Drawing class

Winter quarter I took a beginning drawing class at the community college where I teach.  It was a lot of fun.  I made a couple of friends of other moms about my age doing the same thing, going back to school to do what we never did before.  One woman was an engineer the other a physical therapist.  I learned some, but mostly got a lot of practice, which was what I need.  I would not have otherwise spent 6+ hours a week drawing.  It was fantastic.  Here are a few of the things we did.

My teacher once had a teacher who made them draw hands endlessly.  That teacher said that if you can draw a hand you can draw anything.  So we drew a lot of hands.

about 12" x 18"



This was one of the teacher's favorites.  We were to copy an etching by Morandi using dip pens.  I just about went cross eyed with this one.  I would have to take breaks when my eyes started to swim.  It isn't one of my favorites because of the subject matter.  The still life seems cold and lifeless.   I did like trying to define the edges without ever drawing the edges with a single line. I also like the way some of the items are sort of hiding in the shadows.  I think that I did a technically good job, but I don't love it. I did however submit it to the juried student art show and it was accepted along with a charcoal portrait I did in my sketch book.

about 12" x 18"

We copied this from a photo in our textbook.  I like this one a lot.  I really like working with charcoal.  you put it on the paper and move it around like finger painting.  I also like that you can get really dark darks for high contrast drawings.

18" x 24"

This is another charcoal portrait copied from a lithograph self portrait.  It is interesting to copy drawings instead of working from life or from photos.  Sometimes it is easier, like this one, and sometimes it is much harder when you are trying to mimic the artist's gesture.

18" x 24"

This one is conte crayon.  Again, a copy from the text.  I'm not sure I like this media.  It isn't nearly as forgiving as charcoal.

18" x 24"

The final project for the class was to come up with a cover for the New Yorker magazine.  It could be anything, but it had to be original.  That was a tough one.  Cover art is often political or some bit of social commentary, but not always.  I tried to think of something that was something I could feel something about.  I looked on the FAO website and there was an article about women in agriculture for International Women's Day.  Women are an increasing part of the labor in agriculture as the men leave the farms for wage work either locally or in the cities.  This leaves the women to do the field work and the work in the homes.  I used colored pencil to draw two African women in a parody of American Gothic, an iconic work that is often interpreted to be about the stoicism of the American farmer.  Looking at it again now there are several things that are a little off, but I like it anyway.

 

 

These are just a few of the in class exercises.

It has been a lot of fun.  My schedule didn't work out to take a class Spring quarter, but I hope to take something else in the fall.  Maybe more drawing, or art history, or 2D design, or a painting class.  There are so many that are interesting.  This class may be over, but I am back to my weekly watercolor class.  I've missed painting and working in color.