Drawing Gems with Inesa Kovalova

Drawing Gems - 3 Days course

Jewellery gouache painting is a precise and creative craft, treasured in historical jewellery houses as an important part of their heritage. Every jewellery drawing is a tiny masterpiece seen to hold the same importance as a jewellery piece itself.

From faceted gemstones to pearls, discover a range of gem varieties and cuts and learn drawing techniques used in the jewellery design industry.

This course is for those who love jewellery and are fascinated by the magic of a jewellery drawing.

It is suitable for beginners and experienced jewellery artists, who have not yet studied the nuances of light, shadows in cabochons and faceted cuts.

• Jewellery lovers passionate about design and interested in starting painting their dream jewels
• Beginning jewellery designers and jewellery students
• Everyone else who loves to draw and want to learn gouache painting technique
• Jewellers, who want to learn how to visualize gemstones and want to learn how to sketch them for clients
• Experienced jewellery designers to improve their illustration skills

After the course you will:

• Understand various approaches to jewellery illustration and learn to work in the classical gouache technique.
• You will learn fast and efficient ways to illustrate various gem cuts, choose the right approach to your illustration depending on your aims, the size of the drawing, time you have to finish it
• Understand the volume of the object you draw, learn how to position light and shadow, and then depict them using gouaché

Programme:

Day 1 – Friday Afternoon

Introduction to Gouache Technique & Painting Cabochons: 14:00–18:00

• Group welcome and introductions
• Introduction to jewellery illustration and its use in the industry historically and nowadays
• Introduction to materials
• Light and shadow in opaque and transparent cabochons
• Getting acquainted with gouache: testing and balancing water and paint

Break  (flexible) 15 min

• Painting round beads and cabochons
• Light and shadow in cabochons of various shapes
• Painting cabochons of various shapes

Day 2 – Saturday Morning

Faceted Stones: 10:00–14:30

• Volume and light in a round cut
• Transparent wash technique
• Painting fine lines with gouache
• Painting diamonds

Lunch break – 30 min (flexible)

• Oval cuts
• Pear cuts
• Baguette and emerald cuts

Day 3 – Sunday Morning: 10:00–14:30

• Painting a gemstone composition: explanation of light and shadow
• Final project: painting a brooch or necklace (optional choice)
• Second template provided for independent work after the class

Materials

Each student will get the materials:

• 2 brushes
• marker
• Printed templates in a dedicated folder and extra paper
• Paint will be shared within the group

Students should bring:

• Personal palette (white porcelain plate)
• Cup for water

About the tutor

Inesa Kovalova

Jewellery designer

After a background in academic drawing learned at art and architecture schools, Inesa developed her jewellery design skills at Creative Academy, the private design school of the Richemont Group in Milan, and at the renowned Central Saint Martins in London.

Starting her career as an intern at Van Cleef & Arpels in Paris, Inesa worked as a designer and illustrator for various international jewellery brands, later creating her namesake brand, Inesa Kovalova Inesakovalova.com.

Combining her drawing skills with extensive practical experience in the industry, Inesa developed a series of jewellery drawing programs at different levels for jewellery designers and enthusiasts. In 2017, Inesa founded the online school Draw Me A Jewel https://drawmeajewel.com/, dedicated to promoting and teaching hand-rendering techniques around the globe. For her masterclasses, she collaborated with different art and design institutions, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and runs professional masterclasses for Central Saint Martins BA Jewellery students.

Instagram: @draw_me_a_jewel (https://www.instagram.com/draw_me_a_jewel/)