Expressive Drawing Techniques

Expressive Drawing Techniques is the RUFA Summer Academy course dedicated to artistic drawing in a short and intensive format. A programme that condenses the foundations and expressive possibilities of drawing, guiding participants in refining their observation, artistic curiosity and ability to interpret forms, bodies and images.

DURATION > 1 WEEK

LANGUAGE > ENGLISH

WHEN > 13 – 17 JULY 2026

CAMPUS > ROME

From anatomy to expression

The Expressive Drawing Techniques course invites participants to explore different drawing techniques and materials through an increasingly experimental approach. Through classical and gestural drawing exercises, participants will explore fundamental concepts such as line, form, volume, light, shadow, movement, composition and interpretation.

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Form and gesture

Experimentation will involve different materials and subjects: from life drawing to drawing from photographs or imagination. The programme also includes two life-drawing sessions with models and one or more visits to museums or places of artistic interest in the city of Rome.

At the end of the course, participants who have attended at least 4 of the 5 scheduled lessons will receive a certificate of attendance, which may be used for the possible recognition of 2 CFA academic credits.

Course type: group – in person
Participants: Min. 8, Max. 20 | The programme is open to university and fine arts academy students, and to anyone who wants to explore the world of artistic drawing.
Attendance: Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm
Duration: 13-17 July 2026
Cost: €850
Requirements/materials: No entry requirements. Admission tickets for visits are provided by RUFA. The materials list is available in the course programme.
Language: A B1/B2 level of English is required to take part in the course.
Lecturer: Ellen Wolf
Campus: RUFA – Via degli Ausoni 7- Rome + visits around the city of Rome
Certificate: At the end of the course, participants who have attended at least 4 of the 5 scheduled lessons will receive a certificate of attendance, for the recognition of 2 CFA academic credits

In the Expressive Drawing Techniques course, participants will have the opportunity to strengthen their capacity for conscious observation and translate their impressions into line, form, volume, light, shadow, movement, composition and interpretation through different exercises, techniques and materials.

Day 1
Introduction to the course and basic concepts of perception theory applied to drawing. Study of line (contour, movement, expressiveness), form, composition, space and proportions.

Day 2
Light and shadow; chiaroscuro techniques and greyscale to create volume. Museum visit with life-drawing exercises inside and in the surrounding area.

Day 3
The human body: proportions, structure, foreshortening and movement. Gestural drawing, interpretation and representation. Life-drawing session with models.

Day 4
Portrait: proportions, structure and expressive study. Exercises from life and/or photographs.

Day 5
Landscape and reflection on the relationship between figuration and abstraction: structure, texture, synthesis. Introduction to and experimentation with markers and ink. Final exhibition of the best works produced during the course at the Ex Pastificio Cerere in Via degli Ausoni, 7, combined with the final exhibition of the parallel courses.

Materials:
• A3 drawing pad, smooth or semi-rough white paper
• 2 sheets of A3 black paper
• 2B, 4B, 6B, 8B graphite pencils
• Eraser and kneaded eraser
• Pencil sharpener or cutter
• Ruler (minimum 40 cm)
• Charcoal (stick and pencil)
• Blending stumps (small, medium, large)
• White chalk (stick and pencil)
• Charcoal/chalk fixative (or hairspray)
• Ballpoint pen
• Fineliners (0.1, 0.3, 0.5)
• Black ink (30 ml)
• Ink pen (or wooden stick)
• Round brushes (small, medium, large)
• Occasional photocopies upon request

A visual artist born in Denmark in 1993, she has lived and worked in Rome since 2014.
She graduated in Painting (BA) in 2017 and Printmaking (MA) in 2020 from RUFA – Rome University of Fine Arts, winning numerous scholarships and completing an internship at the Pizzi Cannella Archive at Pastificio Cerere in San Lorenzo in 2017.

From 2017 to 2022, she worked as a freelance archaeological illustrator for S.H. Andersen, Moesgaard Museum (DK).
In 2022, together with artist Elisa Selli, she co-founded the cultural association Lea APS, an independent space for artistic and social promotion, and Artificio, an art workshop for people with Down syndrome.
Since 2021, she has taught Painting and Drawing, supporting students from art high schools and art academies with intellectual disabilities.

In 2023, she became teaching assistant to Prof. Andrea Aquilanti on the RUFA Master’s Degree Programme in Painting.
She regularly takes part in group exhibitions, artist residencies and competitions in Italy and abroad. Her most recent include: 8. Salon (Hamburg, DE), Springtime Art-Camp Residency organised by the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan (Baku, AZ), Ladispolaneamente (Ladispoli, IT) and Seminaria Sogninterra Biennale of Environmental Art (Maranola, IT).

ellenwolf.dk, linktr.ee/spazio.lea

RUFA Winter-Summer Course Students and Alumni: 10%
RUFA Students and Alumni: 50%
Very early bird: by 31 December 2025 – 15%
Early bird: by 31 March 2026 – 10%
Course/group/family package: contact [corsibrevi@unirufa.it](mailto:corsibrevi@unirufa.it)

Participants who, after completing the course, enrol in a First- or Second-Level Academic Diploma Programme will receive a 10% reduction on the annual tuition fee for the first year of attendance.

RUFA has established several agreements with facilities providing housing services. For further information, please contact [corsibrevi@unirufa.it](mailto:corsibrevi@unirufa.it)