Thoughts on Drawing (Lizzie Devitt)

My Thoughts on Drawing

I always liked to draw from a young age. My favorite elementary school projects were the arts and crafts parts of the many state reports and dioramas we were assigned. I also used to doodle a lot in my spare time.  However, I would never have considered myself to be an "artist".  

I initially enrolled in Drawing because I have always wanted to take an art class. Until my senior spring, I felt that I did not have the time in my schedule to devote energy into art. So this semester, I took the plunge. My first realization was that I was definitely correct about drawing. It is a lot of work and it is hard. 

However, my next realization was that it was really nice to work on a skill and think differently than I have in all of my other classes at Duke. It has been refreshing to spend less time reading a book and more time analyzing how to improve my drawings. 

Another thing that is strange is I have always been somewhat artistic, but I had never taken a class or practiced regularly. Therefore, this class made me realize that art in general is much more than just a talented eye or steady hand. Composition and premeditated thought also play a large role in an overall piece. It was definitely a learning process to plan and execute each assignment.

It has been very cool to see how myself and the rest of my classmates have progressed throughout the semester. As I said before, I never used to consider myself an "artist". After taking this class, I still would not consider myself one. However, I do have a newfound respect for both the talent and hard work that it requires to create beautiful art.  Furthermore, I am glad I had the opportunity to learn a new skill in a formal manner.