My Connection with Drawing

I have always loved art. I've asked my mom before what my first drawing was and she replied that it was scribbles on the wall. When I was young, admittably I really wasn't aware of what I was creating, only that I wanted what I saw in my mind displayed on paper and to create new scenes. While that aspect of my drawings hasn't changed, the sophitication and quality of them sure have (and improved I hope). I mostly have worked in drawings and only recently painting.

While I really enjoy making more technical drawings in pencil on a gray scale, I am always fascinated when working with colors. I think the art pieces I'm usually drawn to are those that use their strokes of colors to define space especially when the artist uses non-traditional colors to do so. For example, when they use green or purple on a portrait to add shadows or when they create strokes of different color side by side to represent a line instead of just drawing in a line. However, I have never been able to use these techniques even though I have tried numerous times (and failed). I can get an impression of the style but not all the way. One day I really hope to successfully portray my love of that style in my own work. As I mentioned, I usually draw in a more technical style. However, I don't simply just copy a picture. I started drawing from pictures early in my high school career and I feel it is necessary to learn how to realistically draw a picture exactly. But that isn't art. I feel sometimes people who don't usually draw confuse it with art. Taking it to the next step is creating your own color palet, cropping the image the way you please, adding elements, and giving the drawing a mood.

In my last year of high school, it was incredibly stressful with senior responsibilities, club responsiblities, and applying to colleges. I found that my two art classes really helped counter the rigorous academics. I could relax and finish drawings when I felt they were complete. I spent my time working on details just the way I wanted. This was probably one of the bigger problems I had with this drawing class. I was used to turning assignments in after about a month of work usually and suddenly drawings (that I didn't particularly like at all) had to be turned in after a week or two. The class was a lot more stressful than I had anticipated. But I guess that has more to say about college than drawing. And my drawings, as you can tell, were usually self-portraits or other figures. Rarely did I draw objects. Or want to, for that matter.

I really wish there was an advanced Drawing or Drawing II here at Duke. I would take that in a heartbeat.