Contours / Drawing with Compelling Contours & Foreshortening

Drawing is not a talent. It’s a skill anyone can learn. Designed for aspiring painters, graphic designers, illustrators and artists of all types, The Art & Science of Drawing series will teach you the foundation of art and design of all kinds: drawing. 

CONTOURS is the fifth course in The Art & Science of Drawing series designed to take students from the absolute basics to advanced drawing techniques like perspective drawing and shading. 

In CONTOURS you’ll learn to draw complex, volumetric form using three kinds of contour lines.  First, you’ll learn to craft a detailed outside contour.  Next you’ll learn to draw inner contours and overlaps that will describe any subject with great depth.  Finally, you’ll learn to draw using cross contour lines to create the illusion of dramatic volume and deep space.  By the end of this course, you’ll understand how to combine different kinds of contour lines to dynamically draw any form.  You’ll even learn foreshortening, one of the most sought after drawing skills.

In this course you’ll learn:

• How to craft compelling contour drawings.
• How to use overlaps and inner contours to create the illusion of volume in your drawings.
• How to draw using cross contour lines that describe the topography of a subject in great detail.
• How to use atmospheric perspective to give drawing a great sense of depth.
• How to use foreshortening in your drawings.

CONTOURS is a remarkable course that will teach you how to draw one day at a time. Here’s how it works: Each day you’ll watch one video lesson that will introduce an essential drawing skill, and then do the recommended practice. 

During this course you’ll create a series of drawing each focusing on a different measuring technique.  By the end of the course you’ll be able to use a wide range of measuring techniques in your drawings.

This course is overflowing with powerful insights into the drawing process and offers some of the clearest, most accessible drawing instruction available.  Many of the tools and techniques you'll learn here are rarely taught outside of private art academies. 

If you're a beginner, we recommend going through the entire series in the following order:

The Art & Science of Drawing:

• BASIC SKILLS / Getting Started with Drawing 
• DYNAMIC MARK MAKING / Drawing with Expression & Creativity
• FORM & SPACE / 3D Drawing & Perspective 
• MEASURING & PROPORTION / Drawing with Accuracy & Precision
• CONTOURS / Drawing with Compelling Contours & Foreshortening:
• SHADING FUNDAMENTALS / Drawing with Dramatic Light and Shadow
• SHADING BEYOND THE BASICS / Shade Any Subject No Matter How Complex

If you've got some drawing experience, feel free to mix and match The Art & Science of Drawing courses to suit your personal needs as an artist!

Brent has two drawing books that many students find valuable learning tools to accompany his courses. His first book "The Art & Science of Drawing: Learn to Observe, Analyze and Draw Any Subject" is available in paperback and for kindle. 

Many frequently asked student questions are answered here.

Brent's latest series The Drawing Laboratory includes everything taught in the original Art & Science of Drawing courses and far more. It contains many new skills, projects and demonstrations. The first course in the new series is How to Draw: A Beginner's Guide. 

Additional drawing fundamentals tutorials can be found on Brent's YouTube Channel.

• Contours Trailer
• Welcome to Contours
• An Introduction to Contours
• The Block-In
• Crafting Contours
• Cross Contour
• Foreshortening