Drawing Classes at the Art Center focus is for all skill levels

By Abbey Snow

Drawing Classes at the Art Center focus is for all skill levels

The Mesquite Fine Arts Center has a weekly adult drawing class taught by Tyler Roylance. The class is for any level of artist and is taught by an experienced art teacher who has a great deal of knowledge to offer his students.

Tyler Roylance is the art and photography teacher at Virgin Valley High School. He has been teaching at VVHS since 2016. He first became involved with the local art center for the monthly art competitions when he moved to Mesquite six years ago. Then he started volunteering for the Get Smart With Art program they have for the kids. About the time COVID started they asked him if he would be interested in teaching a drawing class on Tuesdays and so he took them up on the offer and has been enjoying it for the last two years. His classes are on Tuesdays from 2 to 4p.m.

“I personally enjoy finding a new approach to drawing for every class and thinking of new challenges to give each time to push those who come to improve their drawing skills.” Roylance said.

The drawing class is for any level of skills. Beginners are given materials to work on while the more skilled artists that attend either join in with the same work or they bring in materials that they are working on that they can examine together, Roylance said.

“I encourage artists to bring in a sketchbook, pencils and pens,” Roylance said “I personally love drawing with pens because when you can’t undo mistakes, it forces the artist to be more aware of how they make marks and more creative with how they hide mistakes. But, that does not mean we only work with pens. I encourage pencils most of the time with pauses of pen time.”

Each lesson gives subjects and concepts that can be focused on. Sometimes they keep the same subject from one week to the next but change the concept. and vice versa, Roylance said.

Linda Harris has been going to Roylances drawing class for over a year when her schedule allows. The classes are very relaxed and flexible, so if you miss a few lessons it’s no big deal, Harris said.

There are several reasons that she takes the class.

“I really like that I learn something new with every lesson,” Harris said. “Tyler has a degree in art and teaches at the Virgin Valley High School, so he has a wealth of knowledge to share with his students. In addition to teaching a particular concept to the whole class, he helps each student individually by answering questions and giving feedback.”

She first met Tyler when she was coordinator of the free Get Smart with Art visual art program for youth ages 8 -14. He is a very popular teacher, the kids love him, Harris said. Another reason that she likes to take the class is because the atmosphere is casual and it’s fun to socialize with others.

“Tyler is an extremely knowledgeable, thoughtful, and caring teacher who likes to have fun with his students, “ Harris said. “He explains concepts in ways that are simple to understand and encourages his students to be creative, try new ideas, and take risks.Tyler’s enthusiasm for his subject matter and his students is inspiring!”

“A lot of people think they have to be “good in art” in order to take an art class,” Harris said.” This class isn’t like that. Students of all skill levels can come have fun and learn something. One of my favorite classes was when Tyler brought in flowers from his garden for his students to practice drawing. Another time Tyler brought in volunteer models so we could practice drawing the human face. We also draw from photographs, but I personally like drawing from real life.”

Mike Peacock has been going to Roylance’s class for about two years now.

“Tyler is always prepared for his class and usually introduces a new topic each week or picks up where he left off the previous week,” Peacock said. “ I enjoy going to his class because it provides me with an artistic subject to focus on. He is always there to guide me along the way providing me with techniques to approach the subject. Tyler is an easy going teacher with a good sense of humor. For those that are interested in joining the class, I would say that all you need are a couple of pencils, a sketch pad and an open mind and be ready to enjoy two hours of drawing with Tyler.”

Roylance has been content with his class and students.

“The class has been good,” Roylance said. “It was tough in the beginning with Covid but we are mostly past that. Sometimes I decide to do certain topics because of the students I have in the class. I enjoy looking at the skills of my students and thinking of new ways to guide them to improve their skills.”

Roylance’s art classes are weekly on Tuesdays from 2 to 4 pm at the Mesquite Fine Arts Center at 15 W. Mesquite Blvd. Those interested can just drop in anytime he has class. You can email him at roylat@nv.ccsd.net for more information.

The following photos are of Roylance’s sketch book he uses for teaching the class. Photo credit: Tyler Roylance.