QUICK ANSWER
The Bargue drawing course is a set of 197 lithograph plates published by Goupil & Cie between 1866 and 1871, made by Charles Bargue in collaboration with the painter Jean-Léon Gérôme. It moves in three parts — drawings after plaster casts, copies of master drawings, and academic figure studies — and students copy the plates exactly, at the same size, to train their eye. Vincent van Gogh copied plates from the course when he was teaching himself to draw.
For art school applicants, Bargue is a training tool, not portfolio content. It builds the measuring, shape-finding and value control that schools test through observational drawing requirements. But a copy of a Bargue plate is still a copy: some schools discourage copies in portfolios, and others ask that any copied or referenced work be credited. Use Bargue to get better at drawing from life — then show the drawings from life.
Bargue plates appear in nearly every classical atelier, and many Korean students meet them in academy training. They are often misunderstood in two opposite ways: either dismissed as old-fashioned copying, or treated as the goal in themselves. Both miss what the exercise is for. Bargue is a disciplined way to train the eye to see proportion, shape and value accurately, and that skill transfers to every kind of drawing.
This guide explains what the course is, how to work through a plate properly, and how to use the training in a way that helps — rather than hurts — an art school application.
PLATE I
What the Course Actually Is
| Part | Content | What it trains |
|---|---|---|
| Part I | Models after plaster casts — features, heads, hands, feet and sculpture (seventy plates) | Proportion, simple shapes, the shadow line between light and dark |
| Part II | Copies of drawings by earlier masters | Line quality and how great draftsmen simplify form |
| Part III | Academic figure studies after male models | Full-figure proportion, gesture and anatomy in value |
The full course has 197 plates. A modern edition reproducing the plates, the Bargue–Gérôme Drawing Course, is published by ACR Édition.
Many plates are presented in pairs or sequences: a simplified linear “block-in” showing the big shapes, and a finished version with full shading. That pairing is the real teaching device. It shows the student that accurate drawing starts with a few straight lines that capture the overall shape, and that detail is added only after the large relationships are right.
PLATE II
How to Work Through a Plate
- Place the copy beside the plate at the same size. Working at identical scale lets you compare directly; many ateliers set the plate and paper side by side and view them from a fixed distance.
- Block in with straight lines. Find the extreme points — top, bottom, widest left and right — and connect them with straight lines before you draw any curve.
- Check relationships, not parts. Use plumb lines and level lines to see what aligns vertically and horizontally. Measure one distance against another rather than drawing each feature separately.
- Find the shadow shape. Draw the line where light turns to shadow as a clear shape. In Bargue plates this “terminator” is often the most important line in the drawing.
- Fill the shadow as one value, then refine. Keep the shadow side simple and darker than every value in the light; add half-tones last and sparingly.
- Compare at a distance. Step back often. Errors that are invisible at arm’s length are obvious from across the room.
The measuring habits in steps three and four are the same ones used in life drawing; our guide to comparative measurement covers them in more detail. And the instruction to keep the shadow simple is the foundation of the value control discussed in monochrome studies.
HOW LONG SHOULD ONE PLATE TAKE?
There is no fixed number. A simple Part I feature can be completed in a few sessions; a full figure plate can take weeks. The useful measure is accuracy, not hours: a smaller plate drawn exactly teaches more than a large one drawn approximately. Many students alternate a long Bargue copy with short drawings from life during the same week, so the habits transfer immediately.
PLATE III
Why It Works — and Its Limits
Bargue works because it removes two difficulties at once. The subject never moves, and the plate has already simplified a three-dimensional form into clear shapes and values. That lets the student concentrate on seeing and measuring accurately. Repeated over many plates, the result is a reliable eye for proportion and a habit of working from large to small.
The same features are the method’s limits. Copying a flat image is easier than drawing from a real object, where the student must do the simplifying themselves, light changes, and the eye can move. A student who can copy Bargue plates perfectly but has never drawn from life has trained only half of the skill. That is why ateliers use Bargue as a step toward cast drawing and life drawing, not as an end.
PLATE IV
Bargue and Art School Admissions
Admissions offices want to see how an applicant sees. Several schools now make that explicit with observational drawing requirements, and some say clearly what they do not want.
| School | What it says that matters here |
|---|---|
| Pratt | 3–5 drawings from direct observation of 3D subjects, made within the last 18 months |
| SVA | At least 3 pieces made from direct observation, not from a photograph or screen |
| RISD | Strongly recommends work from direct observation rather than from imagination, photographs or video |
| Parsons | Lists copies of other artists’ work among things applicants should not submit |
| SCAD | Master copies or references must be accompanied by proper citation |
Requirements as published by each school for the current cycle; see our portfolio guide for full details.
A Bargue copy does not meet a “direct observation” requirement, because it is drawn from a printed image. And submitting copies as portfolio pieces risks the problems described in our guide to the danger of copying sample portfolios. The right way to use Bargue in an application is indirect: let it make your observational drawings stronger, and if you mention it at all, do so as part of your training history or process, clearly labelled.
PLATE V
A Practical Training Plan
| Phase | Bargue work | Paired drawing from life |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1–4 | Two or three simple Part I plates (features) | Objects at home: cups, shoes, fruit under one light |
| Weeks 5–8 | A Part I head or hand plate | Plaster casts or sculpture if available; otherwise a family member’s hand |
| Weeks 9–12 | One Part II master-drawing copy for line study | Quick figure sketches in public places |
| Ongoing | Occasional plates to reset the eye | Regular life drawing sessions and a sketchbook habit |
A suggested structure, not a fixed curriculum; adjust to the student’s level. Our 30-day and 100-day challenge guides offer ways to build the daily habit.
The pairing is the point. Each Bargue lesson should show up in a drawing from life within the same week — the same block-in, the same shadow shape, the same patience with proportion.
PLATE VI
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I include a Bargue copy in my art school portfolio?
Generally it is better not to as a main portfolio piece, because it is a copy. Some schools discourage copies, and others require that copied or referenced work be credited. Use Bargue to improve your observational drawings and submit those instead.
Is Bargue the same as atelier training?
It is one part of it. Classical ateliers typically move from Bargue plates to drawing plaster casts and then to the live model, with the same measuring and value methods throughout.
Should I use pencil or charcoal?
Either works. Graphite is easier to control for beginners; charcoal is closer to the original plates and better for large value shapes. What matters more is a sharp point, light early lines and patience.
How many plates should I copy?
There is no required number. A handful of carefully finished plates, paired with regular drawing from life, does more than many rushed copies. Stop and switch to life drawing when your copies are accurate but your life drawings are not.
Does Bargue help with contemporary or conceptual work?
Indirectly, yes. Accurate seeing and value control make any visual idea easier to execute. But contemporary art schools also want to see ideas and experiment, so balance classical training with work that shows your own voice.
ROYAL BLUE ART & DESIGN
For 19 years we have prepared Korean students for U.S. art school admission from our studio in Apgujeong, Seoul. We use classical exercises as training and build portfolios around observation and the student’s own ideas — matching each school’s rules on observational drawing and copies. Consultations are available in person or by video.
Historical details from published descriptions of the Bargue–Gérôme course; admissions requirements from official school pages, verified in 2026. If something here has changed, tell us and we will correct it.
Related reading: Comparative Measurement · Monochrome Studies · Blind Contour Drawing · Why Copying Sample Portfolios Is Dangerous · 100-Day Drawing Challenge