HENRY MOORE: WINTER TREES

HENRY MOORE: WINTER TREES

Online Live Class: WEDNESDAY 7th JANUARY 6:30PM UK TIME

+14 DAYS RECORDING ACCESS

Taught by Laura Smith

Celebrated English artist Henry Moore (1898–1986) is best known for his monumental bronze sculptures, but drawing was a lifelong and essential part of his practice. He produced thousands of works on paper, exploring subjects from people sheltering in the London Underground during the Blitz to studies of bones, stones, and natural forms. Although his sculpture often centred on the human figure, Moore’s drawings reveal his fascination with the organic structures of the natural world — shapes that seemed to him alive, rhythmic, and deeply connected to the body.

Among these are his remarkable drawings of trees — works full of sculptural energy and quiet observation. Moore was drawn to trees not only for their presence and strength, but for their human qualities: the sense of movement in a branch, the gesture of a trunk, the way roots emerge like limbs from the earth. His depictions of leafless trees in particular have a sculptural clarity, their twisting forms rendered in bold line and subtle tone. These are drawings that feel both anatomical and elemental, capturing nature’s architecture.

In this class, guest tutor Laura Smith will guide you through Moore’s approach to drawing trees, focusing on their structure, gesture, and surface texture. We’ll use charcoal, pen and ink, and perhaps a touch of colour wash to develop expressive drawings that explore form, rhythm, and light. Through observation and experimentation, we’ll learn to balance strength and delicacy — finding the point where a tree becomes both a living form and a sculptural idea.

This class is suitable for all levels. You’ll need charcoal or graphite, black ink or pen, a brush, and a few sheets of drawing paper. Come prepared to make bold marks, notice fine details, and enjoy the meditative process of drawing the quiet power of winter trees.

Materials:

Cartridge paper

Charcoal

Black ink and dip pen or fine liner

Soft pastels or coloured pencils

ABOUT OUR TUTOR

Laura Smith is a painter living and working in London. She completed her BA at the Slade School of Fine Art in 2003 and went on to win the Richard Ford Award and the Drawing Prize during her studies on The Drawing Year at The Prince's Drawing School (now the Royal Drawing School) in 2004. She graduated from her MFA at the Slade School of Fine Art in 2012, winning the Clare Winsten Memorial Award. Laura was shortlisted for the Threadneedle Prize in 2011 and has recently shown at the Mall Galleries, Jerwood Space, Flowers Gallery, Lubomirov-Easton and the Royal Academy of Arts.

FAQs - Please read these thoroughly so you can be fully prepared for the class:

WHO IS THIS FOR:

This class is suitable for ALL LEVELS.

TICKETS:

We suggest an amount of £20. However, we understand that may not be possible for everybody. Please be honest and pay what you can afford so that we may continue to offer our sessions on this basis whilst also giving our tutors a sustainable wage.

There is also a ticket option to "Pay It Forward" to support us and our students! We offer classes for free to those who can't afford the minimum amount (If this is you please email us to join for free). This continues to ensure our classes are available to everyone!

ONCE BOOKED:

You will receive a confirmation email and be able to access information on how to join the event via your eventbrite "Online Event Page" You can access this by signing into eventbrite or creating an account using the email address that you booked with.

IN THE CLASS:

You can't be seen or heard in our classes, your audio and video are automatically turned off and there's no way these can be turned on. You can talk to us and others in the class in the chat box!

AFTER CLASS:

We love to see your drawings or anything else our classes inspire! You can share them with us by tagging us on instagram (@londondrawinggroup) or emailing us if you don't have socials.

ARE YOU TRYING TO BOOK VIA THE EVENTBRITE PHONE APP?!

We have been in touch with Eventbrite, and they have informed us that currently you cannot book tickets to online events in their app. It's very frustrating and we have been assured they are working on a solution. In the meantime, we recommend that you book tickets to our events outside of the iOS app - either via a web browser or a desktop. If you book our classes regularly we recommend deleting the eventbrite App.

RECORDING ACCESS

W e will email the recording link to everyone who has booked approx 2 hours after the live class finishes. This will be available to watch anytime within 14 days

IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS OR QUESTIONS PLEASE EMAIL:

hello@londondrawinggroup.com

And that's it!

We're really looking forward to you joining us.

Love,

LDG