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Learn MoreHow to Draw Like a Madman
Rating: 4.8 out of 54.8(42 ratings)
349 students
How to Draw Like a Madman
Drills for Insane Drawing Skills: Learning from Gericault, Bosch, & Goya
Created byJohn Austin Speck
Last updated 1/2020
English
What you'll learn
- Students will learn to look deeply, draw confidently, and use techniques that are time-tested, and centuries old.
- Students will learn to coordinate and sync the movements of their eye and hand, strengthening their ability to draw what they see.
- Students will develop their understanding of the elements of line, value, shape, and form.
Explore related topics
Course content
9 sections • 60 lectures • 7h 27m total length
- Course Objective & Introduction2:11
Welcome to How to Draw Like a Madman! In this course, we will examine the genius of three very special artists and a selection of their drawings. We will practice, practice... and practice some more! If there is one thing that we can learn from them, it is this: They. Drew. A. Lot.
- Materials4:50
Begin with a simple pencil and paper to train your eye, then explore pencils from 2b to 6b, erasers, blending stumps, gel pens, paper choices, and exacto blades.
- Biography | Theodore Gericault5:50
- Biography | Hieronymus Bosch3:35
Trace Hieronymus Bosch's life from s'hertogenbosch around 1450 to his 1516 funeral, and reveal his enigmatic images, light-dark contrasts, and monastic influences shaping late 15th-century Dutch art.
- Biography | Francisco de Goya3:23
- Line1:12
- Value1:23
- Space & Form1:29
Explore space and form to enhance your drawing technique and shape dynamic volume and structure.
- Gericault Characteristics8:31
Develop an elegant, flowing line and dynamic composition to convey strong emotion, using Jericho’s searching lines and triangulation as guiding tools in horse and figure studies.
- Bosch Characteristics14:21
Draw like Bosch by remixing nature into hybrid monsters, mastering scale manipulation, and building a vocabulary of symbolism to tell stories of consumption and deceit.
- Goya Characteristics9:00
- About the Drills1:32
- Rapid Gesture5:04
Master rapid gesture to create fast and loose drawings that capture general form, movement, and volume in 30 seconds by drawing from the elbow with a light hand.
- Blind Contour5:04
- Continuous Contour7:43
Practice continuous contour drawing to build eye, hand, and mind coordination, drawing with one line and never lifting the pen, focusing on contours, edges, and negative space through practice.
- Gericault Session 1: Warm-up Drill15:15
Instructions:
All of the warm-ups in this course have a double purpose. The first is to prepare the student's hand as he or she is getting ready to work on a more developed drawing. The second purpose is to train the eye and the hand to function together - to coordinate.
This video contains 15 timed slides:
5 Rapid gestures (30 seconds each)
5 Blind contours (60 seconds each)
5 Continuous contours (90 seconds each)
*Using an inexpensive paper (newsprint or recycled), the student will create one drawing for each slide using the above methods. Students may use pencil or pen, whichever allows them to draw swiftly.
Stay focused and draw what you see - not what you think you see. Remember: Repetition is the mother of skill. The more you practice, the more you will improve.
- Horses and Riders Study (H)9:03
- Horses and Riders Study (B)7:13
- Horses and Riders Study (2B)5:43
Practice 2B value studies to push depth and form in a horse drawing, using darks, hatching, and line variation to convey mass, volume, and realistic anatomy.
- Horses and Riders Study (4B)6:48
- Gericault Session 2: Warm-up Drill15:24
Instructions:
All of the warm-ups in this course have a double purpose. The first is to prepare the student's hand as he or she is getting ready to work on a more developed drawing. The second purpose is to train the eye and the hand to function together - to coordinate.
This video contains 15 timed slides:
- 5 Rapid gestures (30 seconds each)
- 5 Blind contours (60 seconds each)
- 5 Continuous contours (90 seconds each)
*Using an inexpensive paper (newsprint or recycled), the student will create one drawing for each slide using the above methods. Students may use pencil or pen, whichever allows them to draw swiftly.
