Friday, January 13, 2012

Drawing, Detached

Drawing class began this week! Woo hoo!

We did our first drawing exercise yesterday. Pulled out the 18" x 24" drawing pad and sharpened all our pencils. Got the various charcoal sticks and nubs ready along with vinyl and kneadable erasers. We were poised and ready.

Then Joe (the prof) began to call out things to draw:
Start with a 1970's ranch style home! I want to see at least two sides of it! Add a garage!
Then he gave us a few minutes.

Add a roof! With shingles! And a chimney!
Another few minutes pass.

Wood siding on the house! And a front door! Add a doorbell!
Few more minutes pass.

Add an apple tree in the background! Give the tree huge oversized apples! Now give me birds or bees or something flying in the air!
More minutes pass...

Now I need a spaceship type of object flying into the picture. And smoke! Add smoke coming out of the chimney. Now make the smoke turn into a dinosaur!
Furious drawing and hatching and cross-hatching continue.
More minutes pass.

Then Joe says STOP. Stop drawing everyone.

We all stop. We all have charcoal somewhere it shouldn't be. We all have graphite smudges up the sides of our hands. One person might have been out of breath.

Joe says to take some charcoal and draw a big X over your drawing. Mark it out. Destroy it.

Since it was 8:30 in the morning, most people were like, Whatever.
But some groaned. Some resisted. Some refused.

Then Joe says the Important Thing:
Never become so attached to your work that you are afraid to try something new.


And I was free.

3 comments:

Emily said...

Love it. And so very true.

amber said...

Then Joe says the Important Thing:
Never become so attached to your work that you are afraid to try something new.


And I was free.




I love this. Thank you for sharing this...means so much to me. love you!

mer said...

whoa