our Art Makes Us community.

Lesson 1: Examples From Art History 

Study three different famous paintings and analyze them to determine the light source.

Lesson 2: Value Scale

Create a value scale with graphite showing a range from dark to light values.

Lesson 3: Sphere

Draw a realistic sphere with a light source, range of values, and cast shadow.

Lesson 4: Still Life

Draw a still life and shade it in using a full range of value.

Lesson 5: Reverse Drawing

Cover the paper with graphite to create a medium value, and then draw a realistic leaf using the eraser to make lighter values and the pencil to add darker values.

Closing Thoughts

Thank you for being part of this class. Happy drawing!

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