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Drawn to Expression is now available exclusively as a self study course! You can register now and receive almost instant access to all of the course content. Work your way through the course at your own pace. The self study course is also available as part of a bundle package together with Gillian’s other courses.
Investment for the Self Study Course: £95
Every mark tells a story.
Every line is an expression – an unearthing of you as an artist.
A whisper or a shout – the language of drawing.
As unique as your way of communicating – dialect, accent, intonation, phrasing…
…a whisper, a statement or a shout.
Have you ever…
…let fear and that feeling of being ‘stuck’ in your art practice stop you from getting to the easel?
I have! Many times. And this course contains many of the ways that I have overcome this – ways that have helped me grow as an artist and pushed me to discover more and create more.
Have you ever…
…struggled to know how artists make choices between what to include and what to leave out?
…wondered how you can say more with less?
…felt a desire to loosen up and be more expressive in your art?
…wanted to confront fears of imperfection and lack of motivation?
…wanted to gain confidence in tapping into what makes us unique and individual and bring that to your art?
You might have the skills to create art but struggle with ideas and what to paint. You know you could be deeply inspired but there are just so many options out there! I know that feeling and I have worked hard in my own practice to give priority to the ideas and let the techniques suit the story I am trying to tell.
There is so much to learn, so much to experience and so much to say as a creative individual – and we can all do it! We just need to open our hearts, dig deep and embrace the challenge.
Drawing is a physical act – your touch, your connection, heart to hand to paper.
Drawing is not just a visual exercise but a way of imparting your energy and emotions to the paper with very little hampering your ability to leave your mark – you can feel every line, every mark, every stroke.
I love all forms of creating art, but drawing materials never fail to inspire me to stretch and grow as an artist. They enable me to create freely and in the moment, to liberate me from the idea of perfection and to embrace unpredictability. They allow me to capture ideas quickly any time, any where – imagery that can then be worked up to more complete works of art in the studio. They help me overcome fear of making a mark in a way that other materials cannot.
So this course is about drawing – about making a mark…and then making another…and then another.
It is about getting to the table, or the easel and staying there because we don’t want to be anywhere else.
I have collected together many ideas from my time at art college — my sketchbooks and many techniques and ways of being expressive from my years since in order to help you discover ways of loosening up and being more expressive in your practice.
Course Content
Each lesson of the course takes you through experimenting and working on lots of exercises and studies to enable you to loosen up and be expressive. Each of the four lessons finishes with a more fully realised work of art that brings together all of your previous practice.
LESSON ONE – Creating a Visual Language
Taking my love of mark making as a focus, you will use your materials to discover, gather and experiment.
LESSON TWO – Expecting the Unexpected
Lessons in letting go of expectations and encouraging unpredictability.
LESSON THREE – Layer Upon Layer
Creating rich surfaces with depth and atmosphere – a journey of discovery!
LESSON FOUR – Your Art, Your Way
Pushing your own ability to edit, make choices and use your own creative language.
Each Lesson Includes
Exercises to get you to the easel and get your brain, hand and creativity flowing.
Developing a book (or books) of tools and techniques to help you grow as an artist.
Prompts and encouragement to keep you practising every day (even when you don’t have much time).
A variety of subject matters to suit your own artistic interests.
Exercises that you can return to time and time again to expand upon to make them your own.
Ways of building upon the exercises in this course to complete more resolved works of art.
In Drawn to Expression…
You will work more on ‘process’ rather than ‘product’ – lots and lots of studies that you can build on for future drawings and paintings.
You will work on mark-making.
You will discover new materials and find ways of experimenting with more familiar ones.
You will exercise your expressive abilities.
You will work on layering.
You will work on creating atmosphere.
You will build upon creating your own unique language through art.
Registration
Drawn to Expression is now available exclusively as a self study course! You can register now and receive almost instant access to all of the course content. Work your way through the course at your own pace. The self study course is also available as part of a bundle package together with Gillian’s other courses.
Investment for the Self Study Course: £95
What Students are Saying
“Drawn to Expression is great and strong in all strands! Structure, presentation, practical videos, inspirational quotes, incredible content and words from an Artist/Tutor who is passionate to share her knowledge and expertise with her students. For me, each strand enriches my own journey.”
Debbie Gould
“Your videos demonstrate a technique and how you use it, how to express with the mediums/technique. Then the assignments dovetail in such a way that everyone experiments and produces something different…different expressions. This is not a paint by numbers course.”
Mardi Driftmier
“Gillian, the class I took from you, Drawn to Expression, was absolutely incredible. My art has grown, deepened, and loosened in such positive ways, by what I have learned from you. A totally exceptional class!”
Suzy Norris
Materials
Just a word of reassurance regarding purchasing art materials. Whilst it is lovely to have ‘everything’, beautiful art can in fact be created with just a pencil and paper. The Material List for this course is just a suggestion. You may have paint media that you prefer over acrylics – say gouache, watercolour or oils.
The primary purpose of this class is to generate IDEAS and a story through your work. So if you already have materials (even ones not on the list) then go with those. Watch the videos when the course begins and see what really appeals to you before purchasing materials that you may never need. Remember you have access to the class forever (as long as I can maintain the site), so things can be bought as you go along.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is course content delivered?
Upon purchasing the course, you will be sent a confirmation via email. You will then be sent the link to the classroom site and password. If you have registered for the course and have not heard anything within 24 hours, please check your spam and junk email folders. If you still have not received confirmation, please contact me at help@gillianleesmithartschool.com.
How long will I have access to course content?
Can I download the course videos and how do I download them?
What do I require to access and participate in the course?
Do I need to be online or access the course at particular times?
How do I connect with you as a tutor and the other students?
You may also connect with other students of each course by using a certain # and posting your images on Instagram. Specific information is included in the FAQ for each individual course.
Can I share/sell the artwork I make while taking your courses?
Can I share content, lessons, videos or images from the course site?
Should you require further clarification or have additional questions, please contact me using the form at the bottom of this page.
This all sounds great! Where do I sign up?
Contact Me