This semester, I enrolled in a sculpture class. As I entered on my first day, I was a bit apprehensive. All throughout my life, my interest in art had been mostly focused on drawing. I'd never really done any work with my hands like sculpture, and I'd never really worked in 3D. So I was nervous. I didn't know if I would be any good at it, I didn't know if I was going to enjoy it at all, I didn't know if I was possibly about to fail spectacularly.
Fast forward to last Wednesday. I had just finished the wax portion of my sculpture (we're making sculptures in wax, then making molds out of them, melting out the wax and then pouring metal into the molds). Over the course of my working on it, I had been told several times, by both fellow students and other random people who wandered into our studio, that my sculpture was impressive and well-crafted. I can't tell you how great it made me feel to have done something like that with little experience.
So today's lesson: Push your limits!! You'll have no idea how it might turn out, but trust me, if you keep trying you'll eventually find something that you're really good at and you really like. This is also how I found my real passion: film. I took a video production class my senior year of high school on a whim, and I loved it. I knew that it was the medium I was supposed to be working in. So play around! Take a chance!
Quick Jenna update: She said she'd ask the doctor about that whooping cough thing. I asked her about the dreams too, but she said she didn't really remember them.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Quick Update
Hey y'all, I got a twitter if anybody wants to follow me. http://twitter.com/Art4Amateurs @Art4Amateurs
I'll follow you if you follow me, if you know what I mean ;)
Seriously though I'll just follow you. Nothing weird.
That still sounded creepy.
I'll follow you if you follow me, if you know what I mean ;)
Seriously though I'll just follow you. Nothing weird.
That still sounded creepy.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
My shtuff
Heyo! So I woke up at 3 PM yesterday and had to rush to class so I didn't have time to post those pictures I promised. But today is a new day and I shall deliver on my promises!
All of these are from my drawing class. I have a few from my design classes I wanted to post but they're Adobe Illustrator files and I don't have Illustrator on this computer so I'm gonna have to convert them at school and then post 'em. ANYWAYS HERE WE GO!
That last one is a self portrait if anyone's curious. I've cut my hair since then though.
All of these are from my drawing class. I have a few from my design classes I wanted to post but they're Adobe Illustrator files and I don't have Illustrator on this computer so I'm gonna have to convert them at school and then post 'em. ANYWAYS HERE WE GO!
That last one is a self portrait if anyone's curious. I've cut my hair since then though.
Anyways that is that! I shall post a new lesson when I think of one!
P.S - Has anyone heard of any kind of bad bug going around? My aforementioned girlfriend (her name's Jenna by the way) not only has insomnia now, but has a pretty bad cough and has been having wicked fever dreams whenever she does manage to fall asleep. If anyone knows of any such thing and of any cures please let me know!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Lesson Three
Let me tell y'all a little story. Last semester I took a Design Color class, dealing with color in graphic design (in case you couldn't get that from the course title). I was doing fairly well, then came a project where we had to use paints. And paints are far more expensive than they have any right to be. And I was broke. But instead of asking my parents for money, or talking to my professor about my financial troubles, I just didn't do the project. This set me back pretty far and took a good toll on my grade.
On another note, I can't tell you how many times I walked in to my design courses or my drawing course missing some material or tool I needed, be it an exacto-knife, mounting board, pens, a certain of paper, or what. And every time I did this, it made life just a little more difficult. Sometimes I could borrow the materials I needed from classmates, but a lot of the time it ended up being a day wasted.
So today's lesson is this: Know what you need to have to get by, and make sure you have it. If you have all the correct materials, then it will make all the difference. It's a lot easier to get your ideas out of your head and onto the paper if you have all the materials necessary.
Now go forth and create! And tune in tomorrow (or the day after depending on how lazy I feel tomorrow) for a special sneak peek into the life of...ME! I'll post some drawings and photos I've done over the last year for y'all to see.
On another note, I can't tell you how many times I walked in to my design courses or my drawing course missing some material or tool I needed, be it an exacto-knife, mounting board, pens, a certain of paper, or what. And every time I did this, it made life just a little more difficult. Sometimes I could borrow the materials I needed from classmates, but a lot of the time it ended up being a day wasted.
So today's lesson is this: Know what you need to have to get by, and make sure you have it. If you have all the correct materials, then it will make all the difference. It's a lot easier to get your ideas out of your head and onto the paper if you have all the materials necessary.
