Contents
Introduction
Have you ever wondered how the great art masters learned to draw so beautifully? Many of them followed a special training method. This method used a set of drawings called the Bargue plates. These plates were like a secret key. They helped artists unlock their drawing potential. If you want to improve your drawing skills, learning about these famous plates is a great first step. They can teach you the building blocks of creating realistic and stunning art. This guide will explain what Bargue plates are. We will also explore how you can use them to become a better artist, just like the masters of the past.
This simple, step-by-step process helped students build a strong foundation. They learned to see the world like an artist. They understood how to turn complex shapes into simple lines. The training was not just about copying. It was about learning to understand form, light, and shadow. Even today, many art schools and ateliers use this method. They know the Bargue plates offer timeless lessons in classical drawing. Getting to know this system can feel like discovering a hidden treasure of the art world. It’s a powerful tool that has stood the test of time, helping generations of artists find their confidence and skill.
So, what makes these drawings so special? The course was designed by two French artists, Charles Bargue and Jean-Léon Gérôme. They created a series of 197 drawings printed on stone, known as lithographs. These drawings were put into a book called the Cours de Dessin, or Drawing Course. The course was made to be very easy to follow. It starts with simple body parts, like an eye or a hand. Then it moves to full figures based on famous ancient statues. Finally, it teaches you how to draw from master paintings. This careful progression is what makes the Bargue plates so effective for learning.
What Are Bargue Plates?
When we talk about Bargue plates, we are referring to the 197 lithographic prints from the Cours de Dessin. This drawing course was published in the 1860s by Charles Bargue and his teacher, Jean-Léon Gérôme. Gérôme was a very famous academic painter in his time. He wanted to create a standardized way to teach drawing to art students. The goal was to give every student a solid foundation in the classical tradition. These prints were designed to be copied with extreme accuracy. By doing so, students would train their eyes to see subtle shapes, proportions, and values. The course was incredibly popular and was used in art schools all over Europe and America. Artists like Vincent van Gogh and Pablo Picasso even studied using these very plates. Van Gogh wrote to his brother, Theo, saying he had completed the entire set of Bargue plates and that they had taught him a great deal about figure drawing. This shows just how important and influential this course was.
The course is divided into three main sections. The first part focuses on drawing casts of classical sculptures. It begins with simple parts of the human body, such as eyes, noses, ears, hands, and feet. These initial Bargue plates teach the student how to handle lines and simple shading. The second part moves on to copying drawings of full figures, also based on plaster casts of famous sculptures. This is where students learn about proportion, gesture, and the full human form. The final section contains drawings based on paintings by Renaissance masters like Michelangelo and Raphael. This part teaches students how to interpret and learn from the work of the great masters. Each drawing in the series was carefully chosen to teach a specific lesson. The progression from simple to complex is what makes the course so effective. It builds a student’s confidence and skills one step at a time, ensuring they master each concept before moving on to the next.
The History Behind the Cours de Dessin
The Cours de Dessin was born in a very exciting time for art in Paris during the 19th century. This period, known as the Belle Époque, was a time of great artistic innovation. However, the official art world, led by the Académie des Beaux-Arts, still valued traditional skills very highly. Jean-Léon Gérôme was a leading figure in this academic tradition. He saw a need for a high-quality, standardized drawing curriculum that could be used by students everywhere. He collaborated with Charles Bargue, a talented but less famous artist and lithographer, to create the course. Bargue was responsible for creating the beautiful and precise drawings that would become the famous Bargue plates. Their goal was to make the principles of classical drawing accessible to a wider audience. They wanted to provide a reliable path for students to develop the skills needed to become professional artists.
The creation of the course was a huge undertaking. Charles Bargue spent years carefully drawing each plate. He used the sight-size method, a technique where the artist draws the subject at the same scale as they see it. This ensures incredible accuracy. The drawings were then transferred to limestone blocks to create the lithographic prints. This printing method allowed the Bargue plates to be reproduced in large numbers without losing any detail. The book was published by Goupil & Cie, a major art dealership at the time. Its success was immediate and widespread. Art schools and private ateliers quickly adopted it as their primary teaching tool. The course’s influence was so strong that for decades, “learning to draw” was almost synonymous with copying the Bargue plates. It provided a common language and skill set for artists across the Western world.
Why is Bargue Drawing So Important?
Bargue drawing is important because it teaches the fundamental principles of realism in a clear, structured way. It is more than just learning to copy. It is about training your eye to see accurately and your hand to draw precisely what you see. The method emphasizes understanding form through contour and value. Students first learn to draw the outline, or contour, of an object with great precision. This trains them to see the subtle curves and angles that define a shape. Once the contour is perfect, they move on to adding values, which are the different shades of light and dark. The Bargue plates are masterclasses in showing how light falls on a form to create a sense of three-dimensionality. By carefully copying these values, students learn how to make their drawings look solid and real.
