Draw Like Delacroix
Art Classes
These are classes based on a book I picked up at an antique store for $2 - printed in 1869. Drawing From Memory was written by Eugene Delacroix's student: Marie-Elizabeth Boulanger-Cavé . This book had no pictures, but I looked at it anyway. The lessons made sense, and my students love the classes and do the work at home! After assembling some materials and some statues, I taught workshops for the DSBN, the NAC, the Pumphouse and out of my home. Everyone loves it.
The method
Eugene Delacroix was famous for being able to draw people, horses, and buildings from his memory of what he saw in Africa. To draw like Delacroix, the student needs some particular materials: cotton gauze stretched on a frame like canvas, and vine charcoal. Look through the gauze at your subject as though looking through a window. Trace some landmarks onto the gauze, just enough information to get everything in the right place. Details and shading are not required at this point. Place the gauze against a piece of paper and trace your marks again, pushing the charcoal through the holes in the gauze. The image should be on the paper. The details and shading can be completed at this point. The image should look very much like the subject. Copy it on to a new piece of paper, while looking and correcting. When done, hide all the drawings and copy it from memory. Muscle memory will help. Do it quickly before the memory fades. This image will be similar to the original, but will have the flavour and style of the artist.
