Osaro Obanor
Drawing Blog Post
Before I went into
this class, I always would say “I suck at drawing.” Honestly, my opinion of
this really hasn’t changed. I do, in fact, suck at drawing. But I enjoyed this
class because it pushed me out of my comfort zone. It made me tap into a
portion of my brain that I rarely utilize in my science/ pre-med courses. I
have enjoyed my previous experiences with art through the mediums of
photography and film but these experiences were not difficult for me to grasp
because there were tangible instruction and steps which one could follow to
improve their work. But unlike my prior experiences, my experience with drawing
this semester was more dependent on a mental development of not only artistic
skill, but also an understanding of the space around you. Having to analyze and
interpret the world around you in order to capture a scene and have it
translate realistically onto a canvas is honestly the hardest task I faced
during my senior year. But the more I was tasked with having to “be artistic,” the more I found myself
visually appreciating the world around me.
In the hustle and bustle of everyday Duke life, it is easy
to become accustomed to going through life with blinders on, focusing only on
things that relate to your future goals. I found that this Drawing course, and just
drawing in general, was a nice break from the monotony and stress of Duke life.
In addition to being a great stress reliever, drawing was also a productive and
stimulating way to spend my time.
At first, I underestimated the amount of thought, presence,
and awareness that is required when executing a drawing. But after many failed
attempts to recreate the space around me, I realized that I needed to channel a
stream consciousness that, before then, I never really thought was important. I
needed to be present when I attempted to draw and really visualize things as I
progress through drawings. Once I mastered actively thinking, I was able to
move through my drawings and really pay attention to the way lines worked and
how objects were related to one another spatially.
Although I still think I am a terrible artist, I do think
that I have made a lot of progress in terms of how I think about drawing and
visual space. I believe that it takes a bit more experience for my progress in
thought to translate to progress in the quality of my drawings. Through much
frustration and trial-and-error, I have come to appreciate the drawings that I
have the ability to create and enjoyed the experience of going through the
creative process. But overall, I really appreciated this course and its
reoccurring tendency to push me out of my comfort zone in order to tap into a
fuller understanding of the things we see on a daily basis.
No comments:
Post a Comment