DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?

I reviewed the description of my next class with a sigh of relief and some trepedation. After working on being as creative as I could be using what I felt the most comfortable with...applications in my last class, I found myself back in the pencil drawers looking for the point. But when I realized that here was an opportunity to use a new medium other than pencils, I was excited.

Here is how the description read:

This course involves observation and translation of three-dimensional (3-D) form into two-dimensional (2-D) drawings. Starting with simple shapes and progressing to more complex organic forms, students will build skill levels in composition and line quality through the use of tone, light, and shadow.

The course was called "Observational Drawing for GAD" ....yum. What this meant was things were about to get dirty. As in Charcoal as your favorite tool. In this class I learned techniques of shading that I can only say were truly appreciated and made my buding skills of drawing look so much better. I found myself calling on new found skills acquired in my "Perspectives" class. I  reviewed that class lessons and work like the secret to a map of gold was hidden in my notes. I approached this one with gutso I was surprised I had. I started....what for it! having fun. I pushed my self in drawing. I practiced and redid work over and over until it felt believeable. I drove my family crazy with questions like "What about this one or This one?".

At times, I caught simple mistakes before submission and corrected them immediately. And when my teacher critiqued my work I went back to the drawing board...Cough! and practiced again. This class  helped me see the artist in me from a creative view and then showed me I could have techniques.

I picked up cotton balls and knead eraser with confidence. I reached for numbered pencils knowing the differences in each. And at the end of each assignment I felt a sense of satisfaction and a desire to do more. Was it all rainbows...No! I felt the old urge to procrastinate and run from assignments. I started to justify before I even started why the work would be late. But at the end of the day I pushed threw and submitted work on time. The key here is I conquered my fears of drawing like the best of them. I studied my class mates work, asked questions that had meaning to improvement and did not feel intimidated by those that could draw in their sleep. Here was a class full of very talented artist critiquing my work and I felt they saw my talents and respected me.

To sum up this learning experience, I had put clothing on my stick figures and let them bask in the spotlights. (I drew form that showed muscle and movement; added shadows in the right places of my sketches with strong believeable shadings.)

Ok! here is where I want to say...Thank You! for still reading and following me through my experiences. My next few post will be on the industry and what I have learned so far. I'm heading to the East Coast Gaming Conference.

Talk to you later...

Eclipse Entertainment wants to hire you

Here was a class "Digital Imaging for Multimedia and Web" that shook and pulled creativity out of me until I was on the floor of my bedroom weeping for joy at what I finally made. I found edges and corners of Photoshop I did not even know existed. I begged and pleaded with online tutor support to help me make sense of the version of PS my assignments were written in and the version the school had released to me. Adobe seem to take what was not broke and not fix it, even more, it then decided to hide what was familiar. I went on a hunt to find favorites like the collage feature so deliciously available in PS 10. Which is now still elusive in CS5 and CS6. If its there...even after this class I still have no clue where it its. And I think now the tutors are all avoiding me. It must have been all the emoticons of crying I used after spending hours each night after work just trying to get past week 1. This class was one for strong will and not faint at heart.

And to make it more educational, we had to follow a lesson as if a company was hiring us to present product on a deadline. Now this part I like...felt real world. But its not until after you have read such promising, normal yet motivating autobiographies that you later find a classmate that thinks a dirty condom is a great feature to a new character model for a possible toy that you wonder. "How do I critique this guy after I mention I live in North Carolina within my bio."

Needless to say there were enough appreciative, creative, less visually disturbing models to critique and stay on track with the assignment. This student later in open class post became literally abusive to the teacher. I suspect the teacher told him how disturbing his ideas were and his head started to spin. Now, dont get me wrong, I can applaud his efforts to shock and stand out from the pack. But to be specific and fair in my assessment, he did not follow any guidelines of what the client wanted and just did his own thing. Leaving the rest of the class scratching our heads.

Now enough about this student, as for me, I enjoyed this class and would take it again. The sheer level of new found interest and respect I gained from what Photoshop can do had me panting to do more after the class ended. So, this is what they call...Teaching.

I swear no Tutors got hurt in the making of my final project "Garden Glitter Grace". But if they were in person tutoring me, I would not be able to explain the glitter in some choice places.