Meet Joann Harling Larsen! Workshop 9: Demystifying Drawing People in Urban Landscape

Joann started out her career as a Medical Illustrator and worked in medical centers in Chicago and New York City for many years. Some of the media she used included pen and ink, watercolor, airbrush, color pencil.  Outside of work, she painted figures and landscapes in oil, acrylic, and pastel.

Joann has been drawing her whole life. She just loves it, and still finds it enjoyably challenging! There are so many different ways to draw! 

Eventually, Joann moved into art directing for advertising agencies and for medical publications in both Chicago and New York City, all the while continuing her own work outside of the office. 

At this time, Joann was mostly concentrating on plein art painting. Most summers she would attend OxBow Artists Retreat in Michigan for intensive 2-week classes painting the landscape. After several exhibitions in Chicago and Portland, Oregon, Joann decided to get her MFA from University of Chicago and started teaching college classes, both studio and art history. Her classes took place at the University of Chicago, Benedictine, Harper, College of DuPage, Pacific Northwest College of Art.  For the past six years she has been teaching Fashion Illustration at College of DuPage.  Joann continues to show her work, including her fashion illustrations.