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Drawing Thinking: Perception, Creativity and Communication
Artist-instructor: Oded Arad
Format:Online Live (livestreaming with class recordings and instructor feedback).
March 15 – April 19, 2023
– 6x Wednesdays
– 6-8pm CET Online
(6pm in Berlin, 12pm in New York, 9am in San Francisco, 5pm in London)
Cost: 185€
(Includes 19% VAT)
Materials: aaper (min size a4), pencils (any), black pens, black markers
What to Expect:
This workshop is a three step journey into the process of Drawing Thinking, a method to develop and express visual thinking and communication.
- Introspection: Engage actively with your own process of perception.
- Practice: Access creativity through strategies proven by artists.
- Communication: Utilize drawing as a new way of thinking and communicating.
Who: Are you seeking a fresh perspective on creativity?
Would you like to become more fluent in visual thinking and communicating? If you are willing to engage in the process of drawing thinking, rather than expecting one-dimensional solutions or quick results, then this workshop is right for you.
The goal here is not to make a realistic drawing and you do not need to be a “talented artist” to make use of the skills we will develop. You will learn concrete, hands-on techniques to facilitate the switch from left to right brain. This is not a workshop on the concept of creativity, it is more about providing skills and techniques that one can practice and use.
Why: Drawing is a way of thinking!
Find out why drawing is a way of thinking. Learn hands-on exercises for engaging the visual/creative side of your brain that cannot be accessed with language. Take for example, our lesson on drawing negative space. When you learn to draw the negative space surrounding an object, you are training your brain to be able to shift in and out of two modes of focus. The goal is not the finished drawing, but rather the clicking feeling of rapidly switching between perceptual modes at will becoming part of your muscle memory. This is the type of training that can lead to more agile visual thinking.
This workshop is taught from an artist’s perspective and led by professional practicing artists. We have trained in and practiced the principles of drawing thinking for decades now and as we look around and see the demand for non-linear problem solving, innovation and visual communication in a variety of fields, we recognize that we have a unique perspective to offer.
Visual Perception:
We start by examining and learning how to influence our own individual perception. Before we set out to create or communicate, projecting outward, we need to look at ourselves. Drawing exercises are used to fine-tune and expand our perceptual field, the way one can adjust the depth of field and focus on a camera.
The Rules of Creativity:
Creativity does not grow out of boundless self-expression but rather thrives within limitations; this is a paradox that artists have known intimately long before the term “design thinking” existed. We will look to the strategies employed by artists that have led to art historical breakthroughs, as well as how to access “creative flow,” using individual artists and their work as examples.
Visual Communication:
Now you are ready to learn how to organize your revelations for communication; how to visually structure ideas in a way that the drawing is not a record of the idea, the drawing is the idea. Yes, drawing is itself a way of thinking. This singularity is the power of visual communication that can be unlocked through drawing.
Our Online Workshop Format:
- Livestreaming classes take place via online video conference (using Zoom). The instructor conducts live demos with step-by-step instruction so that you can work together in real time. You also have the opportunity to ask questions and get feedback during class time.
- We keep class sizes small and the atmosphere is interactive and supportive.
- Finish exercises or practice at your own pace, at home, outside of class time.
- Receive individual feedback on your completed work and exchange comments and questions with the instructor and your fellow workshop participants in an encouraging environment.
- Find supplemental material and watch the progress of other participants by visiting the workshop Dropbox folder in between classes.
- Recordings from each week’s livestreaming session are available in case you miss a class or want to review a demo.
About Your Instructor:
Oded Arad is an Israeli artist, living and working from Berlin. He is an MFA graduate of Hito Steyerl’s class at the Berlin University of the Arts (UDK). The media he uses vary from painting, drawings, an experimental film that he writes, produces and directs. His works are mainly concerned with the themes of memory, the grotesque and humor, and have been exhibited in Germany, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Israel. Oded is currently working on graphic novel.
During his workshops he wants to discover together with his students their specific way of expressing themselves, or the way they see the world.
