Shadow And Light

I know it sounds trite but it's true! One of the most interesting things I found from my recent drawing class was the expansion of my senses. Like I said I know it sounds trite but I have been able to look at objects now with the new vision which is kind of fun. It took me a while to get my “vision legs” about me. Remember the stress and trauma I had with drawing the squares squares and how there were times when some mornings I couldn't even get started that couldn't figure out how to go about the project. When we had the exercise to drop three objects that Brendan placed out on the drawing table and then lit up with the lamps I had the same anxiety.

I decided I would draw the globe and the couple of the pyramids I know what else to call these objects that's what they represented to me. The globe is extremely difficult and the globe is is still extremely difficult just drawing the stupid thing was a challenge. Remember, were spending whole class periods to a quarter hours at this project and we might devote to periods are more if needed. It was during this time as I stared at the “ball” then sketched out a circle and tried to give it depth so it took on the image of a globe that I realized there's all kinds of shades on the globe that I did not see initially. Brendan, the instructor, had us prepare the paper by making numerous marks on the paper then smudging all the marks with the chamois of some sort making the charcoal like background. Then I tried to draw the ball. I was so frustrated times I felt like crying but I did it, I made the drawing and I tried to keep foremost in my mind not to judge myself with what other people were producing. This helped to some degree. I then tried to make the shadow that the globe cast. None of the things I did looked very promising but I continued. Every few minutes I would look around and see the literal work of arts my other classmates were producing. Niccolò and this young woman that is to me spent at least an hour just blackening the paper around their objects. They spent the same amount of time filling in the shadow the ball and the pyramids cast, a deep rich beautiful blackness that you could almost fall into. I kind of tried to produce such an effect and there is just no way. During the first couple sessions of class I would get so frustrated I would throw away my project and start over. I kind of think that's what Brendan would've wanted. I found the accepted the reality that but I produced is not going to be what my fellow students would be able to produce. I would have an ugly little not of the globe with the same kind of shadow ugly but it would be something I produced. What's really weird is that I would put the rendering away at the end of class and then when I would drag it out again either at home or at class I would be almost impressed with what look like. I liked it better when I opened it up. I accepted the rendering finally and appreciated what I've is able to do. When I realized that Brendan, the instructor, felt the same way it took a lot of pressure off me and I would spend the time working on my little “knot” and try to work for completion. Though I must honestly say my fellow students would literally spend hours trying to draw the different shades of light on the surface of the globe. I think there's a skill at shading the surface in such a way that the shadows come out. I of course had almost no skill in this approach but I tried and I did something and that's something I think was enough…