Final Post

So, for my final posting I had planned on doing a final drawing to display what I learned. What I did not plan on was having this much work to do right around this time. I am swamped with tests, projects and papers right now leaving me barely enough time to write this.

This whole process has helped me to gain a lot more respect for artists. I knew before that drawing is hard, but I didn't realize everything else that goes into it. You aren't just born to be a great artist. Sure, you can be born with skills that will lead you to be a great artist, but after that there is a lot of work that must go into it. I gained a lot more than a new skill out of this project.

Reflection

Since I have started working on this project I have been looking at the things around me a lot differently. I think about how how drawing applies to the world around us. I now realize that pretty much everything stems from drawing. Before you manufacture or create anything, most of the time, you draw a picture of it first.
I can't think of any cultural, economic, national, etc. implications of drawing itself. I believe it can be for anyone. The point where things start to become implied is in the drawings. There are many meanings behind people's drawings. There are many who do this to express themselves. There are others who do it to make extra money. No matter what the reason is, the things they create are interesting and innovative.

Real World View of My Craft

This past weekend I went to an "art" show of my friends at Dope Couture. When he came to IU he created his own major which is shoe design. He had to put together his own curriculum and present it to professors for approval. I find this to be very impressive and very interesting.
Show I showed up at his show to see all of his designs on the walls. I was very impressed by his work to say the least. He started off his designs by making sketches of other shoes that he liked and then incorporating characteristics from these shoes to make something all his own. He had finished pictures that he made on Photoshop and then blew up into large pictures. Under each picture he displayed the sketches he made that helped him to arrive at his finished product.
This exhibit showed me a real world thing that I have that uses drawing. I never really think about what goes into making shoes. Seeing his exhibit makes me appreciate the process more and appreciate what I'm learning more. I am very glad I was able to have this very enlightening experience.

Lesson 3: Pyramids

So, this week I added on to what I've been doing in the past couple of weeks. I used a one-point and two-point perspective to draw pyramids. Right now, it seems like Cathy is having me learn to see different objects from different perspectives and different angles. I can see how doing these exercises will help me to draw the things around me.
After my last post, Professor Christensen posed the question of if I thought artists go through a similar learning process like I am. To answer that, I think that at some point artists need some direction. I'm sure a lot of what they do is natural talent, but I'm guessing they get to a point where they have to do some learning. They probably don't have to have the extensive training like I do, but I'm sure there is something.
I have been comparing what I am doing to Jill Bliss in Handmade Nation. Professor Christensen also asked what perspective Bliss draws in and if she has had any prior training. These are two questions that are not answered in Handmade Nation. These are two things that I will research for my next post.

Lesson 2: Two-Point Perspective

This week I practiced drawing from a two-point perspective. This was similar to what I did last week except you look see the object from a corner instead of looking at it straight on as you do in one-point perspective. I looked up the definition for this again at www.andrewkongknight.com/hhsart/linearperspective.html and it read, "In two point perspective the corner of the object that you are going to draw is directly facing you. You first establish a corner line and then two bottom lines. Where these bottom lines meet the horizon line you establish two vanishing points. All receding lines will converge to these two points." Once again I am going to refer back to Jill Bliss from Handmade Nation who works with things around her. I can already see how these first two lessons will be helpful in drawing objects that surround me. Here is the picture I drew this week from a two-point perspective.

I've seen a lot of pictures of buildings from this perspective that would be interesting to draw. These first two lessons have been very enjoyable and enlightening and I am looking forward to the lessons to come. I think I am well on my way to becoming a much improved artist.

Lesson 1: One Point Perspective

So, this week Cathy had me practice using the one point perspective. First, here is a picture of what I drew this week.

Here is a definition of one point perspective I found at www.andrewkongknight.com/hhsart/linearperspective.html, "In one point perspective the flat side of the object you draw is facing you. You establish the flat side of the object first, then converge all of the receding lines to one vanishing point which is directly across from your station point." Before I started doing my drawing, Cathy had me go to a website to read a lesson that would give me a better understanding of the one point perspective.

