I am currently teaching drawing classes for adults on Wednesday evenings. Last week, I asked my students (encouraged my students?) to make 8-10 contour drawings of an object on the same page, each one overlapping the next and rotating the object slightly for a different viewpoint each time. As I wandered around, I noticed that one person was drawing a beautifully fluted teacup. Her first rendition had straight sides, a hefty handle and looked more like a mug. I didn't say anything to her and continued to wander around, viewing the other students' progress. By the time the teacup student was on her 8th rendition, the teacup in her drawing had curved sides and a delicate looking appearance, just like the porcelain cup on the table. I pointed this out to her and she was quite surprised to see the progression from what she "knew" a teacup looked like to what she actually saw. If I'd been on the ball I would have snapped a picture of the paper she was drawing on, but it was not to be. She's taken it home and will keep it as a record of her progress.
That transition, of "knowing" to "seeing" was remarkable and the first time I have truly seen it occur in such a short span of time. Quite a special moment and reminder that drawing or creating multiples of an object/project is not necessarily a wasted effort. Working in a series provides opportunity for learning, tweaking and refining, until a person comes closer to producing what is envisioned.
That transition, of "knowing" to "seeing" was remarkable and the first time I have truly seen it occur in such a short span of time. Quite a special moment and reminder that drawing or creating multiples of an object/project is not necessarily a wasted effort. Working in a series provides opportunity for learning, tweaking and refining, until a person comes closer to producing what is envisioned.
Comments