The End..

This past week the class completed the final in class drawing assignment. Now that we are done all that is left to do is to turn in sketchbooks and a portfolio containing all homework assignments as well as in class assignments. I can honestly say that I enjoyed the class, it taught me a good deal on how to improve the way that I draw and how to use different media. The knowledge that I obtained from the class will not be forgotten any time soon. I will say that when I first started the class I was a little nervous due mostly to the fact that I didn't know what to expect when first beginning the class.

I didn't know if we were expected to contain any prior knowledge of the things covered in class. Because of my being nervous my first few assignments ended up being less than what I was capable of doing. However, as time progressed and I was able to get comfortable with the overall flow of the class I felt that my work improved. In conclusion, I will say that this FOD class was probably the only class that I enjoyed. All of my others courses were required and I pretty much took them just to get them out of the way, they weren't very interesting to me. Hopefully, I did well in this course, I felt that I put forth a decent effort and hopefully the result of my efforts will be a passing grade.

MY EYES!!!!!

This week in FOD the class turned in self-portraits that dealt with working from finished to unfinished as well as adding value. The in class assignment had us working with cross-hatching. The assignment was ok, it just felt like it was our longest class assignment. When I was working with it it kinda made my eyes burn. When beginning I didn't space my lines too far away from each other which meant that I had to strain my eyes a little to make sure that I wasn't working in an area that wasn't supposed to shaded. Our upcoming homework assignment is dealing with cross-hatching and it isn't due until after Thanksgiving break which gives me enough time to procrastinate. I intend to make my assignment a little larger than the one that I attempted to do in class.

A-OK!

This past week was normal enough for me. Me coming late to my FOD class was probably my only negative aspect. Other than that I would say that everything is going decently. I will say that I can not wait until I am done with 3-D. That class has put me back into the wood shop for my next project and I want to do good on my next project, but at the same time I don't want to accidentally hack, slice, or chop off any of my finger while trying to complete a project. I need my fingers, especially if want to get my BFA from here. My FOD class went smoothly enough, we were going over what was left to do in that class for the semester and it isn't much at all. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was just starting that class but I guess time flies. My homework in FOD this week was to draw some form of plant and, while using only line, be able to create distance between the leaves or whatever foliage is drawn. I felt that I was doing a good job while drawing the homework assignment and it got a decent stamp of approval during the critique session. So ,overall, last week was A-OK.

Either Or...

This blog is talking about which type of media that is used when I am drawing. Before attending MCA I pretty much stuck to my trusty graphite pencil, basically, because it was the first thing that I learned to use when I started to draw. However, since I have been at MCA I have learned that I also like to use charcoal. I've used charcoal before when I was younger but back then I guess you could say that I really didn't appreciate it. I felt that when I first started to use charcoal pencils that I was doing so incorrectly. I felt as if I made more of a mess than I did a work of art, I also felt that I was being too forceful when it came to putting the charcoal pencil to the paper when drawing. I would say that I still feel that I am too forceful when using charcoal, but at the same time I feel that I have attained a greater appreciation for it. It leaves a much darker line than graphite does and that helps when you want to draw something that is meant to be viewed from a distance. Because it is mandatory to use charcoal pencils in class it helped to establish the appreciation that I now have for them. HOWEVER, some part of me still feels that charcoal is kinda lame when compared to using graphite. In my opinion, graphite pencils are always going to leave a fine line, they are not going to break down that easily while drawing with them, and they are GRAPHITE! So in conclusion I would say that graphite is more of my personal preference than charcoal, but charcoal is alright. Like I said in one of my earlier blogs, I don't really have much experience with a lot of the materials that I have used or will use to make art in the future. So even though I like graphite more than anything now it is only because that is what I started out using, that has pretty much been my best friend when drawing so far. I'll probably grow to love a lot of the media that I will undoubtedly use in the future.

Well It Looked Alright To Me...

This past week went smoothly enough for me. My 3-D design class was working with the same subject the my FOD class was working with which is gestural drawing and gestural lines. The only difference was that we were working with aluminum wire instead of charcoal or conte. That assignment will probably be the only assignment that I actually enjoyed out of all other projects completed or future projects to come. The FOD class is still practicing drawing from loose to tight using everyone's favorite media conte, but to be truthful I feel that I am starting to get the hang of using it when drawing. Our homework assignment dealt with drawing an exterior and doing so to create a sense of distance. I felt that I did a decent job on the assignment except for a few minor issues that were brought up during the critique of my work. It was brought up that my assignment looked as if the building that I was drawing from seemed to be leaning. The reason for that was due to me actually leaning over to look out of the window. I wasn't paying attention to the fact that I was doing it I just wanted to be sure to include certain objects in my drawing that I felt belonged.

