Last Class

Last night was the last night of my seven-week Basic Drawing class. I could barely drag myself there. I was so tired and the anticipation of another drab still life to draw did not do much to encourage me. We are drawing in pencil, so I guess the teacher thinks it appropriate not to include colorful items. I hadn't done my homework (finishing last week's cello drawing) because, well, I just didn't have time. I actually fell asleep a couple of times while drawing last night. I could tell by the stray pencil marks on my teddy bear.

I have to say the class has been valuable, despite its limitations. For one thing, it gets you over the staring-at-a-blank-page-and-wondering-what-to-draw stage. There is something intriguing about drawing, even if the subject matter is a not what you might have chosen. And there is nothing like someone saying, in essence, "draw!" to get you moving.

I also learned that sketching is not always a quick and easy process. It takes time and you need to allow time. Drawing the final picture takes even longer. It's tied in to this concept of talent. People tend to think only people who are talented in art or in music can draw or make music. Talent does play a role, but practice may play a bigger role.

Erasing and revision is part of the process. I remember the teacher telling someone that their celery was in the wrong location in relationship to the bowl, and suggested that she erase her celery and redraw if closer to the bowl. The woman protested, "It took me so long to draw that celery." The teacher replied, "You did it once, you can do it again." (This reminded me of ensemble rehearsals when you all get through a tricky passage, and someone says, "Let's do it again, to cement it." And you're thinking, "I don't want to! I just barely made it through that time!" But, you did it once, you can do it again--and, in cello playing, you should!)

You get social support for your art in class. There are others trying to do what you are trying to do, and you can encourage each other. It was only in the last couple of weeks that people in this class started talking to each other and showing each other their work, or at least not hiding it and saying it was awful. I was so impressed with the progress of the older (than me) woman who sat next to me. She only started drawing in July and last night showed me her very intricate drawing of a harbor scene with a multitude of buildings and surfaces. We talked a bit about how to draw rock outcroppings. You can also get this social support online, in places like DrawSpace, where you can chat with others, participate in weekly drawing challenges, and upload your art for all to see and comment on. In fact, there is probably more support in the online group than in class, but I do appreciate the face-to-face contact in art class, and the real-life smiles.

And, finally, class is valuable because you have to set aside a certain huge amount of time (in this case class was 2 hours) just to draw. That's not always possible at home, where everything else seems more important. Going to art class allows you time to draw and gives you motivation and validation for it.

So, I'll probably take another real-life drawing class, after the quickly approaching holiday season. Meanwhile, I'll work on the online lessons, perhaps using color pencils--when I have time.