My Drawing Experience

 I have taken a couple of drawing classes before coming to duke, but most of them didn't have big assignments and it was pretty much flexible what to draw. I liked those classes because it didn't feel like I was being forced to learn certain techniques with fixed schedules but since there wasn't specific assignments, I pretty much drew whatever  i felt fairly confident drawing, which were mostly still life drawings of angled objects and I tend to stay away from the ones I felt less confident about. So I think there was less opportunity for me to improve drawing skills in multifaceted ways. So my drawing style was very consistent but somewhat dull. But through taking this class, I got to try multiple landscapes and different styles, which I tend to avoid before. It wasn't very easy but I think one of the things that helped me the most was the drawings that we shared in each class. By taking time to observe what other classmates did, and how they came up with ideas, it definitely helped me with the following assignments. Also, it made me think how important it is to closely examine the objects/landscapes I am trying to draw. I think I always had a notion that people are born with artistic abilities and practicing would not really make a difference. Then, I realized that a lot of my friends who can draw well have particular ability in pinpointing characteristics or impression of scenes/people/objects, and they do pay attention to those. Overall, I really enjoyed the class a lot and I was happy that I (somewhat) risked to take a class which was irrelevant to my major and was not extremely confident about, but which I always wanted to take. I think it was a great way to finish my college career!