Indulging in the fine arts

It’s time to drop the Netflix and Chill and start drinking and drawing, or maybe even sipping and sketching. Whatever the case may be, The Art Supply Depo offers both options every month, so grab your paper and pencil and stop in.
“Drink + Draw is an open life drawing session; open meaning anybody over the age of 18 can attend and anyone over the age of 21 can bring alcohol if they would like,” said Kate Komuniecki, graphic designer for The Art Supply Depo.

“We just kind of like it to be casual and loose, so if you want to bring wine, or beer, or anything like that, you can.”
The Art Supply Depo, located in downtown Toledo, started hosting Drink + Draw around five years ago. The event provides local artists and those looking to focus on their artistic abilities with the opportunity to practice drawing the human form. At Drink + Draw, artists can specifically focus on the physiological differences of each model.

During the three hour drawing sessions that take place in the heart of the depo, artists practice figure drawing skills on a live, nude model. The model conducts a series of poses from two to ten minutes and, towards the end of the session, a single pose for half an hour.
This instructor-free class offers the opportunity for people to have access to a nude model, something that may be difficult for some artists to obtain.
“It sometimes happens that women or men that are comfortable being a model don’t like to go into someone’s private studio, and other people sometimes have a hard time finding access to a nude model,” said Jules Webster, owner of The Art Supply Depo. “Drawing from a nude model is the best way to learn how to draw the human form. Even if you want to draw or paint a clothed human being, you need to know the structure of the body very well inside and out before you can paint or draw them successfully.”
If you are a little hesitant about drawing nude models, the store also offers the option of Sip + Sketch. This is event is also known as ‘drawing for beginners’, which allows students to practice still life drawings from objects that are presented in front of them.
Webster said Sip + Sketch is more of a structured private drawing lesson with about five to 10 students in each class. The instructor, Deb Buchanan, focuses on the basics of drawing in the class by having students practice still life drawings in a more intimate setting.
“I hope that they come to the class and they work on either refining the skills that they have or just understanding the pure joy of drawing, because I find it to be very joyful, and relaxing, and stimulating,” Buchanan said. “Each student would be different in what they would take away from the class, so I try to individualize and work with each student on an individual level; their skills number one, and what they want to get out of the class, number two.”
The Art Supply Depo holds Drink + Draw every first Thursday of the month from 7 - 10 p.m. for $10 and Sip + Sketch every last Monday of the month from 6 - 8 p.m. for $20.
Buchanan said she hopes her students go away with a sense of pride and accomplishment after the class.
“It’s just a really good, really fun environment; people are very relaxed, easy going, and it is a really good way to practice figure drawing,” Buchanan said.