City Sketching Reimagined with Jeanette Barnes

Jeanette Barnes is an acclaimed artist, author and experienced tutor whose work has been exhibited in the Discerning Eye, Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize (formerly the Jerwood Drawing Prize) and other international exhibitions. Jeanette is the co-author of City Sketching Reimagined (2022) and we are very lucky to welcome her to Draw for the first time. In this two day drawing course Jeanette will guide students through the foundations of drawing the city, with a small group size and plenty of one-to-one support. Students can expect a combination of practical studio-based exercises and some drawing on location in the city. All levels of experience are welcome and all materials for this session will be provided. If you'd like more details about the course, please get in touch on info@draw-brighton.co.uk.

How will it work? 

Students will meet at the Draw Studio in New England House at 10am and you are welcome to arrive from 9:45am. When you arrive at New England House you’ll need to come to the main doors next to the Building Managers Office on Level 3 and call the number in your booking email to be admitted. Once you’re at the session you’ll need to show a digital or printed receipt as proof of booking and a negative LFT, then you’re ready to go - you can’t attend the session with a cold, flu or covid so if you’re not feeling well, just get in touch for a refund or take a look at our online alternatives.

Day One

After an introduction at the studio in the morning, we will then head out to sketch the city for the day. We'll be gathering information on location in Brighton to make larger urban drawings back at the studio the next day. Our drawing locations will be nearby to the studio but will require some walking, so please ensure that you wear comfortable shoes! Jeanette will be on hand throughout the day to provide guidance and feedback. Although Jeanette won’t be teaching traditional perspective drawing, we will be concentrating on exercises relating to space, movement, atmosphere and structure. There will be a lunch break halfway through the day - you are welcome to bring a packed lunch, or to pop to the nearby Sainsbury’s, or a café on London road. 

Day Two

We will be producing work under Jeanette's guidance from the studio on the second day. We will be working on exercises which include imaginative, directive and compositional sketches, including mark-making, work from films and or photographs before starting on their final works. We will also look at other artists work which relate to the city, including my Jeanette own work. Jeanette will be on hand throughout the day to encourage students to find their own ways of drawing the urban experience, as well as demonstrating use of materials and compositional methods. We will be working towards larger finished drawings made using charcoal. There will be a lunch break halfway through the day - you are welcome to bring a packed lunch, or to pop to the nearby Sainsbury’s, or a café on London road. 

Safety information

When our staff get sick, they lose work outside of Draw. To protect them and everybody who comes drawing from getting ill we have:

• Monitored ventilation 
• Air purification with HEPA filters
• Free masks & hand sanitiser 
• Full sick pay for our freelance staff
• A strict no-attendance-if-ill policy

Costs

This session costs £195, or £165 for students & Patreon supporters – after materials and tutor's fees, all money raised goes towards supporting the Draw studio. If you can’t afford to come to the session, please get in touch and we will find a way to help. 

Accessibility

If you have any accessibility needs, please do let us know - we’re keen to do everything we can to make sure you can enjoy the classes we run at Draw. The building has a wheelchair ramp at the North side of the New England Street entrance and lifts up to level 5. 

Image: Interior of Kings Cross Station by Jeanette Barnes - compressed charcoal 150 x210 cms