Drawing at the Portland Art Museum supply list and info for students
Hello Students of Drawing at PAM!
I’m looking forward to meeting you and beginning our adventures at the museum. Here’s some info to help get us off to a good start.
Class Rules: 🤓
Be kind to others (of course) and especially to yourself. Self-criticism is counter-productive to learning, yet so hard to avoid when practicing art. We’ll encourage each other in our efforts, understanding that we arrive with many different levels of skill and experience. You are qualified to be in this class, regardless of your art background. ✨
Where We’ll Meet: The Portland Art Museum is currently undergoing major renovations. For us, this means that some galleries will be closed, and even the entrance we’re permitted to use might change and surprise us. My best guess is that we’ll be meeting inside the entrance nearest the corner of SW Jefferson St and SW Park Ave, which faces east toward the Park Blocks. Here’s a map of the museum [pdf] so you can orient yourself. I’ll look for you in the lobby there. (If that entrance is closed, museum employees will direct you toward the appropriate entrance and there I’ll be!)
Museum Pass: In summer 2025 the museum changed its student membership to a Course Access Pass format. This new type of student pass costs $35, will be valid for 6 months, and is available via a special link from your instructor (me). A couple of weeks before the start of the term, I will email enrolled students the link to purchase a pass. Please be patient as we adjust to this new system! 🙏🏽
Supply List:
✏️ Colored pencils — set of 24 (or more) is preferred; Prismacolor or Derwent brands recommended, but feel free to start with whatever you have
✏️ 2 or 3 Graphite pencils in a range of softness/hardness, e.g. HB, 2B, 4B, 6B (Check out this article to have the drawing pencil number/letter system demystified)
✏️ 2 or 3 Graphite pencils in a range of softness/hardness, e.g. HB, 2B, 4B, 6B (Check out this article to have the drawing pencil number/letter system demystified)
✏️ Pencil sharpener — one that contains the shavings
✏️ Eraser — white Staedtler brand is recommended
✏️ Sketchbook — approximately 9″ x 12″
Optional:
✨ Pencil case or small tote to hold supplies (see more info under Notes below)
✨ Mechanical eraser
✨ Blending stump or colorless blending pencil
Notes:
👉🏽 Only pencils may be used at the museum — i.e. no paints, markers, charcoal, etc.
👉🏽 The museum has portable stools for our use.
👉🏽 Backpacks are not allowed in the galleries, nor are bags larger than 11″ x 17″ x 6″. I recommend bringing a smaller tote; ones that stand up (i.e. with a wide, semi-rigid bottom) seem to work best for our purposes.
👉🏽 Backpacks are not allowed in the galleries, nor are bags larger than 11″ x 17″ x 6″. I recommend bringing a smaller tote; ones that stand up (i.e. with a wide, semi-rigid bottom) seem to work best for our purposes.
Class structure:
Each week I’ll choose a museum gallery for us to explore. We’ll begin class with a brief discussion and a short demo or exercise, then most of your time will be spent drawing an art piece of your choosing from that gallery. During this time I’m able to circulate for one-on-one conversations about any issues that are coming up. We’ll close each class with a group debrief, sharing our work, our challenges, and our learnings.
In this class we practice the skill of seeing, which is the crux of realistic drawing. If you’d like more info, I highly recommend the book, Drawing On the Right Side of the Brain, by Betty Edwards. Much of my teaching philosophy and drawing techniques evolved out of her ground-breaking work.
Let me know if you have questions.
See you soon!
Pam