Composition Course

Composition Course

Composition is arguably an artist’s largest asset when making a work. The ability to organize shapes and values in conjunction with a narrative is quite possibly an artist's most difficult task. Using both drawing and painting, instructor Eric Drummond will guide students to composing small paintings with an overarching narrative. Instruction will reinforce technical quality but also investigate philosophical truth. This course seeks to instruct students on the fundamentals of composing paintings using canons from antiquity.

About the instructor Eric Drummond

After studying Art History at the University of Guelph, Eric was accepted and enrolled at The Florence Academy of Art in 2016. There he was taught to draw and paint the figure from life and compose portraits and still lifes, using the traditional methods and practices developed by the old masters. Eric works only from life. Staying true to the sight size method developed by the Academie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France in the 1800s, he largely crafts his own materials, and hand preps his own canvases. Working from life allows Eric total creative control and interpretation of his subjects.

Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 6:00-9:00pm

April 21, 22, 28, 29 May 5, 6, 12 and 13, 2026

Instructor: Eric Drummond

Location: Good Foundation North Studio (located in the lower, accessible by stairs only)

$360 + materials

*Fees are non-refundable and non-transferrable.

*TAP Centre for Creativity reserves the right to cancel any course or workshop at any time if the minimum number of students required is not reached. In such cases, fees will be fully refunded.

Day 1 + 2:

Students will work on toned pieces of paper with charcoal and make a series of abstract swatches composed of three values. The rule of thirds will be applied to compose lights, neutrals and darks in harmony with each other. These monochrome sketches will serve as abstract layouts of a composition. Students will make 5-10 swatches with different cropping and sizes on their pages while referring to their favourite paintings from history.

Day 3 + 4:

Students will work in paint and select three of their favourite swatches from the previous week to elaborate into color swatches. Students will research color palettes from the selected works they’ve brought in and use them to create small abstract color swatches to work from.

Day 5:

Students will sketch fluid gesture drawings of figures that are congruent to themes they are thinking of in their works. These sketches will be quick, fluid and will refer to the paintings they’ve selected as references.

Day 6:

Students will stretch and prepare a small canvas to the dimensions that are in accordance with their favorite study. They will do “wipe out” block-ins to the underpainting so the work is ready to paint for the final week.

Day 7:

Students will mix values and block in basic values and colors to their work. Painting thinly so that this layer will dry properly. Group critiques will be held in order for ideas to exchange between each other for the work to develop

Day 8:

Students will mix values and render the small canvas to its fullest extent, focus on the main areas while keeping external focuses simplified. By the end the piece will be an effective paint study of a composed piece.

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Material preparation is required for this course so early registration is recommended so students have time to purchase and prepare the wood palette.

These Materials are mandatory:

Drawing:

• White chalk

• Vine charcoal

• Pad of Stonehedge paper 18x24in

• Charcoal sharpener (nitram)

• Kneedable eraser

• Tape

Painting

• Prepared Wooden Palette. Palettes must be prepped AT LEAST a week before with a coat of linseed oil each day in order for the palette to be cleaned properly after each use.

•  Painters linseed oil (Bijans)

•  Oil paint pigments: Raw Umber, Ivory Black, Titanium White (Preferably from Michael Harding or Old Holland), Yellow Ochre, Vermillion, English Red

•  Palette knife(Bijans)

•  Turpentine (Bijans)

•  Oil cups (Bijans)

•  Roll of Gesso primed Linen (order online)

•  Roll of Paper towel 

• Staple gun

• Stretcher pliers for canvas

• Stretcher bars(will be discussed when selecting composition, purchased afterwards)

Fine Brushes: 

• Brushes must be Oil paint standard. Rosemary and Co have a great selection and are now available at Bijans. Da Vinci Grigio synthetic brushes are excellent too. 

• Rosemary series 33 Size 4 (Round, order online)

• Rosemary series 33 size 5 (Round, order online)

Hog Hair Brushes: Tintoretto brand or Da Vinci brand brushes are wonderful. Must be also ordered online.

• Size 5 Sable

• Size 6 (Flat and Filbert each)

• Size 8(Flat and Filbert each)

• Size 12 Filbert

• Size 14 Filbert

If brushes cannot arrive in time, Bijans has a variety too. Ask for hog hair brushes.