Having taken the majority of my
classes as prehealth requirements, I was both excited and anxious to take a
course so outside of my comfort zone. My goal in completing Drawing 101 was to
form a better communication between my brain and my hand (while having fun
along the way)! My post-graduation plans include attending dental school in the
fall. As previously mentioned, over the past 4 years I have prepared myself for
the rigorous academic aspect of dental school, however this was the first time
since middle school that I worked on developing my artistic skills so necessary
to the profession.
One of my
biggest challenges with weekly assignments was remaining patient. Developing
patience is something that I have been struggling with my whole life. I found
that the best strategy for avoiding frustration was to complete assignments in
2-3 hour chunks throughout the week, rather than attempting to complete a
drawing in just 1 or 2 sittings. While I continued this approach throughout the
course, I found that I developed more patience and could draw for longer
periods of time when working on my final drawings toward the end of the
semester.
I appreciated that the structure
of this course required constantly keeping up with drawing, through both our
sketchbooks and larger weekly assignments. Being in the constant practice of
drawing my surroundings forced me to look at seemingly everyday things on
campus in a new light. As I passed by trees, I found myself admiring the unique
negative space between overlapping branches. I also gained much more
appreciation for the subtle details of the subjects in my drawings. Having to
put an object on paper really made me focus on every curve, detail, and nuance
of it. I came to appreciate the architecture, brickwork, and additional design
of buildings I have previously passed hundreds of times on campus without
pausing and giving the attention they deserve.
I also feel that I benefitted from
seeing the drawings of students in my class on display. It was interesting and
helpful to take a closer look after class and see how they chose to interpret
their surroundings or photographic source material. In later classes, when we
were given time to sketch, some classmates were even kind enough to sit with me
and show me the exact pencil strokes and techniques they utilized in previous
drawings. I then incorporated these ideas into my final drawing, shown below, which
I am most proud of (the blog would not let me rotate the image in the proper orientation).
Overall, there is definitely still
room for improvement in my drawings. However, it was rewarding to flip through
my portfolio and realize how far I have come from our first class. I also
noticed when crafting my final drawing that I have become a lot more
comfortable with planning out my drawings and putting the pencil to the paper.
I am excited to continue honing my skills in both my personal and professional
life as I continue working with my hands and in a sense, creating art, for a living.
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