(http://drawsketch.about.com/od/perspective/ss/1ptperspective_10.htm)

Reading this lesson gave me a much better understanding how to draw something while looking at it. Here is a picture of what I drew during my art assessment.

The object in the middle is supposed to be a Kleenex box. I had a lot of trouble drawing this, but now after doing this exercise I better understand how I would draw this. Next week, I may be doing more work using the one point perspective or possibly moving on to using the two point perspective.
I feel good about what I've done so far. I am enjoying the learning process and so far I have found it very interesting. I am not that far into it, so we'll see how the rest of it goes.

Making the Lesson Plan

This week, Cathy worked on producing a lesson plan (along with her other lesson plans for class) for teaching me how to draw. During my assessment last week I learned that I'm actually not as horrible a drawer as I thought. I'm not good by any means, but I'm not at as low a level as I originally thought. This actually makes me feel pretty good. Now, hopefully I will be able to advance a lot faster than I thought.
So, the lesson plan Cathy came up with consists of a few things. First of all she is going to teach me to draw in one point perspective. After this I will learn to draw in two point perspective. After learning these two things I am going to apply perspective drawing to still lives. Finally, I will learn how to properly shade my drawings. There is no time line for each step. She is going to spend enough time on each step to where I have a good grasp on the concept.
I find that drawing relates a lot to what Jill Bliss from Handmade Nation does. I want to be able to draw things that are around me. The themes that Jill Bliss works with are things that she finds around her. She talks about living in San Francisco and going to the park to draw the plants that were around her. I would love to be able to go outside and draw trees and wildlife.

Day 1: Drawing Assessment

Friday was the first day of my drawing training. To start out, my girlfriend Cathy wanted me to draw a still life just to see what level I am at and then go from there. Above is what I had to draw. I saw that and thought it was a lot to draw. I was a little overwhelmed before I got to drawing. I have never really attempted to sit down and really draw something before. But, I took my time and did my best. I just drew a simple pencil drawing of this. Cathy just wanted me to try to capture the shapes of the objects and do a little bit of shading to see how I do.
The process of doing my drawing was a little frustrating. Drawing a picture takes time and patience. I sometimes found myself getting impatient and wanting to stop, but I really want to learn how to draw so I kept going. In the end it was a rewarding experience. I felt good knowing that I put in a lot of effort. And, I actually didn't do too bad. So, now Cathy is going to go on from here and make lessons for me each week to further my drawing learning. Below I have another picture. This one is me in the frustrating process of trying to draw these objects.

Getting Started

When I started thinking about this project, Itried to think about something I have never been able to do. I was looking at all of the suggestions that were given and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I have never been able to draw. I don't think I have ever drawn a picture and had it look like what it is supposed to. I want to simply learn how to draw in pencil. This way if I need to draw a picture for someone to help them understand an example, they will actually know what I'm talking about. The picture that I am showing with this post demonstrates the current extent of my artistic abilities.

I think that learning to draw kind of ties in to our discussion from thursday about being heard. Being able to illustrate things for people will giving them a better understanding of what I am talking about and allow them to truly "hear" me. Learning this is very important to me because it is something I have always been terrible at. I go into my mom's elementary school and I see pictures by 7 year-olds that look better than anything I've ever done. I feel like I have a lot of useful skills and I just want to add drawing to that list. Learning how to draw will make me feel like a more well-rounded person.

This project turns out to be quite convenient for me because my girlfriend is an art education major. She has taken numerous drawing classes so she is an excellent artist. It works out well because she gets some practice teaching art and I get to learn a craft that I have never been able to do. She is going to start me off with the basics of drawing then move on from there. Hopefully by the end of the semester I will be able to produce something that people will look at and say, "Wow, I know what that is."