After my initial class at the Art Student League of Denver, i found the fire within me. Taking classes there sparked my desire to learn more, to take more chances, to lose myself in art. i freely admit it was scary to take that first step. i didn't really tell anyone i was doing it because i needed to know i could do it on my own. With Anthony in his last year and Andrew in the middle east, it's important for me to know i can do things on my own if i need too.
i needed to push past the fear and find the courage. i am always telling my students that when you are uncomfortable that's when you experience the most growth. Taking my own advice, i jumped into a drawing sampler class last week.
I have always believed that drawing is the foundation to all arts. it gives you a great base to any other medium. Plus there is something magical about pencil strokes across the page.
After talking a bit about supplies and the different types of pencils & supplies, we jumped into practicing value scales and strokes on our pads. I love his approach by first giving us an overview and then diving right into the drawing.
We moved on to talking about negative and positive space on drawings and did a few exercises here too.
Next was one point & two point perspective. This is something my brain loves. i think it's because i do have a strong left & right side so i see how the math & creative pieces come together.
An hour lunch break had me outside in the sculpture garden enjoying my brown bag lunch. It felt good to be outside in the sunshine just admiring the pieces in the garden, the blooming flowers, and the beautiful day.
I also wandered around the League's building, discovering all its nooks and crannies. I love the way the old wood floors and stairs squeak with pressure. After only a couple visits here i feel very comfortable.
I love that the League displays both student and faculty pieces available for purchases. They come in all kinds of mediums, embracing the art of all styles.
After lunch with jumped into figure drawings, something i was really excited and nervous about. I have worked with models in the past but this was my first time working with a nude model. We did quick 10 minute poses just trying to get the figure on the paper.
It wasn't easy trying to capture all i wanted in 10 minutes. i was completely frustrated with myself and totally exhilarated at the same time. i can tell you it is something i want to do more of in the near future. I want to be able to let go and just dive into it without letting my fears of perfection get the better of me. There is much for me to work on with figures.
We also did 10 minute poses just working on the face. I found the profile and straight on faces much easier than a three-quarter face. Again, it's something for me to work on, to learn, to grow. I am ready to go back to take some figure studies and even some uninstructed model time.
