How Great Artists Actually Learned to Draw (And Why It Was Fun)

And look at them! They were the silliest creatures in existence, not the genius art-monks fueled by pure discipline and labor that we imagine in our heads- and if they could learn to do this, we *definitely* can too! So how did this happen? How did these frat boys riding easels around like horses, staging naked paint fights and smoking cheap cigarettes learn to create the masterpieces that we admire today? The answer is intelligent, practical artistic training that made drawing accessible and natural, so that after awhile, it became as comfortable as writing. And the cornerstone of this education was academic drawing.

So What Is Academic Drawing?

An academic drawing is a full drawing of the human figure, from a live model or a sculpture, and usually done in full light and shadow.  They were also timed- in 19th century Paris, a standard 18x24-inch figure drawing would only take around 12-24 hours, not the 60+ hour limits you see in some schools today.

An academic figure is meant to test students in all areas- from capturing the movement of the model, to the intricacies of structure and the individual character of the person. The goal is to take the infinite complexity of the model and make it manageable. Your job is to select only the relevant facts and make them work together as a team.

But it’s even more than that, all of this practice in choosing what information is important and which isn't, is the basis of design- and by learning to make thoughtful choices that lead to a realistic figure, you’ll also learn how to do that for your own goals, whatever they may be.

It’s hard work, but it’s also incredibly rewarding! And in the end, it’s not about the drawing itself, but about the lessons you learn- the ones that you can apply for a lifetime, long after you've forgotten about this specific drawing.

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One day, Tony Robert-Fleury, a leading professor at the Academie Julian, saw a student forcing himself to draw, he said: “il faut vous amuser en dessinant” -it’s necessary to have fun while drawing  (source)

But isn’t making realistic drawings like this boring and tedious?

No! Contrary to popular belief, the way academic drawing was done in the past did not involve tedious busywork, like filling in a dark background with a tiny little pencil point for weeks at a time- most of the time, the process actually involved “painting” tones with a blending stump, charcoal and Conte crayon.

The Simple Tools They Used:

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• a stick of charcoal (literally just burnt wood) because it’s easy to erase
• a stump (a rolled up piece of paper used to blend and smudge tones)
• a Conte crayon (a smoother black pencil or stick used to reinforce the charcoal)

The Basic Approach is Simple:

Once you have a charcoal sketch you're happy with, make a dark patch with some Conte crayon, roll a stump around in it, and paint the tone on to your drawing! You can then use a sharp Conte crayon to add accents and season to taste.

But Wait, Academic Drawing Can Be Fun?!?

Yes, yes it can be! But don’t take it from me- here‘s a direct quote from Adolphe Yvon, the sole professor at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts’ evening drawing class for almost 20 years:


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When Yvon also became a professor at the Ecole Polytechnique, he told the teachers under his charge:

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“Il faut les instruire en les amusant” -it’s necessary to teach (the students) while amusing them (source)

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And Adolphe Yvon knew a thing or two about how to train great artists! He was John Singer Sargent’s drawing teacher (!!)

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Why learn to draw like this?

Once you realize that academic drawing doesn't have to be a chore, that having fun isn’t optional but is just as important as discipline, you’ll be surprised at the progress you’ll make, and how it’ll happen faster than you think.

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You’ll also develop a much healthier relationship to drawing- the same kind you have with writing, and you’ll understand how the ideas you learn are just tools for expression.

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Ultimately, you’ll see that your training was never just about the figure, but about using the figure to learn to make thoughtful choices, about designing a visual experience for yourself and other people. And with this visual literacy, you can communicate any idea, no matter the style- from your most intimate visual sonnets, to the grandest epics of your imagination- and finally preserve them and offer them as a gift, for others to see, enjoy and be inspired by.

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THAT is what academic training is for.