Berlin Drawing Room Blog: January 2012

Tonality and Seurat

I love to share these these drawings by Georges Seurat with my class when we learn about Tonality. Seurat is the artist most associated with Pointillism, that off shoot of Impressionism. But his drawings offer a subtle insight into the technique of rendering form only through value shifts, or tonality. Notice the complete lack of contour lines!

Seated Boy (study for Bathing Place, Asnieres), 1883. Conte Crayon on paper.

Reclining Man (study for Bathing Place), 1883. Conte Crayon on paper.

The Echo (study for Bathing Place), 1883. Conte Crayon on paper.

MoMA has put together a really nice online version of their 2008 Exhibition of Seurat's drawings. http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2007/seurat/

Enjoy! If you want to learn more about these techniques, join the Drawing Workshop!

See some tonality drawings from my students in the Drawing Workshop: HERE

student drawing: tonality

Student Work from the Fall Drawing Workshop

See what the Fall Drawing Workshop created! Below is a selection of drawings from the last class from a variety of exercises. Topics ranged from Negative Space to Tonality, from portrait drawing to still-life, from figure drawing to drawing taxidermy. At the end of the class, we mounted this exhibition and had a reception/ open house.

Student Work on Display at the Drawing Workshop Open House
January 15, 2012

Drawing in the Natural History Museum

Details for the Drawing Workshop Field-trip!

Our field-trip to the Natural History Museum is on Sunday January 31, 2016 from 12-14:00.

So put on your Naturalist hats! Drawing is a great way to SEE the museum, and a great way to appreciate natural forms for all their complexity. The class will be structured as a Scavenger Hunt!

Scroll down for logistical details.

Here are the details:

Museum für Naturkunde
Invalidenstraße 43
10115 Berlin

Entrance 6 Euro/ 3.50 Student

U-6 Naturkundemuseum

12-14:00, Sunday January 31

*** Meet in the museum foyer at 12:00.

All you need to bring is your sketch book, a couple pencils, and I would recommend a snack as well. The museum cafe is very limited.

Please confirm that you will be attending!

Dürer, The Rhinoceros, engraving 1515

David Grinhalj
from the Fall Drawing Workshop 2012

Welcome to The Drawing Room

The Drawing Room has historically
been a space for sharing ideas
and new discoveries.

The Berlin Drawing Room is a forum for Studio Workshops offered by artist Mira O'Brien. Here you can find updated class information and content related to the workshops. Current, past and prospective students are invited to follow this blog and leave their comments!

Studio Workshops take place primarily in Kreuzberg in Mira's Studio, sometimes traveling to other sites around Berlin. All workshops are taught in English.

The first Studio Workshop was the Summer Drawing Workshop, 2011. After a great response, Mira decided to continue the Drawing Workshop, as well as add several new workshops!

Find descriptions of all classes being offered in the right-hand column!