3 classes in …

I’m not as freaked out as I was before the drawing classes began. In fact, I’m kind of enjoying them.  Time flies by when I’m drawing.  Surprisingly, it takes an amazing amount of concentration.

At the first class our instructor took out a bag of old sneakers, told us to pick one, and put it in front of us on the table.  We were to draw it – fairly quickly – and without instruction.  I thought I did a pretty good job.

By the middle of the class, we were asked to draw the same show again.  After 1.5 hours of instruction this is what I did.

Its seems that, as a student, I need to change how I see things.  The more time I spend looking at an object, the more likely I am to notice aspects of the object that make it unique.  Apparently, an artist notices visual elements that others overlook.

Class number 3 is all about portraits.  I have no desire to draw portraits.  I’m more about trees and streams and sunsets, and maybe an animal or two.  Regardless; we’re drawing portraits.  By the end of class 3 with the help of some loose graphite, the special tiziano paper, an eraser and some stumps, this is what I did.

The exercise wasn’t about proportion, but about shading, and the shading happened so quickly.  You can actually see the face come to life right before your eyes.  Very cool.  Not sure where we’re headed next, but so far it’s quite a ride!