Stay focused and draw what you see - not what you think you see. Remember: Repetition is the mother of skill. The more you practice, the more you will improve
- Father on the Raft Study (H)8:08
Learn to block a pyramid composition for the father on the raft, map rapid gestures, and refine proportions and emotion, grounding the figure with a dark shadow.
- Father on the Raft Study (B)11:22
Master dry-media drawing techniques to render form, light, and shadow in the father on the raft study, using graphite values, cross-hatching, and contour to reveal three-dimensionality.
- Father on the Raft Study (4B, 2B)12:21
Strengthen the focal point and triangular composition with dark values using 4B and 2B pencils, then use curved hatching to convey volume on the raft.
- Gericault Session 3: Warm-up Drill15:16
Instructions:
All of the warm-ups in this course have a double purpose. The first is to prepare the student's hand as he or she is getting ready to work on a more developed drawing. The second purpose is to train the eye and the hand to function together - to coordinate.
This video contains 15 timed slides:
- 5 Rapid gestures (30 seconds each)
- 5 Blind contours (60 seconds each)
- 5 Continuous contours (90 seconds each)
*Using an inexpensive paper (newsprint or recycled), the student will create one drawing for each slide using the above methods. Students may use pencil or pen, whichever allows them to draw swiftly.
Stay focused and draw what you see - not what you think you see. Remember: Repetition is the mother of skill. The more you practice, the more you will improve
- Raft Fallen Figure Study (H)8:04
- Raft Fallen Figure Study (B)7:32
- Raft Fallen Figure Study (2B)5:34
Master dynamic figure drawing by defining the axis of symmetry, sharpening edges, and building darker shadows to emphasize push and pull in the raft fallen figure study (2B).
- Raft Fallen Figure Study (4B)4:20
Enhance the raft fallen figure study by intensifying highlights and darks, shaping the chest, neck, and leg contours, and emphasizing strong elegant lines with 6b graphite or charcoal.
- Bosch Session 1: Warm-up Drill15:16
Instructions:
All of the warm-ups in this course have a double purpose. The first is to prepare the student's hand as he or she is getting ready to work on a more developed drawing. The second purpose is to train the eye and the hand to function together - to coordinate.
This video contains 15 timed slides:
- 5 Rapid gestures (30 seconds each)
- 5 Blind contours (60 seconds each)
- 5 Continuous contours (90 seconds each)
*Using an inexpensive paper (newsprint or recycled), the student will create one drawing for each slide using the above methods. Students may use pencil or pen, whichever allows them to draw swiftly.
Stay focused and draw what you see - not what you think you see. Remember: Repetition is the mother of skill. The more you practice, the more you will improve.
- Ship of Fools Study (H)6:10
Explore a study of Hieronymus Bosch's ship of fools, focusing on composing the scene—from the boat's top edge to the head, crow's nest, and rigging—via rapid gestures.
- Ship of Fools Study (B)5:08
The lecture demonstrates building the image in a Ship of Fools study, focusing on the head inside the boat and the mast, with light, shadows, hatching, and Bosch-inspired figures.
- Ship of Fools Study (2B)6:17
Inspect the ship of fools masterwork by Bosch, identify darker values first, sketch figures in the rigging and crow's nest, and build rounded forms with careful shading.
- Ship of Fools Study (4B)5:13
Push bold contrasts and careful hatching to give form and volume to the ship of fools, refining details in the boat and figures while you move from sketch to finish.
- Bosch Session 2: Warm-up Drill15:19
Instructions:
All of the warm-ups in this course have a double purpose. The first is to prepare the student's hand as he or she is getting ready to work on a more developed drawing. The second purpose is to train the eye and the hand to function together - to coordinate.
