Rachel's Thoughts on Drawing

Drawing is a way for one to escape the real world and go into a new one.  I like to draw because it is a way to make whatever is in my head come to life on a page and allows me to see on paper what I do in my head.  I like the feeling of accomplishment after finishing an assignment or a new sketch in my book.  It can neither be right or wrong because no one will ever know your real intention of the way you made it look when you drew it.  Some of my favorite techniques was shading and the subtractive technique.  It brought life to my drawings as well as value and depth.  It added a more sense of realism rather than a 2D object on a flat page.  I never challenged myself when it comes to drawing before, mostly because I am not really the artist and I tend to get impatient and frustrated when the things I see in front of me or in my head do not come out the same way on the page.
With that being said, I was surprised at myself for even deciding to enroll in this class even though I knew myself well enough to know I would get frustrated with the class.  However, I really wanted to learn and maybe improve my skills.  Initially, the class was more of a frustration and struggle because I could not get the still life just right or anything I tried to sketch for assignments.  However, I learned to be more patient and devote more time to my drawings.  Personally, Drawing at Duke gave me a stronger work ethic in terms of patience and that not everything will come fast and easy.  I began to spend more time on my assignments each week and I saw a true improvement in my work.  By the time the semester was over, I became more and more prouder of my accomplished assignments (and hopefully you do too! I worked really hard!)

Thanks Professor Fick for a great semester!