4.299
Freehand Drawing: Markmaking through observation and invention
Instructor: Corinne Ulmann
Phone: 617-253-7365
culmann@mit.edu
Units: 3-0-6
Level: H
Prerequisites: Permission of the Instructor
This class focuses on drawing as a translation from 3-dimensional form
and space to 2-dimensional representation. Expanding upon previous
knowledge of hand and digital methods, we will investigate freehand
drawing as a direct and economic tool to investigate what we see and
what we can imagine. Through traditional and experimental approaches,
the course emphasizes sensitivity to vision, awareness of proportion
and accuracy when working from observation, and the manipulation of
composition, form and scale through the use of line, tone and color.
By developing a proficiency in describing and expressing what exists
in the world, these skills can be used towards the exploration of
potential ideas and design.
The class is structured as a series of focused assignments, each
examining a coherent theme in drawing and engaging that theme through
direct experimentation and personal discovery. We will pair this
individual working process with group critiques and critical
examinations of artists and architects in contemporary and past
practice.
The goals of this course are:
1. to expand critical and organizational skills for both seeing and drawing
2. to explore a full range of drawing techniques, materials, and
image-making strategies
3. to fortify the use of drawing in your studio practice through a
multidisciplinary understanding of freehand drawing from both art and
architecture contexts