This video contains 15 timed slides:
- 5 Rapid gestures (30 seconds each)
- 5 Blind contours (60 seconds each)
- 5 Continuous contours (90 seconds each)
*Using an inexpensive paper (newsprint or recycled), the student will create one drawing for each slide using the above methods. Students may use pencil or pen, whichever allows them to draw swiftly.
Stay focused and draw what you see - not what you think you see. Remember: Repetition is the mother of skill. The more you practice, the more you will improve.
- Man Tree Study (H)6:05
Explore Bosch’s hybrid creature style by quickly laying out the man-tree with an H pencil, defining outer contours and space. Add a horizon line to show space and shadows.
- Man Tree Study (B)5:33
Practice building detail and dark tonal studies in a man tree study, using varied pencil grip and hatching to suggest shadows, figures, and interior activity inspired by old master drawings.
- Man Tree Study (2B)6:33
Build up darks to emphasize the leg and central cavity as the focal point, and explore symbolic details like ladders and owls while shading and hatching to convey organic form.
- Man Tree Study (4B)5:53
Use a 4B pencil to study the man tree, building dark marks, cross-hatching, and front leg volume, while prioritizing observation over erasing, in preparation for the Garden of Earthly Delights.
- Bosch Session 3: Warm-up Drill15:16
Instructions:
All of the warm-ups in this course have a double purpose. The first is to prepare the student's hand as he or she is getting ready to work on a more developed drawing. The second purpose is to train the eye and the hand to function together - to coordinate.
This video contains 15 timed slides:
- 5 Rapid gestures (30 seconds each)
- 5 Blind contours (60 seconds each)
- 5 Continuous contours (90 seconds each)
*Using an inexpensive paper (newsprint or recycled), the student will create one drawing for each slide using the above methods. Students may use pencil or pen, whichever allows them to draw swiftly.
Stay focused and draw what you see - not what you think you see. Remember: Repetition is the mother of skill. The more you practice, the more you will improve.
- Forest that Hears Study (H)6:20
- Forest that Hears Study (B)6:41
Study the forest scene by layering trees and an owl with a horizon line, using bold lines and hatching, pen and ink, and graphite to build texture, space, and contrast.
- Forest that Hears Study (2B)6:14
Continue shaping the owl with 2B pencils, deepen values, and push space back through shading. Highlight Bosch-style symbolism with eyes and disembodied ears as narrative symbols readers interpret in graphite.
- Forest that Hears Study (4B)5:18
Squint with a 4B to push space backward by deepening darks and emphasize the tree's outer edge and owl, guiding the eye through an organic forest texture.
- Goya Session 1: Warm-up Drill15:37
Instructions:
All of the warm-ups in this course have a double purpose. The first is to prepare the student's hand as he or she is getting ready to work on a more developed drawing. The second purpose is to train the eye and the hand to function together - to coordinate.
This video contains 15 timed slides:
- 5 Rapid gestures (30 seconds each)
- 5 Blind contours (60 seconds each)
- 5 Continuous contours (90 seconds each)
*Using an inexpensive paper (newsprint or recycled), the student will create one drawing for each slide using the above methods. Students may use pencil or pen, whichever allows them to draw swiftly.
Stay focused and draw what you see - not what you think you see. Remember: Repetition is the mother of skill. The more you practice, the more you will improve.
- Nightmare Study (H)5:10
Explore a Goya-inspired ink study using an H pencil to capture light, shade, and bold values; map gesture and arrange an older woman with two figures atop.
- Nightmare Study (B)5:20
Sharpen the pencil to a fine point, block in outer contours, and build dark tonal values and shadows guided by Goya as light falls overhead.
- Nightmare Study (2B)7:00
Sharpen shading with curved hatching to push values toward dark midtones, bringing the nightmare study's figures to life with expressive, modern form.
- Nightmare Study (4B)6:28
Master the 4B pencil to push dark values on the value scale, define three distinct figures in a symbolic, Goya-inspired scene, and refine contrast with highlights and folds.
