Anton Engel

HOW TO DRAW NO FACES
The Face as a Space for Drawing,
Beyond Resemblance

Those who draw “from life” often seek truth in the image. But what happens when we view the subject we see not as a goal, but as a mere catalyst for something entirely our own? What if we allow ourselves to break away radically from the subject during the process and use the study from life as a springboard for free drawing*?

For many people, the human face is the most fascinating subject—but also the one that’s hardest to let go of. Our brains are evolutionarily wired to instantly assess faces for symmetry and similarity. We therefore begin in a relaxed and traditional manner in front of the subject—for example, in front of a mirror, a model, a photograph, or a painting in a museum—and then, over the course of the class sessions, use various drawing strategies and exercises to systematically dissolve the subject’s importance. In the process, you’ll learn to let go of the compulsion for “correctness” and discover the inherent dynamics of line, material, and chance.

*We’ll explore and discuss in detail during the course exactly what “free drawing” means and how it doesn’t necessarily have to be about abstraction, but rather about artistic autonomy.

CourseDates
: Dec. 4, 2026 – Feb. 19, 2027
Morning class: Fridays, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
 
Dec. 4, 2026 / Dec. 11, 2026 / Dec. 18, 2026 /
Jan. 8, 2027 / Jan. 15, 2027 / Jan. 22, 2027 / Jan. 29, 2027 / Feb. 5, 2027 / Feb. 12, 27 / Feb. 19, 27

10 sessions (3 hours each)
(max. 10 participants)

Course location:
Guest artist at the studio:
Formhotel
St. Georgs Kirchof 3
20099 Hamburg
(5-minute walk from the main train station)

Cost
€320 Participant fee
€210 Unemployed
€160 Students & high school students

Course materials:
; plenty of drawing paper in various sizes; drawing ink (black + other colors as needed); drawing pen; brushes in various sizes; pencils (3B and softer); charcoal and kneaded eraser; utility knife; masking tape; and a smock or old clothes. And any other materials you enjoy using or would like to try out (ballpoint pens, chalk, felt-tip pens, photos and collage materials, stamps, etc.)

Course languages
German, English

Anton Engel
born in 1983 in Hamburg, lives and works in Hamburg

Education
2006–2012 HAW Hamburg, Dept. Design, major in Illustration
2009–2010 Accademia di Belle Arti, Bologna, Italy / Fine Arts

Teaching
2020–2023 and since 2026 teaching position in drawing at HAW Hamburg / 2026 Pentiment Summer Academy / Since 2025 “Headless Drawing” / Independent drawing workshops and course formats as a freelance instructor

Awards, Grants, Projects
2025 “Kulturfunke* Prize for Innovation and Experimentation,” Possehl Foundation, Lübeck / 2023 “Kulturfunke*” Project grant from the Possehl Foundation, Lübeck / 2021–2022 Hamburg Future Grant / 2021 Prize from the Psychoanalytic Seminar Zurich (PSZ) “The Missing Link” for the book project “Intersexuality”

Exhibitions
2026 “Hamburg Art Salon,” Hamburg / 2026 “Fossil Energy” (Swing By 9), Poolhaus Blankenese, Hamburg / 2024 “Hairy Stuff” (with Dragan Prgomelja), Studio 45, Künstler:innenhaus Wendenstrasse, Hamburg / 2023 “The Most Important Thing” (with Christian Rothmaler), poster exhibition at Lübeck Central Station / 2022 “Sprung zur Seite” (G), Neurotitan, Berlin / 2021 “Вокзал для двоих. Bahnhof für zwei” (G) | PiK Deutz, Cologne / 2021 “Freigeist Mühsam” (G), Lübeck / 2020–2021 “Through the Tumult – Moondogs II” (G), Kunstverein Ellwangen / 2020 “This Timeless Time of the Year” (G), Am Ende des Tages, Düsseldorf / 2020 “What Remains in the End,” Strizzi Space, Cologne / 2019 “Britta*” (with Mira Kaszta and Simon Reutlinger), Nomadenoase, 8th Salon, Hamburg / 2019 “Relaxation Rain. Relaxation HUST! Forest” (with Jul Gordon), Vorwerkstift, Hamburg / 2019 “Dances in the Blind Spot – Moondogs I (G), Palais für aktuelle Kunst, Kunstverein Glückstadt / 2018 “Monsters Of Drawing” (G) | Feinkunst Krüger, Hamburg / 2017 “Tapu” (with Jakob Engel), HFBK Hamburg Library / 2017 “How To Draw Birds” (with Jakob Engel), 8th Salon, Hamburg / 2016 “Applicants for the City of Hamburg’s 2017 Work Scholarship” (G) | Kunsthaus Hamburg / 2016 “The Sooner The Better,” Hinterconti, Hamburg / 2012 “Back in 7 Minutes” (G), Feinkunst Krüger, Hamburg

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