Learn to Express Yourself Visually
Through Drawing

Welcome to The Drawing Source, an instructional website dedicated to helping you learn to express yourself visually through drawing! On this site you will find step by step drawing tutorials, exercises, lectures, inspiration, and ways to work with me and learn from me!

I'm Marina Fridman, and I've had the pleasure and good fortune of drawing since before I can remember. My artwork is now exhibited and collected across the US and Canada, and I am honored to be a three-time recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant.

Most importantly, I am passionate about making representational drawing education accessible to anyone wishing to learn how to draw!

Beginning The Drawing Source

When I decided to become a visual artist, I craved an education that would immerse me in classical drawing and painting. My pursuit led me to study in three cities in two countries, attend three universities, three private art schools, and countless workshops and classes, all within the first five years of my education.

And that was just been the beginning! At every stage of my education it has been thrilling to become aware of how much I have yet to learn, and how much there is to discover in the infinitely vast realm of drawing. I am fortunate to have been able to pursue the education that I desired, and hope to make drawing education more accessible to those for whom it may be difficult to find, but who love drawing as much as I do.

Becoming fluent in the visual language of drawing is a life-long process. I would like to share with you what I have learned so far in my journey, and hopefully encourage you in yours.

My Artwork

What am I drawing these days? My most recent work, titled Omniscient Body, is an immersive, entirely hand-drawn installation (artwork that transforms a space) that invites viewers to be enveloped in outer space, to approach the celestial body of Mars at their own scale, to be towered over by one of the rings of Saturn, and to look up at planet Earth and the Moon as though from a great distance. Further information and images of this work can be found on my personal website!

An immersive, hand-drawn installation by Marina Fridman depicting the Earth, Moon and Mars.

'Omniscient Body' - an immersive, hand-drawn installation by Marina Fridman.

Detail of Marina Fridman's charcoal drawing of Mars.

Detail of Marina Fridman's charcoal drawing of Mars.

My Older Drawings

Untitled, charcoal on paper, heightened with white, by Marina Fridman

'Living Room', charcoal on paper, heightened with white, by Marina Fridman

'Obscure', charcoal on paper, heightened with white

More of my drawings can be seen throughout this website!

Professional Bio

Marina Fridman is a Canadian visual artist creating immersive installations that explore our shifting perception of time and space, reality and mortality. Immersed in traditional drawing and painting in the early years of her education, Fridman now works in a wide range of materials and techniques, moving fluidly between drawing, sculpture, installation, photography and video.

Fridman holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Sculpture and Dimensional Studies from Alfred University, and a BFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

She is a three-time recipient of the prestigious Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant, a Canada Council for the Arts Grant in 2020, the Manifest ONE Prize in 2019, and an Honorable Mention in the International Sculpture Center’s Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award in 2018.

Fridman has been awarded residencies at the MacDowell Colony, I-Park Foundation, Vermont Studio Center, League Residency at Vyt, Creative Practices Institute, Manifest Gallery, Boreal Electroacoustic Music Society (BEAMS) Residency in Estonia, and the invitational ArtBnB Jerusalem Residency in Israel.

Marina’s work has been published by Hi-Fructose Magazine (online), Booooooom, Art in America, ACS Magazine, the Manifest International Drawing Annual, Foundations of Drawing (Random House), North Light Books' Art Journey, and Strokes of Genius, to name a few. Her works have been exhibited and collected in the US, Canada, and Israel.

Aside from her creative practice, Marina is an educator of Visual Arts at Grande Prairie Regional College in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada.

Learn more about Marina on her personal website: www.MarinaFridman.com

Student Drawings

I have been fortunate to work with several amazing students over the years. Here are just a few of the wonderful drawings they have created in my Drawing I and II classes (both first-year college drawing classes).

Portrait drawing by Matthew Stewart, from my Drawing II class (a first-year college class).

Perspective drawing by Faith Siddall from my Drawing II class

Student drapery studies from my Drawing I class.

Join The Drawing Source Community below to instantly receive a free copy of my e-book, The Elements of Realistic Drawing, as well as a regular newsletter featuring:

step by step drawing tutorials

drawing exercises

inspirational articles on drawing, and artists of the past and present

interviews with phenomenal artists who have honed their craft and learned to express themselves in unique and individual ways!

Join the drawing community to receive exclusive tips, techniques, tutorials, articles, interviews, and, of course, the Elements of Realistic Drawing e-book!

Praise for The Drawing Source

"I have looked at many, many drawing websites; and I've watched many, many YouTube videos. Many of them help me understand the drawing process little by little. Yesterday, I noticed your website for the first time -- it's excellent and inspiring! Your examples and your step by step process are the best I've seen. Your writing style is very conversational and clear to the point -- as if you are right next to me! I also greatly appreciated your free e-book!"

-Archy G, Canada

"I just wanted to thank you for putting together and making available such in-depth and such a large amount of information for us who are not able to make it to an atelier regularly."

-Sandra, US

"Pure joy in reading the tutorials. I keep visiting to read them again and again."

-Vassilis, UK

"I found your site on Facebook. I read through the site and it is incredible! I would love to study in an atelier, but am not in distance of one. This site is better than the 'how to' books I own! Thank you!!"

-Robin, US

Thank you so much for visiting The Drawing Source! I am thrilled to share with you and hopefully encourage you in your artistic endeavors.