Olga Krasavina. 438-863-2058

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ILLUSTRATING MONTREAL - 5 DAY INTENSIVE

CORE DAILY FLOW

9:00–9:15 Good morning
9:15–10:15 (Period 1) Cardio + sketchbook drills
10:30–11:30 (Period 2) Sketchbook study (structured technique focus)
11:30–12:15 Lunch
12:30–13:30 (Period 3) Demo + start long drawing/painting(always Quebec reference images
13:45–14:45 (Period 4) Continue + finish long painting
14:45–15:45 Outdoor play / reset / optional sketchbook or visual games
15:45–16:00 Pick-up

DAY 1 - LIGHT AND SHADOW - GRAPHITE

Period 1 - Sketchbook cardio

Graphite Warm-up (10–15 min) - line work

DEMO + Sketchbook exercises (30 mins):

  • light

  • midtone

  • shadow

Guiding questions:

  • Where is the light coming from?

  • What part is completely dark?

  • Where does the object turn away from the light?

  • Where is the softest transition?

Period 2 - CONTROLLED STUDY (OBSERVATION) - SKETCHBOOK

Setup:
Still life in the classroom.

Exercise:

  • graphite study

  • no background

  • no detail

Teaching focus:

  • edge of shadow (hard vs soft)

  • cast shadow direction

  • gradual value shift (not lines)

Guiding questions:

  • Where is the darkest dark?

  • Where is the lightest light?

  • Where does the form “turn”?

Period 3 - DEMO + LONG DRAWING (BRISTOL)

Demo: First drawing of Montreal view. Simple.
Choosing composition, part of the photo reference.
Finding relation and sizes
Putting it all together

Period 4 - FINISH LIGHT/SHADOW DRAWING

Work:

  • deepen shadows

  • refine midtones

  • strengthen contrast

  • clarify form

End-of-day group reflection:

Questions:

  • Where did your eye go first in your drawing?

  • What was hardest: light or shadow?

  • Did you draw the object or the light?

 DAY 2 - PERSPECTIVE (STRUCTURE OF THE CITY) - INK

Focus:
How buildings sit in space

Period 1 - Sketchbook cardio

Ink Warm-up (10–15 min) - line work

Demo/Perspective explanation (one point perspective) / Practice (40 mins):

  • quick perspective drills

  • boxes in space

Guiding questions:

  • Where is the horizon line?

  • Where are the vanishing points?

  • What lines converge?

  • What is closest / farthest?

Period 2 - Sketchbook study

Demo - 2 point perspective + Practice

  • break photo into simple geometric forms

  • map architecture as boxes and planes

Period 3 - Demo + start long drawing from Montreal reference

  • perspective setup on Bristol paper

  • light construction drawing only

Period 4- Finish long drawing

Demo - adding splashes of colour with watercolour to final ink drawing

 DAY 3 — WATERCOLOR FUNDAMENTALS (CONTROL OF WATER)

Focus:
How water behaves + layering

Period 1 (Sketchbook cardio) (9:15–10:15)

  • wet brush experiments

  • gradients

  • accidental blooms

Period 2 (Sketchbook study)

paint small studies of architecture using:

  • wet-on-wet

  • wet-on-dry

  • controlled edges

Period 3 (Demo + start long painting) from Montreal reference photo

  • demo watercolor layering

  • students begin final painting (light washes first)

Period 4 (Finish long painting)

  • build layers

  • begin defining atmosphere

  • introduce selective detail

 DAY 4 - INK + WATERCOLOUR MASTERY

Focus:
How to combine line + paint confidently

Period 1 (Sketchbook cardio)

  • ink speed drawing

  • 1–2 minute architectural sketches

Guiding questions:

  • Where do I simplify the most?

  • What lines are essential?

  • What can I leave out and still keep structure?

Period 2 (Sketchbook study)

mixed media tests:

  • ink first → watercolor wash

  • watercolor first → ink reinforcement

  • controlled experiments on small studies

Period 3 (Demo + mixed media painting starts)

  • demo: ink + watercolor workflow

  • students begin medium-complexity study painting

Period 4 (Finish + refine + group review) + choose the reference for the final painting for Friday

  • complete mixed media piece

  • group critique and discussion circle

Questions for sharing:

  • What was hardest to control today?

  • Where did ink help you see better?

  • Where did watercolor surprise you?

  • What would you do differently next time?

DAY 5 — FINAL MASTERPIECE

Focus:
Full process independently applied

Period 1 (Sketchbook cardio) + drawing of final work on watercolor paper

Period 2

Finalizing the drawing and outlining with ink pen

Period 3

Start final painting - first layers of paint

Period 4 (Finish + group share+ reflection)

  • complete final artwork

  • group share / review / final discussion circle

Final circle questions:

  • What did you learn about observation?

  • What changed from Day 1 to Day 5?

  • Where did your eye improve the most?