Drawing through the Sensorium

Drawing is an embodied action

In response to viral sheltering, I began offering online drawing workshops as a way to cultivate closer sensory engagement with our freshly immediate environments. Each workshop accesses hand-gathered natural subjects, diverse drawing mediums, and our own sensing and drawing bodies, combining to create a range of markmaking experiences. An embodied action, drawing through the breadth of the sensorium expands both perception and reaction, enhancing the material and bodily trace.

This is a recording of a 45-minute sense-driven botanical drawing session, revolving around a floral model and accessing a range of materials and techniques. The session focuses on slow and mindful drawing, body awareness, breath, and exploratory marking.

Before we begin, please take a walk and collect a range of botanical specimens that appeal to your senses. When you're ready to draw, set up in a space where you can focus on the individual flora at hand and you have room to draw comfortably, away from distraction. While any materials will work, I recommend having a range of wet and dry drawing materials at hand. The blind contour drawing exercise is done on watercolor paper, with charcoal and watercolor pencil; the gesture drawing is done with watercolor pencil, water, and a layout pencil; the final drawing is graphite, ink, watercolor pencil, and wax crayon (but again, please experiment with any materials you may have).