The Elements of Drawing, John Ruskin’s teaching collection at Oxford

The Elements of Drawing, John Ruskin’s teaching collection at Oxford

Learn to draw

Stephen Farthing R.A. presents eight practical drawing classes using John Ruskin’s teaching collections to explain the basic principles of drawing.

Drawing classes

Lesson 1: tip of the pencil

We use line to define spaces and things. It is not a question of magically getting the line right first time, but of first turning a contour into a line, and then systematically correcting that line until it looks right. 

Click on the thumbnail images to zoom into the original drawing and to see more information about the object:

Enlarged Outline of a Violet Leaf, with a life-size Leaf below (Ruskin, John - Enlarged Outline of a Violet Leaf, with a life-size Leaf below)

Further examples for teachers and students:

Enlarged Drawing of Holbein's Drawing of a Woman from Basel, turned to the left (Burgess, Arthur - Enlarged Drawing of Holbein's Drawing of a Woman from Basel, turned to the left)    Old Houses in Chester (Turner, Joseph Mallord William - Old Houses in Chester)   Old Houses in Chester (Turner, Joseph Mallord William - Old Houses in Chester)

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