SHARONVILLE - A group of Lakota West High School art students sat on the porch of Hayner House in Sharon Woods, legs crossed, blankets spread, large sheets of paper on their laps, staring at a tree.

        Using pencils, the teens tried to capture on paper the leaves in the bright sunlight before they fell to the ground in the light breeze. Each student tried to capture a different part of the tree, mimicking its shadows on their drawings.

        “There's a good breakup of negative space,” said 16-year-old Noopur Agarwal, as she looked at the tree. “In college I want to work on realistic drawing, not symbolism. I try not to draw from my mind. It's something I need work on.”

        Noopur and about 70 other classmates were part of the school's first Draw-In at Heritage Village, sponsored by the Lakota West Art Gallery under the guidance of teacher Nancy Frazier.

        Students were assigned to small groups, each assigned an artist or faculty member from art departments of local colleges or universities.

        A large white tent set up like a small cafe with round tables covered with green cloths and decorations of pumpkins on each became home base for the students and artists. There, they would eat lunch and talk about careers in art.

        "It's a lot more fun to draw outside in the fresh air,” said Sandi Baumann, 16, as she focused on the cornstalks in back of Hay ner House. “He's teaching us to use a journal, to carry it with us.”

        Jack McCollough, with the Art Academy of Cincinnati guided Sandi's group. He talked about the importance of carrying an art journal to sketch ideas for projects. He urged them to draw what was in front of them — what they saw in life. From that they would learn proportion, scale and composition.

        “It's a great thing they're doing out here,” Mr. McCollough said. “I wish more high schools would do it. I'm glad to be involved.”

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