In this session, Robert (Bobbi) Martin will guide participants through their full approach to completing a figure drawing from life, from sketching the subject in vine, blocking in value with charcoal, carving color with pastel, and finishing with light. Over the three hour session, you'll take a deep dive into Bobbi's unique and evocative approach to color and form, learning transformative strategies for developing a drawing from start to finish while also bringing your subject to life on the page. This workshop is perfect for anyone wanting to take their figure drawings to the next level and get started with the colorful world of chalk pastels.

What to bring

Bring your own paper or sketchbook and drawing board, larger paper preferred! We'll provide all the other drawing supplies you need for the workshop including charcoal, chalk pastels, erasers, and blending supplies.

About Robert Martin

Robert Martin is a Wisconsin-based artist and educator who brings extensive life drawing teaching experience from schools including the University of Wisconsin-Stout, the University of Colorado-Boulder, Metropolitan State University Denver, and Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. They earned their BFA from UW-Stout and their MFA in Studio Practices (Painting & Drawing) from UC-Boulder.

Martin's work has been exhibited internationally, with recent solo presentations at 1969 Gallery in New York and The Valley in Taos, New Mexico. Their work appeared in prominent group exhibitions at EDJI Gallery in Brussels, Bermudez Projects in Los Angeles, and the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wisconsin, among others. Most recently, they presented a critically acclaimed solo booth at the 2025 Armory Show in New York with EDJI Gallery, where their immersive installation "Two Bucks" received significant attention from ARTnews, IMPULSE Magazine, and Art Spiel.

Martin was awarded the New American Paintings Emerging Artist Grant in 2021 and was featured in the Denver Art Museum's 2022 Untitled programming series. Their work is held in permanent collections including the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum and the Green Family Art Foundation. Martin currently lives and works in Appleton, Wisconsin.