This systematic approach builds a strong foundation that artists can apply to any subject matter. Whether you want to draw portraits, landscapes, or imaginary creatures, the core skills of accurate observation and rendering are the same. The Bargue method demystifies the drawing process. It breaks it down into manageable steps: outline, shadow shapes, and rendering values. This makes the challenge of creating a realistic drawing less intimidating for beginners. It also helps experienced artists refine their skills and correct bad habits. The focus on precision and patience in Bargue drawing instills a discipline that is valuable for any artist. It teaches you to slow down, observe carefully, and make deliberate marks. These are skills that will serve you throughout your artistic journey. Using the Bargue plates is like having a master artist guiding you personally.
Getting Started with Bargue Plates
So, you’re ready to start your journey with Bargue plates? That’s great! The first thing you’ll need is a copy of the Cours de Dessin. Luckily, the entire course was compiled into a single book in 2003, titled Charles Bargue and Jean-Léon Gérôme: Drawing Course. This book contains high-quality reproductions of all 197 plates, along with historical information and instructions. Having this book is essential. You’ll also need some basic drawing supplies. A set of graphite pencils ranging from hard (like a 2H) to soft (like a 2B or 4B) is a good start. You will also need good quality drawing paper that has a smooth surface, often called “bristol” or “plate” finish. A kneaded eraser is also helpful for lifting out highlights and making corrections without damaging the paper.
The traditional method for copying the Bargue plates is called the sight-size method. To do this, you will set up your drawing board right next to the reference plate from the book. Both your paper and the plate should be vertical, perhaps on easels. You then stand back a few feet so you can see both your drawing and the reference plate in a single glance. The goal is to draw the image at the exact same size as the plate. You use your pencil or a plumb line (a string with a weight) to take measurements from the reference and transfer them to your drawing. This process is slow and requires a lot of patience, but it is the best way to train your eye for accuracy. You constantly compare your drawing to the original, making small adjustments until it is a perfect match.
The Sight-Size Method Explained
The sight-size method is the cornerstone of Bargue drawing. It sounds technical, but the concept is quite simple. You place your drawing paper next to the Bargue plate you are copying. Then, you find a viewing position far enough away that you can see both the plate and your drawing at the same time without turning your head. From this single vantage point, the plate and your drawing appear to be the same size. This setup allows you to make direct visual comparisons. You can easily see if a line on your drawing is too long, or if an angle is incorrect, because you can compare it directly to the original right next to it. It’s like having a built-in error checker.
To use this method, artists often use tools like a plumb line or a knitting needle to help with measurements. For example, you can hold your pencil out horizontally to check if the top of an eye in your drawing aligns with the top of the eye in the Bargue plate. You can use a plumb line to check if different points are vertically aligned. This process of constant measuring and comparing is what builds accuracy. It forces you to ignore what your brain thinks an eye looks like and instead draw the abstract shapes you actually see. This is a crucial skill for any realist artist. Sight-size removes the guesswork from drawing and replaces it with precise observation.
Mastering the Outline (Contour)
The first and most important step in any Bargue drawing is mastering the outline, or contour. The contour is the line that defines the outer edge of a shape. In the Bargue method, you must get the contour absolutely perfect before you even think about adding any shading. This might seem tedious, but it is the foundation of the entire drawing. If the outline is wrong, the whole drawing will be wrong. The Bargue plates are brilliant at teaching this because they present the contours with such clarity and simplicity. You start by lightly sketching the main shapes, focusing on getting the proportions and angles correct. Use your sight-size setup to constantly compare your lines to the reference.
Think of it like building a house. The contour is the foundation and frame. If the foundation isn’t level or the frame isn’t square, the rest of the house will have problems. It’s the same with drawing. Spend as much time as you need on this stage. Use straight lines to block in the major shapes first. This is called “blocking-in” or creating an “envelope.” This helps you capture the overall gesture and proportions before you get lost in the details. Once the block-in is accurate, you can start refining the lines, adding the subtle curves and bumps that make the drawing come to life. Remember to keep your lines light so you can easily make corrections. Patience is key. Rushing this stage will only lead to frustration later on.
Understanding Light and Shadow
Once your contour is perfect, it’s time to move on to the second major part of a Bargue drawing: the shadows. Look closely at one of the Bargue plates. You will see that the shadows are not just dark blobs. They have specific, clear shapes. The line that separates the light area from the shadow area is called the “terminator” or “bedbug line.” Your next task is to accurately draw the shape of all the shadows. Just like you did with the main contour, you should lightly draw the outline of each shadow shape. Compare these shapes to the reference plate until they are also perfect. This step is crucial for creating a convincing illusion of three-dimensional form.
After you have accurately drawn the shape of the shadows, you can begin to fill them in. Use a medium-soft pencil (like an HB or B) to fill in all the shadow areas with a single, flat, even tone. This is called a “flat wash” of value. At this stage, your drawing will look like a two-tone cartoon. It will have only one light value (the white of the paper) and one shadow value. This simplifies the drawing and allows you to check the accuracy of your shadow shapes before you start rendering the subtle variations in value. Getting the shadow shapes right is just as important as getting the main contour right. The interplay of light shapes and shadow shapes is what describes the form.
