Life Drawing: The Performing Figure

Forget the traditional life drawing class where a model simply holds a pose. Each day, you'll work with a new and unconventional subject, responding to live music, movement, character, dance, and performance. Draw musicians as they play, dancers as they move, and performers as they inhabit different physical states.

Each morning begins with technical drawing exercises focused on anatomy, balance, weight, gesture, mark-making, and movement. In the afternoons, these ideas are applied through experimental drawing sessions with live performers. Beginners build a practical foundation, while experienced students can refresh and expand their skills.

This intensive workshop brings together life drawing, animation, sculpture, and movement studies to explore new approaches to the human figure. Experiment with gesture, rhythm, speed, exaggeration, abstraction, and mark-making while building confidence to draw quickly and intuitively.

The aim is not simply to produce an accurate drawing, but to learn to see differently, respond quickly, and create dynamic studies of the body in motion. Develop a stronger understanding of anatomy, gesture, balance, and movement, while exploring how line, composition, structure, and mark-making can communicate these ideas. The course encourages experimentation, play, and risk-taking, with an emphasis on developing an expressive and personal approach.

References to historical and contemporary artists, alongside examples from the tutor's own practice, provide context for the role of movement and the figure in contemporary drawing.

Suitable for beginners and experienced artists alike, this course welcomes anyone interested in exploring dynamic approaches to figure drawing.

Course Schedule
The following is an indicative course schedule only. The content and pace of the sessions may vary in response to the students in the program.

Day 1: Technical scaffold 1 training and/or refresher: overview of figure-drawing study, basic techniques and tools for life drawing, anatomy and form, measuring, and proportions.

Day 2: Technical scaffold 2 training and/or refresher: proportions and geometry of the body in the morning. Draw performers in character using expression and focus on storytelling in the afternoon.

Day 3: Gestural and abstraction exercises focusing on movement and Dance Study: weight, rhythm, and movement. Draw from a live dancer to capture motion and energy.

Day 4: Mark-Making and Music: Experiment with line, texture, and abstraction. Respond to a live musician through intuitive drawing exercises.

Day 5: Performance and Personal Expression Combine the week's ideas through drawing from live performance. Review work and discuss contemporary approaches to figurative drawing.

* Short courses and weekend workshops are open to students of ages 16 years and over. The NAS Art Club is open to students between 15 - 17 years of age.

* Drawing and painting short courses may be held in upstairs studios. If access to stairs is not suitable, please contact us at short.courses@nas.edu.au

* What to bring? Please refer to the list of required materials in the Art Materials field below.

Students must supply their own art materials, please refer to the list below.

• A4 sketchbook for notes and fieldwork, 200gsm, with good quality smooth paper
• A2 drawing pad
• A2 sheets of higher quality drawing paper to be discussed in class (purchase later in the week as required)
• 6 sticks of thick or extra thick willow charcoal
• 1 box of small medium charcoal
• Graphite pencils and/or Progresso, 2b and 4b
• Charcoal or white pencils optional
• Basic set of 12 coloured pencils
• 2 white chalk pastels
• 6 bulldog clips
• White plastic eraser
• Sharpie marker
• Pencil sharpener
• 1 can of fixative spray

Enclosed footwear is essential in all studios on campus.

Todd Fuller is known for hand-drawn animations and his practice integrates sculpture, moving image, curatorship, performance, and painting. Above all else, Fuller is a drawer with a love of storytelling, utilising research and empirical experiences to elevate queer and regional experiences. Since graduating from the National Art School (2010), Fuller has exhibited extensively in Australia and internationally, including the US, Italy, and France. He exhibited in the Sulman Award Exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW (2019), been a 2 time Dobell Drawing Prize finalist and been a finalist in the United Kingdom's Trinity Bouy Wharf Drawing Prize. In 2024 Todd won the Sunshine Coast National Art Prize, in 2023 he won the Fisher's Ghost Contemporary Art Prize, in 2022 he won the M16 digital prize and in 2018 won the Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Prize. His pieces are held in notable public and private collections including the State Library of New South Wales, Parliament House Collection, Artbank, Museum of Brisbane and numerous Regional Galleries. Fuller also teaches Masterclasses across the Regional Gallery sector to artists and teachers.