Figure Drawing: A Structural Approach

with Tyler Berry & Chelsea Bard

We are thrilled to welcome back Grand Central Atelier graduates and instructors, Tyler Berry and Chelsea Bard for this intensive figure drawing workshop!

During this five-day course, students will greatly strengthen their drawing skills and anatomical knowledge through a comprehensive investigation of the human figure. The course will begin with a series of short poses on the first day, in which students will hone the process of beginning a figure by establishing accurate proportions, gesture, and anatomical landmarks early on—building a solid armature on the page that will support a masterful figure. Students will then apply what they’ve practiced in the shorter poses to a thorough 4-day (26 hour) long pose, in which they will take the expression of form and rendering further.

The whole process begins with the crucial block-in stage, in which one aims to capture the dynamic gesture and weight of the model through an examination of proportion, structure, and simple light and shadow shapes. After successfully establishing the block in, students will begin modeling and articulating the forms through a consideration of volume, light and anatomy. 

Over the course of the week, Tyler and Chelsea will discuss in great depth how to use a conceptual approach to light, form, structure and anatomy, all with an emphasis on proportion and the importance of the skeleton. They will also explore various lessons found in Old Master drawings, as a form of inspiration and example.

Tyler and Chelsea will guide participants through the entire drawing process with both in-depth demonstrations and daily individual critiques. Artists of all skill levels are welcome to join, though some previous experience in drawing is encouraged. 

During this course, you will gain an understanding of the following key concepts:

-How to accurately simplify the figure, first into construct lines and then into abstract shapes representing light and shade

-How to measure for proportion through comparative measure technique

-Fundamentals of the anatomy and structural drawing

-How to render form through conceptualisation based on knowledge of the light source

-Various properties of drawing materials, including pencil sharpening and application of graphite to build up tone

Materials List

All materials can be purchased on either Jacksonsart.com or Cassart.co.uk. We recommend buying all your supplies in advance of the workshop. Most materials below have a specific product link in gold.

However, if you are traveling internationally and are looking to make packing easier, you can get most of your supplies at the local Cass Art Store, which is just a 5 minutes’ walk from the studio. Otherwise, to buy supplies in advance you will have to do so from an equivilent art supply store in your own country, as we cannot have supplies shipped to the academy in advance. Thank you.

Drawing Materials:

• Staedler Mars graphite pencils:

4B, 2B, B, HB, H, 2H

• 1 gum (kneadable) eraser: grey coloured, not white

• 1 Pen Eraser (Tombow MONO Zero Recommended)

Paper:

• 2 sheets of Arches Hot Press or Fabriano Artistico Hot Press 140 lb paper

Other Materials:

• 1 graphite sanding pad 

• 1 Stanley blade (for sharpening pencils)

• 1 soft round paintbrush to flatten shadows 

• 1 roll of masking tape

• A1 sized portfolio case for transporting drawings

• 1 sketchbook for note-taking

Instructor Bios

Tyler Berry (b. 1994) was born and raised in Connecticut, USA. Having always been keenly interested in the visual arts, Berry received a BFA from Hartford Art School in 2016. He subsequently went on to work as an animator in Greece and Poland on the feature film Loving Vincent. During this experience, he frequented art museums across Europe, studying the work of the Old Masters and antique sculpture, which lead him to the decision to further his education in classical drawing and painting techniques. He was accepted into the full, four-year core program at the prestigious Grand Central Atelier in NYC, from which he graduated in 2021.

Fidelity to nature and the pursuit of beauty are the driving undercurrents of Tyler’s work, the focus of which is portraiture and figurative. Tyler is the recipient of numerous awards and has participated in group shows across New England, NYC, and Europe. His work hangs in numerous public and private collections, including the New Salem Museum in Massachusetts. He currently lives and works in NYC, and teaches workshops both locally and internationally.

ACCOMMODATION and Travel details

Accommodation in Glasgow.

Our academy is located in the heart of central Glasgow, in the busy pedestrian artery of the city—Buchanan Street. We would reccomend staying at a hotel, B&B or short-stay apartment located in the city center or Merchant city, so that you can comfortably walk to the studio each morning. We recommend the following locations listed in order from more luxurious to more economical:

Kimpton Blytheswood Square Hotel

Dakota

Radisson Red

Carlton George Hotel

CitizenM

Motel One Glasgow

Premier inn

For B&B’s or short-term apartments please search on Airbnb.com

Traveling to Glasgow

For those traveling from abroad, the easiest way to reach Glasgow is to fly into Glasgow International Airport, though you could also fly into Edinburgh and get the train to Glasgow which is only a 40 minute journey. Train tickets from Edinburgh to Glasgow can be purchased here.

For those in the U.K., travel to Glasgow can be made via car, bus, train or plane. If you are commuting in to Glasgow each day for the course via car, there is a pay-as-you-go carpark located around the corner on Mitchel Street, or you can attempt to find parking on the surrounding streets (though this can be tricky).

Your first day with us

On the first day of the workshop we ask you to arrive at the studio—135 Buchanan Street—at least 15 minutes before class begins. When you arrive at the building, one of our staff should be outside to greet you and lead you up to the studio, but if not then please buzz suite 2.1 to be let into the building. We are located on the second floor, to the left of the elevator.