Final Thoughts and Musings

Here I am finishing up my first semester at Memphis college of Art.  This was the first class I’ve had focused on drawing.  In high school the art classes covered everything without going into depth on any subject.  We didn’t have to document our work, just turning it in, and we never had a peer or teacher critiques.   

Conté sticks were new to me as were the sharp sticks and bamboo brushes with India ink. 

Crosshatching must have been invented by orthopedic surgeons to beef up their carpal tunnel patients but it looks great when you stand back and look. 

Techniques like finished to unfinished and controlled contouring are not completely new to me but knowing the names is a new addition to my knowledge.  Now I have technique names to put to drawings I see.

I enjoyed focusing on perspective. My Mom taught me a little about perspective in a relaxed and organic way when I was very young but I hadn’t had the chance before to really study it in a formal setting with tips and pointers on how to keep the proper perspective when drawing.

Line weight and depth are two areas I plan to continue to explore. I felt like I was beginning to get the hang of it. Understanding and strengthening my ability to use line weight will help me because I want to try to capture depth with just using lines.

Looking at the semester’s work in this drawing class, I feel I have improved over the semester, learned new techniques, explored new media, and know a lot more about types of paper now.

I am looking forward to Drawing 2 where I can learn more about lines and move into texture. 

I had a blast in my first drawing class at Memphis College of Art.

Amanda M.