The Drawing Connie XX

November 11, 2023By Costa VavagiakisStudio Notes

This drawing is of Connie who has been a long-time muse for my work. I do multiple drawings of the same model’s head, variants exploring subtle tilts or shifts of axis, facets, and emotions of my subject. All studies for a potential painting idea. This process allows me to truly understand the intricacies of Connie’s appearance … Read More

The 2020 Student Exhibition

May 4, 2020By Costa Vavagiakisannouncements

On the evening of March 11, the Art Students League announced that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the school would close indefinitely. I was teaching my evening painting class when the word came down. We were all in shock; it was like all the air let out of a balloon. The students were revving up … Read More

Copying Master Drawings: Assignment I

March 29, 2020By Costa VavagiakisInstruction

Copying master drawings is a rewarding way to improve your drawing skills. When you copy a drawing by a highly skilled artist, you are exposed to the artist’s techniques, as well as to their thought process. Copying teaches you how a master faces and solves fundamental drawing problems. You get a deep, rich understanding of … Read More

Drawing My Mother

June 2, 2019By Costa VavagiakisStudio Notes

Back when we were kids we sketched well, but we didn’t take drawings that far. Over the last thirty years, because of the blossoming of the French academic ateliers that focus on rendering, it has reversed. Today, I find a lot of students who do finished drawings well, but don’t sketch well. I discovered a … Read More

Shading Protocol

January 20, 2019By Costa VavagiakisStudio Notes

In my drawings done in graphite on white paper, the nude figures are set against a white wall bathed in light emanating from above. The white paper that represents the wall might inhabit at least half of the dimension of the overall format. This draws the viewer’s gaze to the white of the paper, which … Read More