Day 1 - Still Life Drawings

(October 24, 2009). This was our first day together. We drew fruit by natural light as an observational drawing exercise. First we looked at the work of some master artists. We talked about the process of drawing - first starting with the overall shape or gesture and detailing from there. I demonstrated methods of crosshatching and shading, and the girls got to experiment with their new kneaded erasers and blending stumps. We had a great time, and they each showed me their amazing talent and potential. Here are some of their drawings:



Apple by Alyssa (12). Notice her rendering of the light reflected in the shadow. Beautiful!

Pear by Arika (7). Her attention to detail, the imperfections in the skin, are really impressive for such a young artist!

Apple by Delaney (13). She did a beautiful job of shading and detailing her apple!

Apple by Kylee (10). She is very precise and deliberate in each mark she makes. Impressive!

This is my pear. I've decided to work alongside my students at least part of the time so that I can demonstrate techniques for them and help them understand the assignment or project. I learned from many of my greatest teachers best by watching the way they worked. Hopefully, I can inspire the girls and make them feel comfortable by sitting down with them so we can work through artistic problems together.