From taking this class, I learned a lot about myself as an artist. I learned that I sometimes lack the patience it takes to complete a drawing that I might not be entirely inspired by. I also learned that I prefer using color instead of pencil or charcoal. Sketching in my notebook allowed me to discover this. I gained the most from my sketchbook because I had the most freedom. With my sketchbook I could explore what drawing means to me, and what I am most interested in. Since before this class I had done mostly painting, drawing in pencil for me became tedious, but I think it was important for me to experience using only pencil and charcoal because it pushed me to use more detail. I developed as an artist because I was forced to stick with a project, even if I became frustrated. After taking Drawing 199 I realised why this is a prerequisite for other courses. Once you learn how to observe space, it becomes much easier to begin a project, whether it is a drawing, painting, or sculpture.
I do not think I will spend as much time drawing in the future, but I hope to take everything I have learned and apply it to other art classes I will take at Duke. I think I prefer other modes of art, but they all connect to each other, so I do not feel that this class was a waste. I am glad I took it because it pushed my patience and attentiveness to detail. I hope I have the motivation to continue sketching in the future, because it was a way for me to unwind after completing my other schoolwork.
Monday, December 4, 2017
Thoughts on Drawing
Where I went to school, there was an art requirement that lasted until the second year of high school. As a lanky tom-boy who was absolutely horrible at sports, a large part of our school community, I found art class to be a safe haven. It was something that no matter how little ability I had in the beginning, I could work and work on to see some physical proof of how I was improving. By high school I had determined I wouldn't make it through the stressful school days without some time to create art, stretch my mind, and take a minute for something I enjoyed. That's when art began to feel like a safe escape for me, which has kept me sketching throughout duke even if its in the minutes I have before bed after a long night of studying.
My true appreciation of art came in the form of my parents best friends. I always grew up wanting to be a doctor, and now here I am premed at Duke. My parents best friends both run their surgical departments at UPenn, but also ensure to spend their free time on the art, one spending her time learning orchestral instruments one by one, and the other using his surgical equipment to hone his skills and create beautiful masterpieces.
I was 7 when I went into the studio the first time and Mr. Maguire put his large ophthalmology headset over my head and told me to look through the massively zoomed in lenses. There was a beautiful and intricately detailed landscape painted on the back of a dime. He showed me as he made brush strokes with a single strand of hair. He also makes massive, multiple foot oiling paintings of cows. And I, as someone who has always been more into math and science, had massive interest in the way he treated each piece as a new type of problem. Many times he calculated out proportions perfect for the piece, and would segment it into tiny squares. I would watch mesmerized as he painted each strand of grass, making it twist along in the wind as he dragged his brush across the canvas. It is the Small Bull painting below that I got to the process of its creation.
Here are some pieces from the first gallery opening he ever had. No date is listed but I remember it being about 10 years ago. Both are oil on canvas.
It was their influence that led me to write my Duke essay about how I wanted to combine a premed science with a concentration in fine arts. I have always found art to be a really interesting way to learn how to problem solve, and to have patience and budget my days to make time for things that helped me feel better. I see a parallel between the surgeon I want to be one day, and the artist I can be in my spare time. I believe art is something that would greatly enhance such a career, as it challenges the mind to reinterpret things, and problem solve in a new way. Also as the Maguire's would point out, "A great way to train your fine motor skills so you can adeptly operate on nerves of the eyeball!"
My true appreciation of art came in the form of my parents best friends. I always grew up wanting to be a doctor, and now here I am premed at Duke. My parents best friends both run their surgical departments at UPenn, but also ensure to spend their free time on the art, one spending her time learning orchestral instruments one by one, and the other using his surgical equipment to hone his skills and create beautiful masterpieces.
I was 7 when I went into the studio the first time and Mr. Maguire put his large ophthalmology headset over my head and told me to look through the massively zoomed in lenses. There was a beautiful and intricately detailed landscape painted on the back of a dime. He showed me as he made brush strokes with a single strand of hair. He also makes massive, multiple foot oiling paintings of cows. And I, as someone who has always been more into math and science, had massive interest in the way he treated each piece as a new type of problem. Many times he calculated out proportions perfect for the piece, and would segment it into tiny squares. I would watch mesmerized as he painted each strand of grass, making it twist along in the wind as he dragged his brush across the canvas. It is the Small Bull painting below that I got to the process of its creation.
