The Faculty of Art & Design at Galala University organized a specialized workshop entitled “Homer: In the Mirror of Art (Gouache Medium)” for Graphic Design students, held on Sunday, 25 December 2025. The workshop engaged 15 students enrolled in Basic Drawing 1 (DVA 121) and aimed to enhance their foundational skills in portrait drawing through a combination of art history, visual analysis, and hands-on practice.
The session focused on strengthening students’ understanding of facial structure and feature analysis, using a replica of the classical Homer statue as a primary study reference. Students were guided to closely observe the sculpture in terms of mass, proportion, balance, and expression, encouraging them to interpret classical form beyond surface details.
Throughout the workshop, participants translated their observations into gouache portrait studies, emphasizing key artistic principles such as light direction, shadow behavior, color values, and volumetric modeling. Special attention was given to working under varying natural lighting conditions, allowing students to explore how light influences form and depth.
A key highlight of the workshop was the introduction of gouache as a fast, expressive, water-based medium suitable for building tonal depth and structural clarity. Students received practical coaching on adapting their techniques to meet specific artistic objectives, balancing spontaneity with control to achieve strong visual outcomes.
By the end of the workshop, students demonstrated noticeable improvement in applying light-and-shadow principles, conducting visual and conceptual analysis of classical sculpture, and producing portrait artworks that integrate technical accuracy, conceptual thinking, and creative expression.
The workshop was supervised and coordinated by Dr. Ahmed El-Sayed Hassan Romeia, Assist. Habiba Mohsen, and Assist. Alaa Hussein, reflecting the faculty’s commitment to experiential learning and skill-based artistic development.
