2026 Studio Drawing Course

Description

Studio Drawing – Preparing for the 2027 Exhibition

Description

The Studio Drawing course provides students instructional support to develop a complete, exhibition-quality line drawing for an original icon that will be painted during the Spring semester and exhibited in the Classical Iconography Institute’s 2027 exhibition, Writing in the Margins.

Unlike copying an existing prototype, this course emphasizes thoughtful research, prayerful discernment, and sound compositional design while remaining faithful to the theological and artistic traditions of Byzantine iconography.

Students will research the life and iconographic tradition of a lesser-known female saint, develop an original composition based upon traditional prototypes (if any), and complete a finished line drawing suitable for transfer onto a prepared icon board. Students will be encouraged to stretch themselves to include additional elements, either attributes, or backgrounds as part of their development as iconographers.

Course Objectives

By the conclusion of this course, students will:

• Complete a clean, and refined line drawing of a lesser-known female saint in preparation for painting.
• Develop an original icon composition grounded in traditional Byzantine principles.
• Understand the geometry and proportional system that applies to their icon board & saint.
• Learn to construct harmonious compositions using canonical iconographic design.
• Develop confidence drawing facial structure, garments, hair, hands, and symbolic attributes.
• Research and accurately represent the iconographic tradition associated with their chosen saint.
• Deepen their spiritual relationship with the saint through prayer, contemplation, and study.

Prerequisites: 

• At least 4 completed icons in our program, Byzantine Drawing I, Byzantine Drawing II (preferred),
• By invitation

Homework:

Because this is an accelerated specialty course, weekly homework is required.

Class Meeting Dates/Times:

8 Tuesday sessions from 3-4:30pm Pacific Time

• October 20, 27
• November 3, 10, 17
• December 1, 8, 15

Venue: Via Zoom, recurring link to be provided in Google Classroom with homework submitted digitally in the same platform.

Tuition:

• $450 ($50 nonrefundable)

Register by October 6, 2026 (Sorry no refunds after this date)