Drawing and Painting Birds

Teaching artist Stephen Lursen will demonstrate how to draw birds freehand by reducing their anatomy to simple forms, then show how highlights and shadows create a three-dimensional effect. Participants will make several drawings before completing one in watercolor and another in acrylic, gaining techniques they can reuse with different subjects and media.

Materials

Watercolor paper, watercolor and acrylic paints, brushes, drawing materials, water cups, and water are provided. Participants may bring a drinking-water bottle and snacks.

Lursen holds an MFA in painting from Winthrop University and a BA in painting from UNC Charlotte. He is a National Board Certified art teacher at Lakeshore Middle School, runs an art business, and teaches for the North Carolina Museum of Art.

Getting there

Weekend campus parking is free in unreserved spaces; East Deck 1 is recommended. A small number of free spaces are also available beside the greenhouse and may fill quickly. See the official campus parking map. The greenhouse is wheelchair accessible.