Rendering and Finishing Your Drawing
Now for the final and often most rewarding part: rendering. Rendering is the process of adding the subtle variations in tone to make the drawing look truly three-dimensional and realistic. If you look at the Bargue plates again, you’ll notice that the shadows are not all the same darkness. Some areas are very dark (these are called accents or occlusion shadows), and some are lighter due to reflected light bouncing into the shadows. Similarly, the light areas are not all pure white. The form gradually turns away from the light source, creating what are called “halftones.” Your job now is to carefully observe these subtle shifts in value and replicate them in your drawing.
Work slowly and methodically. Use a soft pencil (like a 2B) to darken the darkest parts of the shadows. Use a harder pencil (like an H or 2H) to gently add the halftones in the light areas. A good technique is to use the side of your pencil lead to apply the graphite smoothly. You can use a blending stump or a tissue to soften the transitions between values, but use it sparingly. The goal is to create a smooth, gradual turn from light to dark. This is what will make your drawing “pop” off the page. The beautiful rendering is one of the most admired qualities of the Bargue plates. Copying them is the best way to learn how to do it yourself. This final stage takes a lot of time and concentration, but seeing your drawing come to life is an incredible feeling.
Beyond the Book: Applying Your Skills
Completing copies of the Bargue plates is a huge accomplishment, but it is not the end of your artistic journey. It is the beginning. The skills you have learned—accurate observation, precise line work, and an understanding of light and form—are transferable to any kind of drawing. The next logical step is to start drawing from real, three-dimensional objects. You can set up your own still life with simple objects like a plaster cast, a piece of fruit, or a coffee mug. Try to apply the same Bargue process: start with the contour, then the shadow shapes, and finally render the values. You will find that drawing from life is more challenging than drawing from a flat plate, but the skills you’ve built will guide you.
After you feel comfortable drawing from simple objects, you can move on to more complex subjects, like portraiture or figure drawing from a live model. The principles remain the same. The Bargue course gives you a powerful method for tackling any visual problem. It teaches you how to break down a complex subject into simple, manageable parts. This methodical approach will give you the confidence to draw anything you want. Many artists who master the Bargue plates find that their ability to draw from their imagination also improves, because they have a much deeper understanding of how form and light work in the real world. The course is not a crutch; it is a springboard that launches you into a lifetime of artistic exploration.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who should try Bargue drawing?
Anyone who wants to learn how to draw realistically can benefit from Bargue drawing. It is especially useful for beginners because it provides a very structured, step-by-step method that builds skills logically. However, it’s also incredibly valuable for intermediate or even advanced artists who want to strengthen their foundational skills, improve their accuracy, or break bad habits. If you feel like your drawing has hit a plateau, going back to the basics with Bargue plates can be a great way to push through it.
Do I have to use the sight-size method?
While the sight-size method is the traditional and arguably most effective way to use the Bargue plates, it is not the only way. If you don’t have the space or equipment for a proper sight-size setup, you can still learn a tremendous amount by copying the plates using other methods, like grid drawing or just freehand copying. The most important thing is to focus on drawing as accurately as you possibly can. The core lessons of the course are about careful observation and precise rendering, and you can practice those skills with any method.
How long does it take to finish a Bargue drawing?
A single Bargue drawing can take a very long time to complete, especially for a beginner. It is not unusual for a student to spend 20, 40, or even 60 hours on a single plate. The goal is not speed; the goal is accuracy. Rushing through the process will defeat the purpose of the exercise. It’s better to spend a lot of time on one drawing and get it right than to rush through ten drawings and learn nothing. Be patient with yourself and enjoy the process of slow, deliberate work.
Are there digital versions of the Bargue plates?
Yes, you can find digital copies of the Bargue plates online. Some artists enjoy working digitally, copying the plates using a program like Photoshop or Procreate on a tablet. The principles are exactly the same. You can set up your digital canvas next to the reference image and use the same sight-size principles. Working digitally offers some advantages, like the ability to easily undo mistakes and zoom in on details. Whether you choose traditional or digital tools, the fundamental learning experience remains the same.
What do I do after I finish the whole course?
Finishing all 197 Bargue plates is a monumental achievement that very few people accomplish. Vincent van Gogh is one of them! After you finish, you should have a very high level of drawing skill. The next step is to apply those skills to your own original work. You could move on to drawing from live models, painting portraits, or creating complex narrative scenes. The Bargue course gives you the technical toolbox; what you choose to build with it is up to your own creativity and imagination.
Is Bargue drawing still relevant today?
Absolutely. While artistic styles have changed dramatically since the 19th century, the fundamental skills of drawing have not. Understanding how to represent the three-dimensional world on a two-dimensional surface is a timeless skill. Many of the top realist artists and concept artists working today in fine art, video games, and film have trained using the Bargue method or similar classical techniques. It provides a level of mastery and control that is hard to achieve otherwise.
Your Path to Becoming a Better Artist
Learning to draw with the Bargue plates is a journey that requires patience, discipline, and a love for the craft. It is a challenging path, but the rewards are immense. By following this time-tested method, you are walking in the footsteps of masters. You are training your eye to see the world with greater clarity and your hand to translate that vision onto paper with skill and confidence. The Cours de Dessin is more than just a drawing manual; it’s a complete education in the art of seeing.
