Course description
Foundation Drawing from the Past
This foundation course is designed to provide students with a new way of looking at and thinking about works of art and art history.
The foundation places the experience of making at the heart of research activity. We intend to encourage you to use drawing as a way of understanding artworks and the ideas that led to them.
The research and making strategies you will discover in the course should help you build a first-hand, personal relationship with works of art and give you some understanding of what the artists who made them were thinking. These strategies should allow you to discover and generate knowledge on your terms.
The foundation encourages active looking at works of art by making drawings, tracings, maps and diagrams – you will be invited to slow down and look carefully at artworks, and to experience what it means to develop an understanding of the world and art through looking and making. This course is designed to be an entry point for studying art history, drawing, painting and fine art.
Do you work at this organisation and want to update this page?
Is there out-of-date information about your organisation or courses published here? Fill out this form to get in touch with us.
Upcoming start dates
Outcome / Qualification etc.
Course Outcomes
Through the course, you will:
- Understand key art historical themes, and how to apply them practically.
- Apply methods for drawing acquired from looking at artworks.
- Demonstrate skills in researching art history.
- Demonstrate reflective writing skills.
Training Course Content
Drawing from the Past is split into five distinct sections or chapters. When you have completed each section, send the work - drawings and writing - to your tutor for feedback. Your tutor is not ‘marking’ the work but providing guidance and support, so don’t worry about it being perfect. Drawing from the Past is not assessed, but your tutor should be able to give you guidance about how studying at degree level might suit you.
Part One: A Drawing a Day
Following the example of Italian artist Giorgio Morandi, you’ll be making a series of drawings over a month to explore how it feels - and what can be learned - by closely attending to a subject day after day.
Part Two: Encountering the Figure
Using the work of several artists whose work is concerned with the human body, you will make a series of drawings that explore the rhythm and structure of the body in different ways.
Part Three: The Grid, Repetition, and Systems
With reference to a number of artists who use the grid and repetition, you will use drawing to speculate and inquire about different methodologies, drawing systems and seriality.
Part Four: The World Turned Upside Down
Drawing on a broad range of artists, who bear witness and comment on diverse cultural, social and political ideas, you will explore drawing in relation to how artists communicate these often complex ideas.
Part Five: Working in the Gallery
Drawing on the experience you have gained and the techniques you have learned, you will plan and execute a self-directed research project. It is hoped that you will be able to visit work ‘in the flesh’ and work directly from it.
Course delivery details
Your Foundation course requires around 400 learning hours and can be undertaken flexibly, part-time, or full-time, depending on how quickly you want to learn. You have a maximum of two years to complete these learning hours, but if you spread your learning over too long a timeframe it’s easy to lose momentum. With this in mind, you might want to aim to complete this course within 12 months (working approximately 8 hours per week), 8 months (at 14 hours per week) or at a full-time rate of 4 months (at 28 hours per week).
Expenses
- Fees for UK students: £900 per course
- Fees for students outside of the UK: £1,050 per course