Here are some pieces from the first gallery opening he ever had. No date is listed but I remember it being about 10 years ago. Both are oil on canvas.
 |
| Large Inquisitive Cows |
 |
| Small Bull |
It was their influence that led me to write my Duke essay about how I wanted to combine a premed science with a concentration in fine arts. I have always found art to be a really interesting way to learn how to problem solve, and to have patience and budget my days to make time for things that helped me feel better. I see a parallel between the surgeon I want to be one day, and the artist I can be in my spare time. I believe art is something that would greatly enhance such a career, as it challenges the mind to reinterpret things, and problem solve in a new way. Also as the Maguire's would point out, "A great way to train your fine motor skills so you can adeptly operate on nerves of the eyeball!"
Thoughts on Drawing
I enjoyed drawing this semester because each assignment / concept was built off the one before. We were also able to use our own thoughts and pick locations we wanted to incorporate. This class gave me a lot of freedom to draw with my own personal expression. Although I came into the course with little experience (besides my own drawings in my free time), it taught me a lot of techniques that I can use in the future. Even though I won't be minoring or majoring in an art based field, I'm glad I was able to take a class based off of my interests.
The drawings that I enjoyed the most were the empirical space drawing and the fantasy drawing. Both of these I felt that I made a lot of adjustments between my study and final drawings and thoroughly enjoyed the most. I was able to incorporate things that were important to me in both drawings. The K Center is where I spend the majority of my nights doing homework after practice, and the Harry Potter series are my all time favorite books & movies that I grew up with.
Our first blog post also opened my eyes a little to the world of other artists that I had not had a lot of knowledge in before. My artist (Andy Warhol) is now something that I try to incorporate when I can. Now that I am familiar with his work, I can share it with others and point out those specific to his style.
This semester was very enjoyable in that I was able to learn a lot more than I had expected, and I was able to have a lot of freedom in my artwork. I have already recommended this class to a few of my teammates and shown them the assignments, and they were excited to sign up for next semester. I can't wait to bring all of my artwork home and share with family!
Thank you for making this class very fun & enjoyable!!
Thoughts on Drawing
Thoughts on Drawing
Looking back at my very first study drawing, this class has left me astounded by my evolution as an artist. In a short period of fourteen weeks, from being afraid to shade in objects, I feel confident building textures and landscapes. The importance of having the skill of drawing in one's arsenal is one that simply cannot be overlooked, and one I will be thankful for developing no matter what field I end up pursuing.
I personally enjoy drawing for the same reason I computer science. While this relationship may seem odd, there is a lot more similarity between the fields than one would think. Both give me the freedom to express the things I am most passionate about. Whether it be experimenting with things I see around me and capture in my sketchbook to expressing the inspirations around me in lines of code.
Personally, I love more technical -be it design or architecture related- drawings. Drawings with great attention to dimensions and design are fascinating, and one of the primary goals I had going into this class was building this skill. Works like the ones below by Christo are some of my favorites because of this very attention to details and architecture.
This class definitely expanded my appreciation for more free expression art. Having come into this class afraid of drawing bold lines and making mistakes, I think the key skill professor Fick helped me build was my confidence in truly expressing the textures and designs I envision and overall the confidence in my strokes. This lead me to discover artists like Phillipe Vandenberg, whose drawings follow no constraints, and beauty lies in pure creative expression by the artist. How an artist can create something so beautiful and meaningful with bold doodles astonishes me, and below is one of my favorite drawings.
Sunday, December 3, 2017
Thoughts on Drawing
I believe drawing is the single more important skill for any visual artist to acquire, whether they are a painter, illustrator, graphic designer, or fashion designer. It is simply the act of "seeing" made visual. When one learns how to draw, what there are really learning is the ability to see more clearly and communicate what they see or can imagine. Essentially, drawing is a tool for study before it is a tool for making art.
I honestly believe that everyone can draw - some people might just be better than others. I am happy that I took this class because not only did I get to practice my drawing skills and enhance my abilities, but I was able to learn from my peers. Drawing in class forced me to draw things out of my element and in ways I had never tried before. I've practiced drawing from observation and I usually draw from photos; however, I had never drawn an empirical view or played with positive/negative space. I had always believed that drawing was relaxing, but when taken out of the classroom setting - to draw things on bigger paper than I was used to - it became something that frustrated me.
In the end, this class taught me that drawing/doodling is a necessary skill to have. Drawing is a tool that is stress-free and constantly changing. It is a skill that will help you, not hurt you. I will continue to use the tools and techniques I've learned in class for my other work in or out of a classroom.
I honestly believe that everyone can draw - some people might just be better than others. I am happy that I took this class because not only did I get to practice my drawing skills and enhance my abilities, but I was able to learn from my peers. Drawing in class forced me to draw things out of my element and in ways I had never tried before. I've practiced drawing from observation and I usually draw from photos; however, I had never drawn an empirical view or played with positive/negative space. I had always believed that drawing was relaxing, but when taken out of the classroom setting - to draw things on bigger paper than I was used to - it became something that frustrated me.
