Mastercopy of Michaelina Wautier: An online figure drawing session

In this 1-hour master copy session, Lydia explores the work of the 17th-century Brussels artist Michaelina Wautier through a study of Smell from her Five Senses series. The drawing begins with a careful block-in of the composition before developing shadow masses, halftones, and highlights to create form and atmosphere.

Alongside the practical demonstration, Lydia looks at Wautier’s remarkable life and recent rediscovery, discussing her approach to portraiture, genre scenes, and large-scale historical paintings. The session touches on key works including her self-portrait, Boy with a White Cravat, and The Triumph of Bacchus, while exploring how value, edge control, and selective detail can create a convincing and expressive drawing.

Materials used:

• Charcoal
• White chalk
• Toned paper
• Kneaded (putty) eraser

High quality images, great lighting and tuition from a professional artist mean this is a great way to hone your skills. This session mimics the structure of a traditional life drawing class. You will see one or more photographs to draw or paint from. Tutor Lydia Cecil will be doing an online demonstration next to the video and will be giving hints and tips in the live chat.

Once you have registered you will be sent a link to a private web page where you will be able to access the live stream at the date and time of broadcast. You will also have access to the video for 30 days after the session, and will be able to download the photographs used in the session so you can continue to work in your own time.

If you're planning on watching more than one session a month then you will save money with a subscription. If you already have a Raw Umber Subscription then you can access this session from your account.