Digital Streaming Studio - Evening | Drawing a Ghost Story

Experience a drawing class like no other.

These evening drawing sessions, broadcast live from the Royal Drawing School studios, are an opportunity for students to experience the dynamic and dramatic possibilities of the life room from home. Join students online from across the globe to draw from the model, theatrical sets, dancers, musicians and more, with something new each week. Using a range of drawing practices, our expert tutors will guide you through a series of exercises over the course of each session.

This atmospheric session will be themed around Edgar Allen Poe’s famous poem The Raven; haunting and melancholic, exploring themes of grief, loss, and mortality. The poem sees a mysterious talking raven visit a distraught lover and describes the man's slow fall into madness. This visually rich text has inspired artists including Manet, Gaugin, and Doré, as well as influencing a wide range of authors, composers, and directors.

During the session we will explore the poem and the powerful imagery arising from it. Working with a model we will draw and recreate key moments from the text, accompanied by an atmospheric set, soundscape, and supported by digital effects and varied camera angles. Our drawing exercises will deal with varied dynamic poses, and we will explore different ways of creating tone and think about ways of creating interesting compositions from the imagery in the text. All levels welcome.

Suggested Materials

The session will use primarily the following materials, but you are welcome to use any of your own preferred materials including pastel and watercolour.

• Charcoal
• Pencil
• Indian Ink and brushes
• Paper (assorted sizes)

Reading

During the session we will read the The Raven in full, but you may wish to familiarise yourself with the text in advance. The text is widely available in the public domain and can be read via the following link:

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe | Poetry Foundation

Please note: The Royal Drawing School online models will not pose nude. Models in this series will be semi clothed.

Details

• You can book these sessions individually, or you can book the event series giving you access to all evening life drawing sessions with 30% off. Book the whole series here.
• All students will need a device that supports the latest version of Zoom
• Chat support available during the session

Share your work on social media with the hashtag #RDSLivestreamStudio

Featured image by Charlotte Ager