Exploring the Collections - ways of seeing through drawing

Learn how to extend your drawing and observation skills in this online workshop with artist Pia Larsen. Starting with an image from the CCWM collections, you will use drawing, stencils, overlay and repetition to create an original artwork. Pia is an accomplished artist and teaches drawing at Sydney College of the Arts.

The two-hour masterclass will include discussion of images chosen from the collection, using the information about the work as a reference for how you will work with composition, subject matter, colours and concepts. Before the workshop you will need to acquire some basic drawing materials and print out your selected images from the Chau Chak Wing Museum’s online collection search. You will use these printed images to create stencils and as the basis for exploring negative and positive space, reversal, and repetition.

Pia Larsen is a Sydney based artist and teacher who is interested in the form and function of language, history and its omissions and the tensions between people and place. Her practice utilises language, representation, colour and space in images, objects, and installation. She exhibits regularly in group and solo shows, her most recent solo exhibition, Dreams of Another Life, in 2020, at the Mildura Art Centre, Mildura, Victoria. She has an MVA from Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney. 

Workshop details

A new date will be released when this event is able to go ahead. 

Materials needed:

A range of graphite pencils, dark/light, soft/hard colour pencils, watercolour paints, an eraser, small and larger paint brushes, stencil knife, metal ruler, cutting mat and black drawing ink and water container. 2 x A2 sheets + 6 x A4 sheets of drawing paper, cartridge is fine. 

A degree of competency in using a stencil knife is required. Alternatively bring someone to the class who can cut the stencils to your direction.

Essential preparation: 

You will need to select an object or image from the Collection Search. This online database provides a range of perspectives of the images/objects that can be enlarged using the slide bar below the image. Select a part of the image at large enough scale to cut detail accurately, as the basis for exploring negative and positive space, reversal, and repetition.

Save the detail images as PDF files, that once printed onto photocopy paper, can have sections cut away with a stencil knife to use as a stencil base for your drawing.

Print out 3 - 5 high contrast A4 images to bring to the online workshop. Pia will screen share examples of images with positive and negative areas cutaway.

Once you have cut your stencils, the workshop will discuss ways to utilise the stencils for reversal, repetition, line and tone followed by one-to-one discussion for ways to use the media based on your ideas and knowledge of the object/image from the CCWM collection.

For a guide on how to use the collection search please see our Search Tips.  

Featured image (top of the page): Composite sketch and artwork with positive and negative cutaways, inspired by an Egyptian model boat from the Nicholson Collection, NM2019.383.