Online Class: Drawing Atmospheric Landscapes with Graduated Tonal Shading

In this beginning-to-intermediate level class, participants will learn how to create atmospheric landscapes with spatial depth by exploring the compositional principles of gradation. Inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe’s iconic use of blended tonal gradients, instructor Sudeshna Sengupta will show through interactive demonstration how to create a sense of vastness, depth, and dimension in the pictorial space using a variety of techniques and tools for tonal shading.

Supplies needed for this class: 

• Strathmore 400 series Mixed-media drawing pad or Strathmore 400 series Hot-Press or pad/block or Bristol pad or Mixed-media drawing pad or any other brand of drawing pad in any size between 9” x 12” and 12” x 17”. Thicker paper (140 lb or higher) is better.
• A set of 2B, 4B, & 6B graphite pencils
• White plastic eraser
• Charcoal Pencils: Medium (2B) and Soft/Dark (4B or 6B)
• Vine charcoal or Willow charcoal sticks, 1 to 3
• Compressed charcoal stick or black conte stick
• Blending stumps (AKA Tortillons, often comes with drawing pencil sets) and or Q-tips and tissues or cotton rags (clean pieces of old t-shirts work well).
• Masking tape to keep the paper flat especially if a larger pad is used.
• Optional: Watercolor round brushes, container of water, water soluble graphite pencils, color pencils or conte if anyone wants to add a hint of color.

These items should be available locally or online from Amazon as individual items in the U.S and in Europe or can be purchased online as individual items or as a set for Sudeshna Sengupta’s  class list (U.S. domestic shipping only).

About the Instructor:

Sudeshna Sengupta’s career as a teaching artist spans multiple decades, continents, and cultures that inform her pedagogy for decolonizing studio art. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree in 1985 from Visva-Bharati, an international university founded in India, by the humanist poet Tagore, the first non-European Nobel Laureate (1913). After teaching art and design at the college level in New Delhi, Seattle, and California, she taught at NMSU-Alamogordo, where she established its first intaglio printmaking studio in 1995. Since moving to Santa Fe, she has been teaching credit courses in online studio art at the Santa Fe Community College. She also conducts workshops and short courses and presents lectures and community-based art events for various age groups with civic, cultural, and community organizations in the US and in India, often with a focus on multicultural and inter-cultural experiences that emphasize human, cultural, and environmental connectedness through creativity. To see her art please visit:  notes-and-doodles.com 

This class is being offered on a sliding scale.

$10; minimal fee.

$20; covers the cost of the class.

$30; covers the cost of the class, plus a contribution to support educational programs.