Saturday 28nd & Sunday 29th March 2026 | 10am - 4.00pm
Max. 8 participants
$650 inclusive of GST
(inclusive of all materials)
This workshop explores perceptual drawing from the human subject, with a focus on understanding the structure and dynamics of the human figure.
Participants will engage with both figure and portrait drawing, supported by an analysis of human physiology. Emphasis will be placed on expressive interpretation and how observational drawing can be adapted and applied across other artistic modes such as painting and printmaking.
Day One will engage a semi-clothed female model in a series of short (3 - 10 minute) and medium (20 - 60 minute) poses. The initial sessions will focus on linear analysis, followed by an exploration of tonal structure in the longer poses. The tutor will draw upon both traditional and contemporary approaches, offering intermittent technical demonstrations throughout the day. Participants are encouraged to adapt and respond through their own modes of interpretation.
Through this process, participants will develop a heightened awareness of contrapposto and gain insight into the dynamic balance between stasis and energy – both in human movement and in the act of drawing itself.
Day Two will engage two semi-clothed models for portrait studies that incorporate the upper body, including the neck, collarbones, and shoulders. Attention will be given to the physiology of the upper body as a source of dynamic movement and expressive potential within portraiture.
Sessions will be longer in duration than those of the previous day, with preliminary studies of approximately 15 minutes and extended poses ranging from 60 to 90 minutes. The tutor will guide participants in understanding and depicting the head from multiple viewpoints (including above and below) and will periodically demonstrate structural and proportional principles.
Drawing on this day will focus on chiaroscuro: the subtle and dramatic relationships between light and dark that shape our visual experience.
Godwin Bradbeer is a Melbourne based artist with a reputation for intense and large scale figurative drawing. His work endeavours a synthesis of diverse cultural attitudes and appearances exclusively within his meditations on the human subject. The drawings are often typified by an exacting attention to anatomy, the artist has stated that he 'seeks the credible portrayal of the miracle of existence' over pictorial descriptions of character, narrative or ideology. His work is often typified by a melancholy and a classical aspect.
He has held over fifty solo exhibitions since the 1970's. Bradbeer has taught at The University of Melbourne, the Victorian College of the Arts, Monash University and other art schools in Australia and in Asia. From 2005 until 2010 he was the Head of Drawing in the School of Art at RMIT University.
Godwin is included in many publications on Australian art, a monograph 'Godwin Bradbeer' was written by Janet McKenzie and published by Thames and Hudson in 2018. Godwin’s work is represented in most major collections in Australia, including the A.N.G., the N.G.V, Parliament House Collection, the Art Gallery of N.S.W. in most regional galleries and in many institutional and private international collections.
Godwin Bradbeer is represented in Adelaide by BMGArt and in Paris at Galerie La Capitale.
Workshop Cancellations & Refunds
We understand that circumstances can change. A refund will be offered in the following situations:
· if a workshop, in which you are enrolled, is cancelled or deferred to a date unsuitable for your attendance. This may happen in event of a Catastrophic Fire Danger day, or in the event a tutor is unwell.
· upon receipt of an email indicating your intention to withdraw your enrolment when notice is provided to us at least three weeks in advance of the workshop start date.
From the 1st of January 2025, due to merchant processing fees, all refunds will be incur a $35 administration fee.
Workshop Credit - Transfers
In the event you cannot attend a booked workshop, and with at least three weeks notice being given to us, we are happy to transfer your enrolment to a future workshop, dependant on studio availability and within 12 months of the booked workshops date.
