The National Gallery of Victoria is delighted to launch a new four-part virtual series of its popular Drop-by Drawing program.

This virtual iteration of the program invites audiences to watch a video tutorial of a Drop-by Drawing class, which features tips and tricks on how to draw from some of Victoria’s most engaging contemporary artists.

The series features Victorian artists Minna Gilligan, Lily Mae Martin and Kenny Pittock giving a step-by-step guide on how to draw, whilst taking inspiration from some of their favourite artworks in the NGV Collection.

Tony Ellwood AM, Director, NGV said: “Our Drop-by Drawing program is one of the NGV’s much-loved programs where our visitors can hone their drawing skills in the setting of the wonderful NGV Collection. We know drawing is a very mindful and therapeutic activity, and during this time we are delighted to be able to give audiences a chance to experience virtual Drop-by Drawing tutorials at home.”

ABOUT THE FOUR-PART VIRTUAL DROP-BY DRAWING SERIES ON NGV CHANNEL

PART ONE: PRESENTED BY LILY MAE MARTIN ON NGV CHANNEL SUNDAY 5 APRIL

The first virtual drawing class hosted by Lily Mae Martin, takes viewers into the NGV’s 19^th Century European Paintings Gallery where she takes inspiration from the life-size marble sculpture Musidora, 1878 by Marshall Wood. Musidora was a mythological ancient Greek goddess, who inspired all forms of literature and the arts and is the striking centrepiece of the gallery.

Martin encourages at-home participants to focus on simple drawing exercises, including observational drawing and mark making, to begin their sketch of Musidora. These practical skills demonstrate to viewers how working on a drawing in stages builds consistency in their work.

“It is about getting comfortable with drawing and embracing the practice of mastering the technique. The key to drawing is practice! Take time to look at the object and study it. Be comfortable in your setup and your space, whether you are drawing a sculpture or the kettle in your kitchen. It’s something you can do at home with everyday objects,” she said.

PART TWO: PRESENTED BY MINNA GILLIGAN ON NGV CHANNEL SUNDAY 12 APRIL

In the second instalment of the series, Minna Gilligan explores hero works in NGV’s 20^th century galleries, including Andy Warhol’s Self-portrait no. 9 (c.1986) and David Hockney’s The second marriage (1963).

“My idea for my drawing workshop was to introduce the idea of ‘mash ups’ – that is, referencing two works in the NGV collection in order to make a single drawing. I wanted the new work to be a personal translation inspired by these two works, by choosing elements of each that appealed to me,” Gilligan said.

“Hockney’s brushwork is largely loose and Warhol’s screen print on the other hand is slick, flat and tight. Using coloured pencils, I made my own artwork combining elements of the two – Warhol’s fluorescent colour palette with Hockney’s muted tones,” she said.

In this series viewers will gain more insight into the American Pop Art movement through an exploration of Warhol’s iconic work, and also the British pop art movement through Hockney’s complex work which explores both emotional and physical interiors.

PART THREE AND FOUR PRESENTED BY KENNY PITTOCK ON NGV CHANNEL SUNDAY 19 APRIL

On Sunday 19 April, viewers can join artist Kenny Pittock in his explorations of the NGV’s 19^th Century impressionist Gallery, where he focuses on Édouard Manet’s The melon (c. 1880) and August Friedrich Albrecht Schenck’s Anguish (Angoisse) (c. 1878).

“My workshop is intended to provide some fun and accessible drawing suggestions for people of all ages and skill levels, encouraging the viewer to playfully respond to both the NGV Collection as well as their own surroundings at home,” Pittock said.

“I chose the Manet painting The melon because it is the ultimate celebration of the mundane. I find a lot of humour in the sincerity of still life paintings from this time and enjoy creating playful responses to the mundane in my own practice. Schenck’s painting Anguish is full of drama and tells a rich visual story. Like every good story, this painting has a central conflict.” he said.

WATCH ONLINE DRAWING WORKSHOPS ON THE NGV CHANNEL

PART 1 ON NGV CHANNEL 5 APRIL: LILY MAE MARTIN

PART 2 ON NGV CHANNEL 12 APRIL: MINNA GILLIGAN

PART 3 AND 4 ON NGV CHANNEL 19 APRIL: KENNY PITTOCK

The NGV is pleased to collaborate with Learning Partner, The University of Melbourne to present this series of tutorials led by graduates from the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), The University of Melbourne.

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BACKGROUND ON THE PRESENTING ARTISTS

ABOUT LILY MAE MARTIN
Lily Mae Martin graduated from VCA in 2008 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Drawing). She was awarded the Lionel Gell travelling scholarship and went to Berlin, where she spent several years refining her technical practice. She was a finalist for the 2016 Rick Amor Drawing Prize, Art Gallery of Ballarat; winner of the 2016 Ursula Hoff Institute Emerging Artist Acquisitive Art Award in the National Works on Paper exhibition, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery; and shortlisted for the 2016 Paul Guest Drawing Prize, Bendigo Art Gallery and Adelaide Perry drawing prize 2017. In 2019 she was a finalist for the Dobell Drawing Prize.

ABOUT MINNA GILLIGAN
Minna Gilligan works primarily with painting, drawing and collage. Her works are playgrounds of colour, often inhabited by lone protagonists trapped in states of longing, sadness or exhalation. Minna Gilligan has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (First Class Honours) from the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) at The University of Melbourne. She has held solo exhibitions at the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Castlemaine Art Museum, Daine Singer, Melbourne Art Fair, Spring 1883, West Space, TCB Art Inc, Rear View and Dudspace (Melbourne). Gilligan has published three books: Time After Time (Hardie Grant Australia/ Rizzoli New York, 2015), Poems, Prayers and Promises (commissioned by the National Gallery of Victoria, 2015), and So Far (Bywater Bros, Canada, 2016).

ABOUT KENNY PITTOCK
Kenny Pittock is a Melbourne based artist who uses humour and sentimentality to playfully respond to contemporary Australian culture, having fun with the overlaps and boundaries between the public and the personal. Kenny received an Honours Fine Arts Degree in painting from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2013, since then he has had solo exhibitions in Italy and Singapore, as well as consistently exhibited his work all over Australia with galleries including ACCA in Melbourne, PICA in Perth, Artspace in Sydney and MONA in Tasmania. In 2017 Pittock was the recipient of Redlands Emerging Artist Award. Pittock’s work is represented in many collections including the City of Melbourne Town Hall Collection, the University of Queensland Gallery Collection, the Deakin University Collection and the Monash University Museum Of Art Collection.