Sight Size From Life: Two Day Crash Course Fall '26
In-Person Workshop | Available
Sight Size From Life: Two Day Crash Course
Feeling intimidated or frustrated by working from life? This class is ideal both for people who have never worked from life AND for people who have!
In this two-day crash course, we will work with plaster casts to cover the fundamentals of working sight size from life and go through all you need to know about setting up your reference and starting your block in. We will also go through general studio set up practices for doing controlled work from life, such as light considerations in the studio and common issues.
Students will leave the class with hands-on experience working sight size from life, as well as with a checklist of tips for working from life in your personal studio.
Note to current ARA Bargue students - GREAT class to introduce you for what is to come.
Open to those who have taken this workshop before who would like to have more guided practice time.
Topics covered include:
Explanation of sight size drawing and the benefits of it
How to approach sight size drawing from life
Controlling light in the studio
What to consider when you’re setting up for the first time
What you need to consider every time you’re working
Common pitfalls
Starting your drawing block in
Jessica Nelson
Jessica Nelson was born and raised in Wisconsin. She attended the University of Wisconsin - Madison and graduated with a degree in Psychology in 2012. Following university she worked towards a career in academia but left her PhD program in 2018 to pursue a career in art. She is currently a student and assistant teacher at the Academy of Realist Art, Boston.
In addition to painting, Jessica is an avid gardener and conservationist, which informs her artistic practice. She is currently developing a body of work where she hopes to expand how viewers perceive the more-than-human world. She has received various honors, such as finalist in the 2024 ARC Salon and award recipient at the American Artists Professional League 96th Grand Exhibition.