An artist in an hour: why don’t they teach you how to draw during a master class?

If you have never attended such events, here is in a nutshell what awaits you. Pleasant and inspiring.

First of all – atmosphere. Of course, absolutely creative and almost always absolutely positive. Everyone is inspired, friendly, smiling and ready to join the ranks of painters. Second – neglect. Because others have already made sure you have everything on hand: brushes, paint, a glass of wine… Yes, at some of these events they are entitled to low alcohol , which makes the atmosphere even more creative. Third – the absence of suffering from one’s own imperfection. Everyone draws at the same level as you. In addition, the organizers of the master class specially think through everything so that the image is ensured at the end. And made you happy. And you came to this hospitable studio for the next master class.

It looks like everything is fine, right? Is it true. But on condition that you consider such an event only as a pleasant pastime. But only. For entertainment, distraction, relaxation, getting new emotions and impressions, drawing master classes are ideal. And many, in fact, “get addicted” to them and begin to visit them regularly.

It is quite possible that you will perceive the master class not as a hobby, but as a kind of first step towards independent creativity. And you hope there, little by little, to learn something important and useful. Alas, you will be disappointed. A drawing master class is about as far from teaching painting as splashing in a country pool is from Olympic swimming. It seems that the movements and the situation are similar, but the “filling” is completely different.

First of all, at the master class you will not have what is called an individual approach. Yes, group lessons have their advantages, but to master certain professional skills and techniques, the group format is not very suitable.

Secondly, the set of techniques and techniques at such events is often quite primitive. This is absolutely justified by the goals of the organizers of the master class: they need anyone who picks up a brush for the first time to be able to create some kind of artistic canvas in a fairly short time. Therefore, you can attend several different master classes, draw different pictures, but most likely the techniques will give you the same. And, by the way, at home, despite the seeming simplicity, you can hardly repeat your work at the master class.

Third, to consider master classes as a kind of training course hampered by restrictions in almost everything. In formats and genres. On time. In freedom of expression. Despite the fact that the event is creative, it is actually rather formulaic. And it certainly does not involve any development on your part as a creator.

If you still consider the “Paint in an hour” master class as a training session, you should keep in mind one more thing. Like any art, painting and drawing require certain skills and abilities that are simply physically impossible to master in an hour. And in two hours. And even twenty-four hours. It takes a lot of time and effort to learn and practice drawing techniques, to learn to understand proportion and perspective, to understand how color and chiaroscuro are used. And this is just a small piece of knowledge and skills, not to mention the fact that each of them has a lot of nuances. In addition, the artist must develop his individual vision and style, which also takes time and experience. There are no shortcuts in the art, and only practice, diligence and patience will achieve success.

As for the master classes, then you are probably hooked “for an hour”. This technique is often used in advertising. Lose weight in a week. Learn to play the piano in five lessons. Learn how to draw a still life in one hour. It certainly looks very appealing. Especially for people who want everything at once, right away, right away. And then, having lost weight in a week, they gain more than before losing weight. They learn to play a few compositions on a piano purchased especially for this piano, and after five lessons only the dust is wiped off. So, if you take off your rose-colored glasses and think seriously about what you can do during the drawing master class, there will be only one answer: have fun, relax, change. That’s how you treat him. And learn the artist’s know-how in other places and other ways. And in the phrase we started the conversation with, “You can’t go there,” put a comma before “you can’t” if you’re looking for new experiences. And after “no”, if you had planned to draw some working methods and techniques from it.