Overview
Broadcast live online from our Shoreditch studios, each Digital Studio session recreates the energy and drama of the life room online. Students will draw from clothed models, theatrical sets, and more.
This live online Digital Studio session invites Young Artists aged 10-18 to explore the theme of hearts, considering how they have been represented in art, history, and culture.
Through drawing exercises and guidance, Young Artists will explore mythological and symbolic references of hearts throughout history: from Cupid’s arrow to Botticelli’s themes of love and the scientific studies of Leonardo da Vinci.
Students will also take inspiration from ancient cultural representations of the heart, such as the Egyptian and Aztec belief that hearts represented the centre of life and emotion.
Led by artist and tutor Elizabeth McCarten, Young Artists will begin by being guided through playful drawing exercises designed to build their confidence and sharpen their observation skills. Later in the session, Young Artists will study the physical structure of the heart to see how understanding form can strengthen creative drawing.
Young Artists will then culminate their ideas through drawing from a clothed model in the studio. Building on narrative, symbolism, and their own creative responses, Young Artists will create an artwork that tells a rich story and is full of heart!
Class objectives
- Develop observation skills. Students will improve their ability to observe carefully and draw what they see through guided exercises, anatomical study of the heart, and drawing from a clothed model.
- Build knowledge and understanding. Students will gain insight into symbolic, mythological, and anatomical representations of the heart in art across cultures and time periods.
- Explore expression. Students will explore how emotions and stories can be expressed visually by using symbolism, narrative, and personal creative responses.
