I barely draw anymore, but taking Drawing I has been one of the best classes I have taken in my Studio Art journey. Drawing I was a prerequisite in the Studio Art Major, though I planned to take it regardless because I’ve been interested in learning. It was intimidating at the start as everyone’s skill wildly varied. There were the students who drew a stick figure at most in their life. Then there were the people who had the devil-hands and were able to produce high-quality work from the start. And I was there in-between just trying to have a good time in the class.
As the semester passed by, I realized that mastery in drawing requires time, practice, and a willingness to embrace imperfections. It’s in the process of sketching and erasing, refining lines, and experimenting with shading that one truly grasps the essence of artistic expression. Whether it’s through charcoal, conté, or ink, the amount of time you put into a work dictates how good the end product will be.
This is all to say that I learned that I have no patience and that drawing is not for me. If anything, it made me realize why I enjoy working in time-based media. When you’re working with video, everything is instantaneous and I’m able to produce more work. It also helps that I’m pretty tech-savvy, so working in time-based media plays to my strengths as an artist. Though, Drawing I was the most enjoyable Studio Art course because of the amount of hands-on work as every class was grinding out the technique and the freedom afforded to explore your own style.
This was reflected in the final assignment where we were tasked to create a 6ft self-portrait. You could choose any medium and an artist to base your work on. I chose ink and referenced Kim Jung Gi, one of my all-time favorite artists. While I did run out of ink the day before it was due, I am extremely happy with how it turned out.
Final Project: Self-Portrait