Assless Ambition

This blog really doesn't have anything to do with school, but it has everything to do with boredom and one of my favorite artists, Jason Seiler. I took notice to his work not too long ago. He's an illustrator, and a damn good i might add. When I first saw some of his work it was in a magazine that I am subscribed to and since then I have been keeping up with his blog to see if any new pieces have been posted. I thought that I would mention his work because I find a lot of what we do in class such as gesture drawing and punching line in the work that he posts. Most of his work revolves around the human figure and not still life. His work is exaggerated and yet, to me, he is still able to give it realistic quality and not make it too cartoonish. I'm not goin to lie, when first saw some of his work I felt a tad intimidated. I know that I am nowhere near the talent level that this guy possesses, but I hope to be at some point in time. I already know to be able to get there I will have to work my ass off....like literally ASS-OFF!! I would have to devote a great majority of life to sitting on my ass sketching and trying to improve my form of artistry until there is nothing left of my ass to sit on. I know that is a whole lotta of me saying "ass", but that is "assless ambition" for ya! If interested you can check his work out at http://www.jasonseilerillustration.blogspot.com/

Can't Wait Until Next Break...

The semester is still going smoothly as long as I am making sure that all of my assignments are completed and turned in on time. Although things are swell I can not wait until Thanksgiving Break. I just want to make sure everything is in order before break comes around. Gesture drawing was continued in my FOD class, the class practiced drawing the set still life and going from loose to tight. This class session, however, the students had to work with conte. Conte is alright to work with, but I do not prefer it. It wears down too quickly, but then again maybe that's because I am a heavy handed person. It's interesting to work with new material but it is also frustrating because you have to find a good side of the conte to work with and you have to make sure that when you are making your lines they come out thin. Three more weeks, man! Three more weeks until break!

Nice and Easy.

After a much needed fall break I can say that the first day back was a breeze. In FOD today we worked with gesture drawing by breaking it down into steps. By defining the basic shapes and then moving on to detail I can honestly say that I felt that I did a decent job today. Our homework for that class is to cut out strips of bond paper and fold them in different matters so as to make them into an interesting still life which seems simple enough to complete. I've also learned today that my second exam is coming up for my Abnormal Psychology class...time is really going by fast! Before I know it it will be time for winter break. Although today was nice and easy I know that it's time to knock out things that I have on my agenda for school such as assignments and making sure everything goes as planned for spring registration. Thank goodness today was nice and easy.

A Tad Behind...

I was a little behind in my FOD class this week due to an absence. Because of my absence I missed out on important mid-term assignments. So right now it's all about playing catch-up for my missed class. The class is now onto blind contour drawing which explains everything because I literally feel like I am blind when I try this particular form of drawing. When I practice blind contour my finished product looks as if I was drop dead drunk when I drew it. I guess this is all part of the learning process because I haven't done this before. All else is going well with the other classes I am still not too fond of 3-D design of course but it's a requirement so what can I do about it....absolutely nothing. My homework assignment for FOD is to do four blind contour self portraits which should be relatively easy considering that I won't be looking at the line that I am drawing on my paper. My actual homework assignment should look as if I knocked back a bottle of moon shine before I attempted to do it...Cheers.

MAN, I CAN'T SEE SH?#!!!!

I'll start by saying that TIME FLIES!! It still feels to me as if the semester has just started, but it is almost the mid point of this semester. I've been pretty busy this past week which is why this particular blog is a little late being posted but better late than never. This past week most of my concentration went into doing organic shapes for 3-D design and working on planar drawings for FOD. Once I had gotten into working on the organic shapes I had begun to not think of how much I do not like that class. FOD is still going fine, I will just have to be more careful when drawing the subject matter and choosing a specific spot to draw the subject matter for the class. When I first sit down I feel that I have an excellent view of what I am drawing, but somehow later on I always find my view obstructed by the edge of someone else drawing board. Our homework assignment for this past week was to draw drapery. I felt that I did a fairly decent job.

AAaaah Sh*@....I Thought I Had It!!

My has been a little hectic not just because of school though I have actually had some other things going on as well. However, I am still liking the whole MCA experience, expect for 3-D design( I am starting not to like that class.) We worked on doing free-hand in Foundations of Drawing which was okay. This weekend I will be re-working a homework assignment that I had to do in FOD which could be drawn better than it was drawn previously. I'll also have to re-do the homework assignment done previously which I thought I had done right but oh well until next time.

I'm Good!

Okay, I haven't been on this blog since I opened it and that in part is due to slight confusion the e-mailing process. Anyway, on to the topic at hand so far the foundations of drawing class is nice, it was mentioned that other students may be getting bored drawing the same ole stuff. However, that is not the case with me. There wasn't any studio drawing setups such as the one that I am now apart of back at my old school so this is a new experience. We've mostly focused on 1 and 2 point perspectives in class and we have pretty much been doing the same in our sketchbooks. Our first critique of our artwork wasn't as horrible as I had thought it was going to be, but then again......it's still pretty early in the semester. My whole MCA experience is starting to take on speed as far as work and assignments go I just hope that I can keep up.....

So far so good...

The first homework assignment wasn't really difficult, it just allowed me to experiment with different line variations. However, I do expect to encounter some levels of difficulty on the upcoming assignments for this semester. When drawing I like to try to figure out new ways of drawing the human figure, I tend not to do too many still life drawings, but I don't have a problem trying them this semester. As far as my drawing technique is concerned I am going into this particular foundations class hoping to acquire knowledge that I can stack on top of the knowlege that I already retain. Most of the knowledge that I do have from drawing comes from exprience, meaning that I like to try different methods of drawing. In conclusion, I am going into this class hoping what everyone taking the class hopes for and that is that I do a good job and that I pass the class.