In the end, this class taught me that drawing/doodling is a necessary skill to have. Drawing is a tool that is stress-free and constantly changing. It is a skill that will help you, not hurt you. I will continue to use the tools and techniques I've learned in class for my other work in or out of a classroom.
Drawing isn't for Everyone
I wish I could say that at the end of these 14 (?) weeks
that I find my soul set on fire by drawing. But alas, I cannot. I won’t say
that I regret taking Drawing 101—it isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever done—but I
can’t say that I feel particularly enlightened by the knowledge and skills that
it brought me.
I think I came into this course pretty naïve. I knew that I
was, at best, a mediocre artist. I also knew that I had very little interest in
changing that. There are some things in life that you just have to accept—and I
accepted a long time ago that I would always be fairly mediocre at drawing. Am
I better than the average person at drawing? Sure. Am I better than a single
person in my drawing class? Not by a long shot! I can appreciate the skills
that the people in my drawing class possess and I can appreciate their love of
their craft but I, however, will probably never share that love and passion.
Throughout this semester, I’ve learned a lot about drawing
skills that I didn’t know before. And I think I’ve grown in skills that I
didn’t previously possess. The biggest change I’ve seen, however, is in my
attention to the architecture on Duke’s campus. I can’t even walk to class
without noticing the patterns of bricks on the many buildings around Duke’s campus
or the shape of the leaves on the varying types of trees. While I never again
in my life wish to draw a single brick or struggle to draw another tree, I
think my life is much more enhanced now that I can notice and appreciate the
details in the things around me.
I think the reason that I don’t enjoy drawing is because it is
a skill—a talent. You know what I’m good at? Math. I’m as good at math as most
of my classmates are at drawing—better, even. But drawing isn’t systematic.
It’s fluid. There is no set way to draw—no exact way to move or place your
hand. No clear-cut answer or formula to get there. Some people find beauty in
that—I find frustration. In high school I played varsity basketball and I also
played violin in the symphony orchestra. I was better than average at both.
These are both skills that are less systematic than math, but still ones that
follow rules—they’re more fluid but can still be taught precisely. There’s a
beauty in systems and conventions. A beauty that I, for one, appreciate.
Who knows, though? Maybe if I had picked up drawing at the
same age that I picked up basketball (age 10) or even the violin (age 11) then
my story would be different. Honestly, second grade me would be so proud that I
took a drawing class—all I wanted to be was an author/illustrator back then—but
sophomore in college me is pretty glad this over.
Saturday, December 2, 2017
Thoughts on Drawing
In high school, I took every art class my school offered. I have always loved to draw, as I found it enjoyable and relaxing and a way to express my interests. However, as time went on, I found myself enjoying art less and less as I found myself constrained by assignment specifics and obligations. While drawing used to be a hobby that I would use to relax, it has became somewhat stressful. In this class, I enjoyed the in-class assignments because they were challenging and we were made to practice different techniques. However, I often felt stressed and didn't enjoy the assignments out of class because I never had the time to put as much effort into them as I wanted to.
As for the subjects of our drawing assignments, I did like drawing some parts of Duke because they were beautiful and challenging. However, I felt like I couldn't be very creative and was forced to only draw certain things, which took the fun out of it. While the assignments were challenging and made me think, I didn't find them very enjoyable and viewed them more as an annoying obligation than relaxing. For me, whenever a drawing is for an assignment rather than for fun, I get almost no enjoyment out of making it, no matter what the subject. In addition to this, I find myself having less and less time to draw for fun as I get older, and it's a hobby that I wish I could go back to but can never seem to find the time.
I'm glad I took this class, because I did learn new techniques and how to apply them to different types of drawings. I hope to be able to draw more in the future, and will definitely keep in mind the skills I learned here.
As for the subjects of our drawing assignments, I did like drawing some parts of Duke because they were beautiful and challenging. However, I felt like I couldn't be very creative and was forced to only draw certain things, which took the fun out of it. While the assignments were challenging and made me think, I didn't find them very enjoyable and viewed them more as an annoying obligation than relaxing. For me, whenever a drawing is for an assignment rather than for fun, I get almost no enjoyment out of making it, no matter what the subject. In addition to this, I find myself having less and less time to draw for fun as I get older, and it's a hobby that I wish I could go back to but can never seem to find the time.
I'm glad I took this class, because I did learn new techniques and how to apply them to different types of drawings. I hope to be able to draw more in the future, and will definitely keep in mind the skills I learned here.
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