- Goya Session 2: Warm-up Drill15:16
Instructions:
All of the warm-ups in this course have a double purpose. The first is to prepare the student's hand as he or she is getting ready to work on a more developed drawing. The second purpose is to train the eye and the hand to function together - to coordinate.
This video contains 15 timed slides:
- 5 Rapid gestures (30 seconds each)
- 5 Blind contours (60 seconds each)
- 5 Continuous contours (90 seconds each)
*Using an inexpensive paper (newsprint or recycled), the student will create one drawing for each slide using the above methods. Students may use pencil or pen, whichever allows them to draw swiftly.
Stay focused and draw what you see - not what you think you see. Remember: Repetition is the mother of skill. The more you practice, the more you will improve.
- Way of Flying Study (H)6:30
Recreate Goya's way of flying study in graphite, capturing the winged figure with gestural contours, a dark atmospheric background, and an emphasis on the etching's mood.
- Way of Flying Study (B)5:56
- Way of Flying Study (2B)6:15
Study how dark values behind a hybrid figure shape mood and depth, focusing on the head and beak, with bat-wing contours and 2B/4B shading to imply flight off the page.
- Way of Flying Study (4B)6:52
Use 4b to lay bold dark values behind the figure, deepen background tones with a broad side, and preserve the line for an aqua tint and a Goya mood.
- Goya Session 3: Warm-up Drill15:15
Instructions:
All of the warm-ups in this course have a double purpose. The first is to prepare the student's hand as he or she is getting ready to work on a more developed drawing. The second purpose is to train the eye and the hand to function together - to coordinate.
This video contains 15 timed slides:
- 5 Rapid gestures (30 seconds each)
- 5 Blind contours (60 seconds each)
- 5 Continuous contours (90 seconds each)
*Using an inexpensive paper (newsprint or recycled), the student will create one drawing for each slide using the above methods. Students may use pencil or pen, whichever allows them to draw swiftly.
Stay focused and draw what you see - not what you think you see. Remember: Repetition is the mother of skill. The more you practice, the more you will improve.
- Radiant Female Study (H)8:09
Loosely map the radiant female's gesture and contours in graphite, building depth with gray tones while portraying dark spirits and rays of light through implied lines and a halo.
- Radiant Female Study (B)6:03
Learn to render a radiant female study with a soft B pencil, balancing darks and whites, preserving lights via a value scale, and blending graphite to mimic ink effects.
- Radiant Female Study (2B)5:47
Move from light to dark values, outline bold shadows around the radiant figure, and squint to reveal darker values on the value scale, echoing Goya's dramatic contrasts for depth.
- Radiant Female Study (4B)6:40
Learn to render soft glowing tones and ground the radiant female study with 4B graphite, using tissue to blend, add highlights, and refine by subtraction and addition.
- Closure0:37
Explore the master works and the madness behind the genius of Hall Bosch Goya, and practice drawing drills to develop skill and confidence for your ongoing artistic journey.
Requirements
- Paper, pencil, and a passion for drawing are all that is required for this course.
- The exercises in this course will require plenty of inexpensive paper for practice and warm-ups. Better quality paper will be reserved for larger projects.
Description
How to Draw Like a Madman is a course where students will learn about, examine, and draw from the power of genius. If you are looking for a spark of genius – or I dare say madness – in your drawing, you’ve come to the right place. This course blends biography and practice of three of the most gifted and imaginative draftsmen in art history.
Students will explore Gericault's incredible talent for rapidly capturing details, the oddities of Bosch's fiery imagination, and Goya's visual banquet of ghouls and ghastly sights. Each of these artists offer a tantalizing visual feast of immense skill, with a side of madness.
Who this course is for:
- Students of all levels who wish to examine and trace the footsteps of some of the greatest draftsmen in the history of art.
- Students that are dedicated, willing to practice, and eager to learn.