Now go forth and create! And tune in tomorrow (or the day after depending on how lazy I feel tomorrow) for a special sneak peek into the life of...ME! I'll post some drawings and photos I've done over the last year for y'all to see.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Lesson Two
I see that you have returned! Obviously it is so that you may have my vast amounts of wisdom imparted unto you. Well then, let's cut to the chase!
Lesson Numero Dos - Communicate.
Something you may have noticed about art classes is that there are in fact other people in there with you! I know, it's hard to believe, but it's true. And a lot of them, if not all, are in the same boat as you, especially if you're taking all the preliminary art classes. So here's the thing - it's easy to be the quiet mysterious stranger who guards his work like a hawk until it's completion, but frankly that's no fun. One of the best parts of a school environment is the social aspect, and it's no different when you're in an art class. Let other people see your work, talk to them about your ideas and process, and let them know what you think of their work (just don't be mean). Talking about your concepts and listening to the input of others will really help flesh out your painting, drawing, design, etc. I took a Design Color class last semester, and while it was fun and it was a nice group of people, no one really talked about their designs with anyone else. Whenever we finished our projects and had group critique, I would always get comments on my work (and I'm sure other people felt this way) that made me think "Man, I wish I'd heard that while I was still working on it". On the other end of the spectrum, this semester I'm taking a sculpture class, and so far, everyone is constantly eager to share their opinions on other work, as well as receive comments on their own. We've only begun work on our first project so far (it's a semester-length project though) and already I've received some great ideas from others on my project, as well as given a few to others that I've seen them put to use. Sharing ideas and talking really makes the whole class feel like a community, and in the end, you're gonna have a lot more fun.
So don't forget! Communication is key.
On a personal side note, if any of you vast amount of readers out there know of any cures for insomnia, please let me know through email or the comments, my girlfriend's been having it pretty bad lately and we've tried everything we can think of.
Lesson Numero Dos - Communicate.
Something you may have noticed about art classes is that there are in fact other people in there with you! I know, it's hard to believe, but it's true. And a lot of them, if not all, are in the same boat as you, especially if you're taking all the preliminary art classes. So here's the thing - it's easy to be the quiet mysterious stranger who guards his work like a hawk until it's completion, but frankly that's no fun. One of the best parts of a school environment is the social aspect, and it's no different when you're in an art class. Let other people see your work, talk to them about your ideas and process, and let them know what you think of their work (just don't be mean). Talking about your concepts and listening to the input of others will really help flesh out your painting, drawing, design, etc. I took a Design Color class last semester, and while it was fun and it was a nice group of people, no one really talked about their designs with anyone else. Whenever we finished our projects and had group critique, I would always get comments on my work (and I'm sure other people felt this way) that made me think "Man, I wish I'd heard that while I was still working on it". On the other end of the spectrum, this semester I'm taking a sculpture class, and so far, everyone is constantly eager to share their opinions on other work, as well as receive comments on their own. We've only begun work on our first project so far (it's a semester-length project though) and already I've received some great ideas from others on my project, as well as given a few to others that I've seen them put to use. Sharing ideas and talking really makes the whole class feel like a community, and in the end, you're gonna have a lot more fun.
So don't forget! Communication is key.
On a personal side note, if any of you vast amount of readers out there know of any cures for insomnia, please let me know through email or the comments, my girlfriend's been having it pretty bad lately and we've tried everything we can think of.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Obligitory Introductory Post
'ello there!
So my name is Ian Johnson. And I am an art student.
And it is NOT all fun and games.
Art classes are demanding, expensive, time-consuming, expensive, frustrating, expensive, grueling, and did I mention it's fucking expensive? If you think that art is what you really want to do, you need to be prepared for that, and that's why I'm here. To warn you of the trials ahead, and hopefully make 'em a little easier on ya. If you're just taking an art class because you think it's an easy A, well...maybe take a Communications class or something.
So that's lesson one, I suppose.
Know what you're getting into.
That sounded delightfully ominous! Come back tomorrow for Lesson Two!!
So my name is Ian Johnson. And I am an art student.
And it is NOT all fun and games.
Art classes are demanding, expensive, time-consuming, expensive, frustrating, expensive, grueling, and did I mention it's fucking expensive? If you think that art is what you really want to do, you need to be prepared for that, and that's why I'm here. To warn you of the trials ahead, and hopefully make 'em a little easier on ya. If you're just taking an art class because you think it's an easy A, well...maybe take a Communications class or something.
So that's lesson one, I suppose.
Know what you're getting into.
That sounded delightfully ominous! Come back tomorrow for Lesson Two!!
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