Thursday, September 23, 2010

Drawing Lessons



The Rope Drawing

Many of my art students want to learn how to draw. It amazes me how tentative and perfectionistic we become as we get older, making us afraid to "make mistakes" or to risk having something turn out "wrong"!

This student is a teenager who has lots of natural talent. She has had no formal instruction, but has intuitively been trying to paint and draw. After having one drawing lesson, she has taken the tips and instruction I gave her and made HUGE strides in her work!

I gave her a tiny piece of rope which had been tied in a knot, and she took it home with her last week. She drew the knotted rope very large on her paper, and used her value scale to place her darks, midtones and lights. The foundation of her drawing was great, and after some more instruction, she was accomplishing this beautiful rendering. She will finish it at home this week. It sure feels wonderful to see how excited she is about her success as she applies the principles she has learned. That is what makes teaching so rewarding - my student's successes!

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