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  • Introduction to Somatic Movement
    • 13/11/2019 - 18/12/2019

      St. Michael’s Church Community Centre, SW13 0NX

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If It’s Good Enough for Vincent…

Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings immediately spring to mind when you think of his vast body of work: canvasses thick with paint, running riot with colour. His work is exciting, tangible, and firmly in the present.

But van Gogh drew almost as much as he painted. As this article by Colta Ives and Susan Alyson Stein for the Metropolitan Museum of Art explain, the artist was largely self-taught, and he believed that drawing was the root of everything. As a beginning artist, he drew to master his work before attempting to paint the same subject. There were periods when he did nothing but draw, perhaps enjoying the casualness and the freedom it afforded him. And with paints and their associated materials being expensive, sometimes a poor struggling artist had to weigh up the price of bread vs. the price of painting.

In fact, saving money was the impetus for his chopping off some nearby reeds when he was living in Provence, sharpening the tips, and dipping them in ink. Using a naturally hollow reed which he could sharpen with his own penknife gave him the flexibility to be spontaneous and artistic, yet still save his pennies.

This fascinating medium helped him produce most of his greatest drawings during the two years he spent working in Provence. We now know it today as his most prodigious and productive period.

Barnes Class is delighted to bring you a class where you can learn for yourself how to draw with a reed pen. Taught by our popular local expert Michael Ajerman, you’ll be introduced to this medium over a 4-week course. Drawing from reproductions by van Gogh himself and working from a live model, you’ll be able to explore the human form and gain new skills in a fun and casual environment at the OSO Arts Centre.

All materials will be provided for you, and don’t worry – absolutely NO SKILLS are required. This class is for complete beginners and you’ll be led along gently, with plenty of bracing coffee for sustenance.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to let us know. And remember, if it’s good enough for Vincent, it’s good enough for you!

 

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: art, drawing, illustration, van Gogh

Time for a Spring Creative Refresh

With spring comes renewal. Although we must keep our work skills sharp, Barnes Class believes in the power of self-renewal as well. To that end, we are delighted to offer some great new classes which will help you excel at work and in your creative life too.

Local artist Michael Ajerman returns for a 4-week course in May focussing on learning how to draw faces, which are notoriously difficult for all artists.

  • May 2nd, 9th, 16th and 23rd
  • 9.30am-12.30pm
  • The Bull’s Head pub (first floor), SW13 9PY
  • Book Now!

Our previous Introduction to Social Media class with expert Kathy Ennis proved such a success that we are adding two additional masterclasses on this subject to our lineup.

WordPress in a Morning – this overview masterclass will give you the basics of building and maintaining your very own WordPress website and get you blogging straight away!

  • May 8th
  • 10am-12.30pm
  • The White Hart pub (first floor), SW13 0NR
  • Book Now!

Make Your Facebook Business Page Work for You – this focussed masterclass will concentrate on managing advertising on Facebook. You’ll learn to build posts for your Facebook business page which will truly engage your audience.

  • May 22nd
  • 10am-12.30pm
  • The White Hart pub (first floor), SW13 0NR
  • Book Now!

Get a spring in your step with one of our exciting new classes – we look forward to seeing you!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: advertising, art, drawing, facebook, illustration, refresh, social media, spring

Facing Your Fears of Drawing Faces

Faces are notoriously difficult to draw. Its many features contain hundreds of tiny details which are very difficult to replicate when putting pencil to paper. Researchers believe that we always position the eyes in the wrong place because round shapes are hard to draw.

A 2012 paper published by University College London believes that practise makes perfect.

To that end, Barnes Class is delighted to welcome back local artist Michael Ajerman, who will help you face your fears of drawing faces. Students will work from a photograph of a family member or other source to perfect technique, and then progress to trying out their new skills by drawing from a live model.

The class will be held at the beautiful first floor room of The Bull’s Head and will run 2nd-23rd May, 9.30-12.30pm.

Book now!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: anatomy, art, drawing, faces, illustration, Michael Ajerman

Upcoming

    • Introduction to Somatic Movement
    • 13/11/2019 - 18/12/2019 - 10:30 am - 11:30 am
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About Barnes Class

Barnes Class organises fun and interesting classes run by local experts at great local venues.

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“I absolutely love my Barnes Class Drawing classes. They are my escape from the daily chores… I can totally recommend them” – Carina Vergopoulos, Chiswick

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