Smudge It! Some Shady Charcoal Workshops with Wendy Aldwyn

Smudge It! Some Shady Charcoal Workshops with Wendy Aldwyn. A 5 week workshop series, you can take the full series, or individual sessions ...
 
Join us 6-8pm Wednesdays starting September 24 thru October 29, 2025, when we explore the dark, bioluminescent caverns of our minds with charcoal drawings on paper. Forces of good and evil will be held in sway by our wild imaginings. We’ll explore realism, surrealism and abstract applications of darkness and light, taking a look at the use of charcoal by contemporary artists as well as the old masters.
 
The first hour of each session, we’ll warm up by practicing basic charcoal techniques and tricks, and learning how to draw with the eraser. The second hour we’ll work on finishing a themed charcoal drawing.
 
September 24: Let’s Face It
Charcoal portraiture. We’ll study basic facial bone construction starting by using a realistic skull as a reference, then fill in the eyes and other facial features with a focus on expression.
 
October 1: Creature Features
Looking at clouds, fur, feathers and scales, and creating abstract compositions with evocative combinations of these textures.
 
October 8: Pet Portraits
Learn how to use the projector to transfer an image of your pet to paper, then render it in charcoal. (If you don’t have a picture of your pet available, an assortment of animal pictures will be available to choose from).
 
October 15: Ready, SET, Go!
The set was all important back in the heyday of film noir and German Expressionism. We’ll create some abstract, angular set designs for our own imagined theatrical masterworks by warping perspective and making dramatic geometric use of light and dark.
 
October 22: Imagine a Dragon
Studying the relationship of the animal body to machines, and using some medieval imagery as inspiration, we’ll create our own bionic assemblages of creatures, and create our own fiery dragon.
 
October 29: Monster Mash-up
 Not all is goodness and light, and not all is evil and darkness. We’ll explore those metaphors and more, in creating our own good and evil charcoal monsters.
 
Wednesdays, September 24; October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Available as individual sessions, or 6-session package
$45 per session, or $240 for a 6-session package
For adults and mature teens
 
Registration link:  www.margaretlanegallery.com/workshop-registration