A tale of two Classes.

Ah, and so arrives the much needed update.

So, one might recall my excitement in entering my first environment of formal art education in 5 years; that being my life drawing class at SVA. Well, that class finally came, and I left... confused. I expected to walk right in, sit down, and sketch down a model, quickly and simply. My hopes were soon shot down, as I found my self an hour deep into the discussion of organic and inorganic lines. When we finally commenced drawing, each other, we were confined to using a solitary line to construct our drawings. This rigid, strict approach seemed to stray in a polar opposite direction of the loose and lively work I intended to produce.

But even so, I thought, this was only the first session, one of ten. This was probably going to lead up to the class I had envisioned... sooner or later. God knows I needed somewhere to get my loose portfolio work from, If I planned getting into a certain animation college. Besides, maybe this rigid line work is something I need to become a better life drawerer. Hell if I know, the basics is what I need, and I am only a student after all.

Right, so the following week, I entered the class with a new attitude. Today we draw models! And low and behold, we are again, restricted to using rigid and simple lines. More precisely, we had to form shapes out of these lines. Not spheres or cubes and whatnot, just flat, 2d shapes, to construct the composition with. If anything could get farther from what I needed for my portfolio, it was this rigid, abstract approach to drawing.

I was in panic. As the class soon reached it's third session, I realized it was surely not going to give me anything loose enough for my portfolio. I had paid in full, so I had to continue to attend! But the summer was going to slip by me with nothing useful for my portfolio! And the deadline is nearing closer with every day. That week following the third session, I made it my goal to find a proper live modeling class.

It was 4 am, and my head was buried in pages and links from Google on the computer. I was determined to find the type of classes I'd so often read about on forums and message boards concerning the same interest. Somehow, I would find the class that would let me produce the type of work I needed for my portfolio. After hours of searching, I found this magical link:

http://www.nyfew.com/information/ateliers-figure-drawing/nyc_drawing_workshops.html

This was a Godsend. It was exactly what I needed. I chose to go to the National Academy figure drawing class. $12 for each 3 hour class, not bad. As soon as I entered, it was precisely the environment I wanted from the start! A nude model, completely uninstructed, leaving me free to pursue my own creative approach to my figure sketching! And the best part is that it was held twice a week. This couldn't possibly get any better.

So there you have it. I am now taking 3 model classes a week. That's 9 hours a week of model drawing! That, I hope, should help me improve somehow right? Perhaps by the end of the summer, I can emerge from my training with some worthy portfolio pieces.To go back to my first class at SVA, I really do feel that it is a good class. The only reason I felt disappointed is because we were heavily restricted to what the instructor told us to to, that being mere straight lines. We were pressured to avoid a "loose" approach, and stick to merely constructing 2d shapes to draw the composition with. But 6 sessions still remain, and I feel that I will benefit from anything I learn in that class. I feel I also may have been wrong in having assumptions as to how an art class would be orchestrated. After all, I am a student.

So, if you've made it all the way to the end, two things I'd want you Calart pursuers to learn from this is to search thoroughly for what you want, and and open mind to what you can find. Take initiative on getting to your goal! Those classes wont find themselves!And where are the sucky drawings I've made so far? Right below, just scroll on down.