Foundation Skills Spring - Level 1
A beginner-friendly, in-person course to build strong drawing foundations.
Across four guided sessions, you’ll learn how to truly see, measure proportion, understand form and light, and create drawings that feel clear, confident and grounded.
This course focuses on learning how to truly see.
Level 1 establishes the foundation for all subsequent drawing and painting activities. Instead of drawing based on what we think we see, you’ll learn to observe what's truly present — calmly, accurately, and with increasing confidence.
This is a common point where many artists feel stuck, but it's also where significant breakthroughs occur.
There's no pressure to create “finished” artworks. The emphasis is on developing skills, gaining clarity, and understanding the true spatial relationships between objects.
What you’ll learn
Throughout four sessions, you’ll cultivate the essential observational skills that underpin all drawing and painting:
How to accurately measure proportion using simple tools
How to rely on observation rather than instinct and assumptions
How to simplify complex objects into basic, understandable forms
How light and shadow define three-dimensional form
How to integrate proportion, structure, and light into a complete drawing
How to consider the presentation and display of black-and-white work
This course is perfect for beginners, yet also invaluable for anyone who feels their drawings are “almost right” but never quite achieve the desired outcome.
All materials included
Four 2.5 hour
classes
Limited
spaces
Cost
£135 Early Bird
(£165 Regular)
Secure your place in this 4-session beginner course before spaces run out
Examples Gallery
Course Overview
This four-session level course, each 2.5 hours long, runs from 6 PM to 8.30 PM on Tuesdays at Patch Bobby's in Bournemouth. The sessions cover engaging topics to enhance your understanding and skills in the subject.
March 3rd – Measuring & Proportion
We begin with the fundamentals: learning that proportion is always relative.
You’ll be guided through classical measuring techniques using a pencil or simple measuring stick, learning how artists compare sizes, angles and relationships accurately. We’ll work from very simple still-life setups so you can focus purely on seeing and measuring, without distraction.
This week is about building trust - in the process, and in your own observation.
Sight-size measuring techniques
Understanding relative proportion
Letting go of guessing and visual habits
March 10th – Form & Structure
Once proportion feels steadier, we explore how objects exist in space.
You’ll learn how to simplify what you see into basic forms, spheres, cylinders, cubes and cones. And understand how complex objects are built from these simple structures.
This approach helps you avoid getting lost in surface details and instead draw with clarity and confidence.
Breaking objects into geometric forms
Understanding volume and structure
Seeing form beneath surface detail
March 17th – Light & Shadow Fundamentals
This week introduces the essential language of light.
You’ll learn how light describes form, how shadows behave, and how value creates depth and realism. We’ll work with simple lighting setups so you can clearly observe highlights, shadows and transitions without confusion.
Rather than memorising rules, you’ll learn how to look - carefully and patiently.
Identifying light and shadow relationships
Understanding value and tonal control
Creating the illusion of depth and form
March 24th – Bringing It All Together
In the final session, everything connects.
You’ll work on a complete still life using measurement, structure and light together, with guidance and individual feedback throughout. We’ll also introduce basic principles of presentation, how drawings are supported (or undermined) by mounting, framing and display choices.
The session ends with a gentle group critique, helping you articulate what works, what you see, and why.
Integrating proportion, form and light
Developing a complete observational drawing
Understanding presentation and display
Reflecting on progress and next steps