The BYU Museum of Art hosted a free sketch night for students to draw from gallery pieces on Dec. 5.
The event began with a sketch lesson by Professor Justin Kunz, an associate professor in the Department of Design. After Kunz’s lesson, participants were free to roam “The Sense of Beauty Exhibit” to find paintings to sketch.
Kunz has a bachelor’s degree in illustration from BYU and a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from Laguna College of Art and Design. He is a veteran of the video game development field and has many successful illustrations and paintings. He now teaches illustration and figure drawing classes at BYU.
Before getting into his sketch lesson, Kunz started off by sharing his appreciation for the Museum of Art.
“I love this museum, and I love the things they’re doing with it,” Kunz said. “I think the programs are wonderful, so I’m really excited and honored to be here.”
Kunz then focused his lesson on how to draw the human head. He gave examples of drawings that other artists have sketched and gave helpful tips on how to make the head look as realistic as possible.
“If you’re trying to get a sense of realism or a sense of structure, you need to just remember that it’s a three-dimensional object that we’re drawing,” Kunz said.
He shared that two of the main things one needs to take into account when drawing heads are age and gender, which can determine the size and shape of facial features.
Attendees participated in a step-by-step tutorial with Kunz where they learned how to draw the front and the side profile of the human head. Participants could then choose to stay in the studio with Kunz for more instruction, or roam the museum to find inspiration for their next sketch.
Carolina Lawyer, a senior at BYU and a staff member at the Museum of Art, loves the museum and the programs it offers.
“The Museum of Art is a really incredible space. My dream is to work at a museum,” she said.
Lawyer loves giving tours to interested spectators and enjoys sharing fun facts about the artwork.
“There’s just a lot that you don’t know about the artwork and the calories and the curation, unless you have someone here to tell you all the behind-the-scenes stuff,” Lawyer said.
Lawyer shared that the museum tries to host a formal sketch night at least once a semester, but if people are interested in sketching at the museum on their own throughout the year, they can request a sketch pass, which allows them to wander the galleries for sketching inspiration.
Cosette Arnoldsen, a freshman at BYU, shared the excitement she felt about the event.
“When I saw that they were doing a sketch night, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s so aesthetic and cool, I want to go and try it out,’” Arnoldsen said.
Events at the Museum of Art are open for the entire community to enjoy. The sketch night was specifically for people ages 12 and up; however, events like “Van Gogh to Playdough” offer activities for young children to participate.
For more information about their event schedule, visit the Museum of Art Homepage.
