The new expanded
T U M A M O C
A R T & S C I E N C E
C O U R S E
Observational drawing for
field notebooks
March 16 – May 4, 2019
Saturdays, 9am-12
at the Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill
IN THIS 8-WEEK DRAWING COURSE you will go behind the scenes of the Desert Lab and learn techniques for observing, drawing and keeping a field notebook with illustrators Paul Mirocha, Bill Singleton, and Barbara Terkanian, who are teaming up with Tumamoc Hill scientists to present both an artist’s and a scientist’s view of eight subjects. Sign up for one course module or all eight. We will have lectures inside the historic Desert Lab, then go out to work in the wild.
What’s a field notebook?
Field notebooks–the traditional tool of explorers, travelers, and scientists, are what you take outside, into the field. They hold a place we intentionally leave undefined in this course. They exist somewhere in the gray area between the sketchbook, and the lab notebook. They can record personal experiences, impressions, and hard facts, can be used by artists to learn science. Or by scientists borrowing the methods of artists to record their observations and sharpen their own observation skills.
Increasing visual intelligence
This drawing course is geared to enhancing creativity and visual intelligence, useful in almost any discipline. We teach techniques that anyone can do. We will not be producing final illustrations or art here, but the methods could be used as a basis for art works of any kind. All our work will go into our personal field notebooks. The purpose is to explore the things that drawing can help us do:
- to think creatively
- to observe more carefully
- to remember more
- and to communicate our thoughts to others.
No one will be judged here on artistic quality, yet these methods have been used by artists for centuries. All your work is for your own private evaluation–yet we will have time to show and tell at the end of every class. You will find that besides being useful, drawing is stimulating and fun.
View and download the course flyer (pdf).
For more information and registration details see:
www.tumamoc.arizona.edu/art-and-science/course
gila monster sketch by Barbara Terkanian
