Date: 4 – 15 December 2023
Continued access period: LIFETIME.

SYLLABUS: this interdisciplinary course has been formed from the barrage of novel exercises I have picked up or developed over the years in design schools and architecture studios. As well as responding to the buildings, streets, people, and green spaces that make up any city, we will look for the details that make a place distinctive: signage, scale, infrastructure, clues to location, and so on. Some lessons will prompt you to think more deeply about the emergence, growth and future of cities, or to respond abstractly to fictional cities. I will share tips and techniques to help you observe and draw elements of cities, covering the practical aspects of graphic communication, such as perspective, proportion, shadows, reflections, form, and so on. We will also explore some fascinating concepts and movements relating to urban places, such as psychogeography, semiotics, ecological urbanism, De Stijl, and Flâneurism, and whole theoretical approaches that attempt to redefine the notion of The City, such as The Walkable City, Sustainable City, and Equitable City. Finally, each lesson will reference a relevant hero: either a key player in understanding cities or an artist whose work will inspire you in your quest to sketch the city.

This course perfectly complements Reading Matter. They both come from my background in and love of architecture and landscape architecture. They are therefore offered as a pair, with a reduced price. Click options to select either the autumn/fall or winter dates. Material requirements are the same.

FORMAT: a new lesson (ten in total) will be uploaded to a course page on my website tansyhargan.com every weekday at around 9am UK time (BST or GMT depending which run you take) during the course of a specified fortnight. Each daily session will consist of a written overview - providing context, theory, and anecdotal details to support that day’s topic - and an instructional half-hour video. Some lessons may also include downloadable content, such as templates, printable documents, or stills from the video. The videos are hosted by Vimeo, which allows viewers to turn on closed captions (like subtitles) and slow down or speed up the playback speed. On each of the two Friday afternoons, I will provide a “Weekend Brief” in the form of a short bonus video, to inspire you to adapt or combine lessons from the week to make a new exercise to enjoy over the weekend.

The idea behind this format is that students may enjoy the pace, rhythm, and impetus of a course with defined dates and lessons that are released in real time; whilst benefiting from the practical advantages of recorded lessons, which can be watched, paused, and repeated anytime, regardless of time zone or schedule.

You will also have the opportunity to join a private Facebook Group dedicated to the course. Here you’ll be able to share your progress and see the work of other students. I will be available for help and advice via email throughout the course.

ACCESS: on the Friday evening before your run of the course commences, I will email you an access link and password. Please be sure to type your email address correctly when you book your place, and check your junk folder if you haven't received your email 48 hours before the course commences. Any problems, just email me: [email protected]

You will continue to have access for the LIFETIME of the course, regardless of how many subsequent runs of it I release.

PRICING: I offer a concessionary rate on an “honesty-box” basis. Please select the lower price if you are on a low income and genuinely struggle to afford enriching activities.

MATERIALS:
• Sketchbook (A5 or larger, with cartridge paper pages)
• Ruler, scissors, pencil sharpener, eraser, 2 small binder/bulldog clips, low-tack masking tape, sharp knife, and paper glue
• Black fineliner pens (with a range of nib widths)
• Graphite pencils (HB to very soft)
• Watercolour paint (red, yellow, and blue, plus any other colours)
• White plate or palette for mixing colours
• Watercolour brushes (flat and round in a range of sizes)
• Fountain pen (with soluble ink in any dark colour)
• A selection of the following: pastel pencils, aquarelle sticks or pencils, and acrylic markers (any colours, but at least one light, one dark, and one mid tone in each)
• White fineliner pen
• White paint (gouache, bleed proof white, or a good quality watercolour)
• Printed/found collage papers
• Tracing paper
• A couple of loose A3 (or equivalent) sheets of each of the following: watercolour paper, cartridge paper, black paper, tonal paper (such as brown Kraft paper, or Mi-Teintes, Rico, or Tiziano paper in earthy colour)
• Scraps of lightweight card (like the sort from a tea bag or cracker box)

COPYRIGHT: all content is my own. Bookings are for personal, individual use only. Sharing and reproducing course content is prohibited. If you are a teacher looking for lessons, please contact me to discuss the various options available for bringing me (electronically or in person) into your classroom.