DRAWING CENTER STUDIO

Observational Drawing I
8-Week Course

Instructed by Alexandra Franz

Saturdays 1-4pm
October 3 - November 28, 2026

[ REGISTER HERE ]

Description

Observational Drawing is all about learning to see—really see—and translate that visual experience onto the page with accuracy and clarity. This course introduces traditional, time-tested methods for drawing from life, giving you the tools to capture what’s in front of you with confidence. You’ll learn how to use sighting and measuring techniques to judge proportion and placement, how to apply one- and two-point perspective to create believable space, and how to draw more precisely by observing shape, angle, and alignment. Each class builds on the last, guiding you through a series of structured exercises that train both the hand and the eye. You’ll work from simple still life setups, interior spaces, and other real-world subjects, gradually building up the visual logic and spatial awareness that form the backbone of strong drawing. This course is ideal for beginners as well as those looking to refresh their fundamentals. Whether your goal is to move into figure drawing, painting, design, or just gain more control over your drawings, Observational Drawing offers a solid and reliable foundation—one that emphasizes careful seeing, deliberate mark-making, and a deep respect for the visual world around you.

This class will cover the following topics:

• Train your eye to see shapes, angles, and proportions more accurately.

• Learn classic techniques like sighting, measuring, and perspective.

• Build confidence by drawing from real life.

• Improve control, focus, and spatial awareness in your drawings

Materials List:  (link to printable PDF)

Tuition: $390



Class Size
Minimum: 5
Maximum: 12

No experience? No problem. Or, perhaps you're returning to art after a hiatus. Beginner-level courses are designed for individuals with little to no prior experience in making art. These courses focus on building confidence, developing foundational skills, and encouraging creative exploration.

Suggested Prerequisites: N/A

LOCATION: Unless otherwise specified, all courses are hosted at Manifest's new facility at 'M1' in Clifton at 3464 Central Parkway (see map and directions below). Manifest's new facility provides multiple studio classrooms, private lesson space, a darkroom, a film processing room, a state of the art printmaking wing, and a multi-purpose lecture and class meeting space as well as on-site parking, grounds, and exterior spaces in which to relax, discuss, and make art. The studios are outfitted with professional equipment, furniture, and study aids.

Map to Manifest's M1 Studios   |   Studio Calendar   |   Darkroom Calendar

Alexandra Franz is a representational painter of figures, portraits, and still lives. She served as an Open Figure Moderator at Manifest Drawing Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, from 2023 to early 2026, including serving as Lead Moderator for the last six months of her moderating position. She has also taught private lessons at Manifest for several years, and earlier this summer led a weeklong Drawing Intensive workshop focused on color at the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Art, Architecture, and Planning. Most recently she taught a weeklong intensive afternoon course for Manifest focusing on drawing the figure in colored pencil. Alexandra has exhibited nationally in competitive professional-level exhibitions, and in 2025 showed work in her first international exhibition, in London. In 2023 she was invited to attend an 18-day artist residency in southern Italy.

Franz is a 2025 Cincinnati MacDowell Society Artist Award grantee and a 2024 Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation grantee. She received her BA in Art History from the University of Cincinnati, where she also studied Fine Arts and earned a certificate in Museum Studies. Her work is held in private collections around the U.S. In May and June of 2026 she presented over twenty recent works in a solo exhibition at Buckham Gallery in Flint, Michigan, and she recently had work on view at First Street Gallery in New York City (June/July 2026) and at Bowery Gallery also in NYC (July/August 2026). She currently has works on view in three different venues across the country, including at the Swope Art Museum in Terre Haut, Indiana, and the Northwest Art Center in Minot, North Dakota.