Laura Smith – Edward Hopper’s Charcoal Drawings: Creating Mood with Value (Online); Mondays, June 22 & 29, 2026

Mediums: Drawing in charcoal Level: All levels welcome Class Dates: Mondays, June 22 & 29, 2026 Class Times: • 9:30 am-noon Pacific Time • 12:30 pm-3:00 pm Eastern Time • 5:30 pm-8:00 pm UK Time Edward Hopper was an artist who used drawing in many different ways. He made sketchy drawings to get his ideas down quickly. He also laboured over developed, preparatory drawings before embarking on paintings. In this course, we will look at both types of drawing closely. Laura will demonstrate drawing from his charcoal drawings and we will analyse them together. This course is designed to heighten our awareness of how valuable drawing can be in painting making. It will look at how you can rapidly get down an idea but also take an idea further in the lead up to beginning a painting. We will be looking particularly at composition and shape making. We will be looking at the role value has in drawing and how you can use it to alter drama and mood. We will also be looking at the careful adjustment of compositions we see taking place in Hopper’s drawings and how small changes can make a big impact in pictures. You will be encouraged to work from his drawings yourself but also to hopefully bring the thinking into working from your own subject matter. Materials: You will need willow charcoal (compressed charcoal as an optional extra) and cartridge paper for this class. You might also like to add white chalk.