Drawing at the Portland Art Museum supply list and info for students
Hello Students of Drawing at PAM!
I’m looking forward to meeting you and beginning our adventures at the museum. Here’s some info to help get us off to a good start.
Class Rules: 馃
Be kind to others (of course) and especially to yourself. Self-criticism is counter-productive to learning, yet so hard to avoid when practicing art. We’ll encourage each other in our efforts, understanding that we arrive with many different levels of skill and experience. You are qualified to be in this class, regardless of your art background. 鉁
Where We’ll Meet: The Portland Art Museum has been revamped, expanded, and beautified! We’ll meet inside the main entrance, which is the glass building in the center of the structure, called the Rothko Pavillion. You can enter from the Park Blocks or from 10th Avenue. Check in at the membership desk (info below), then find us at the comfy couches opposite.
Museum Pass: As a student in this class, you qualify for a Course Access Pass or CAP. This new-ish type of student pass costs $35, will be valid for 6 months, and is available via a special link from your instructor (me). A couple of weeks before the start of the term, I will email enrolled students the link to purchase a pass. If you’re already a museum member, then you don’t need the CAP — you’re all set.
Supply List:
鉁忥笍 Colored pencils — set of 24 (or more) is preferred; Prismacolor or Derwent brands recommended, but feel free to start with whatever you have
鉁忥笍 a #2 pencil or drawing pencil
鉁忥笍 a #2 pencil or drawing pencil
鉁忥笍 Pencil sharpener — one that contains the shavings
鉁忥笍 Eraser — white Staedtler brand is recommended
鉁忥笍 Sketchbook — approximately 9″ x 12″
Optional:
鉁 Pencil case or small tote to hold supplies (see more info under Notes below)
鉁 Mechanical eraser
鉁 Blending stump or colorless blending pencil
Notes:
馃憠馃徑 Only pencils may be used at the museum — i.e. no paints, markers, charcoal, etc.
馃憠馃徑 The museum has portable stools for our use.
馃憠馃徑 Backpacks are not allowed in the galleries, nor are bags larger than 11″ x 17″ x 6″. I recommend bringing a smaller tote; ones that stand up (i.e. with a wide, semi-rigid bottom) seem to work best for our purposes.
馃憠馃徑 Backpacks are not allowed in the galleries, nor are bags larger than 11″ x 17″ x 6″. I recommend bringing a smaller tote; ones that stand up (i.e. with a wide, semi-rigid bottom) seem to work best for our purposes.
Class structure:
Each week I’ll choose a museum gallery for us to explore. We’ll begin class with a brief discussion and a short demo or exercise, then most of your time will be spent drawing an art piece of your choosing from that gallery. During this time I’m able to circulate for one-on-one conversations about any issues that are coming up. We’ll close each class with a group debrief, sharing our work, our challenges, and our learnings.
In this class we practice the skill of seeing, which is the crux of realistic drawing. If you’d like more info, I highly recommend the book, Drawing On the Right Side of the Brain, by Betty Edwards. Much of my teaching philosophy and drawing techniques evolved out of her foundational work.
Let me know if you have questions.
See you soon!
Pam