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Re: drawing conclusions

Posted By: MACK!
Date: WED, 2/21/01, 5:44 p.m.

In Response To: drawing conclusions (Dustin Parker)

Hi Oliver,

I've jsut always had a passion for making things. As long as I can remember. With words, pictures, found objects, or whatever.

When you have a passion for something you do it ALL the time. SO naturally you get better at it and also try to learn specific tps and tools from books and classes.

But a lot of what Dustin said below is a good point.
People can be taught things. How to drive a car or how to draw realistically.

But I think that everyone can already draw. But some people feel that if it doesn't look like a photograph then it is not "Realistic' or good. And I should point out that I draw a lot for myself but those drawings are only sometimes in any neighborhood close to realism. WHat I would suggest is drwing the way that you enjoy or have passion for and let it grow from there. Start with your passion that makes you do it all the time and then add on more nuggets of knowledge and craft from anyplace that you can. Then you can choose from this toolbox.

Classes can help you polish your craft, or even give you basics of understanding. But by doing it all the time is when you actually LEARN it.

: I think that the common misconception is that being able
: to render things realistically is an intuitive trait
: for an artist, when in reality a good draftsman is
: educated to be so. Its just a skill, anyone can be a
: good draftsman, some are naturally better because of
: how they process information. But for the most part,
: if given the proper amount of time and devotion anyone
: can learn to be a good draftsman.

: However, I do believe there exists a separation between
: the artist and the draftsman. Imagination and
: creativity play a larger role than the actual skill.
: You can teach a person to draw, but you cannot teach a
: person to be creative. I’ve seen a lot of great
: draftsmen who were poor artists, simply because they
: were simply human copy machines, they might as well be
: photographers. They were failing to make any statement
: or to do anything beyond the expected.

: As far as college is concerned---I’d be very careful in
: selecting a school. You want to receive a well rounded
: education and work in a free environment. You want to
: be in an environment where experimentation is
: encouraged and the fundamentals are well established.
: I know of schools that only teach oil or only teach
: abstraction or whatnot- - there are a lot of elitist
: professors and universities that for some bizarre
: reason think that to be a good artist you have to
: mimic them, and paint as they paint- - which is
: absurd. So be very cautious. I have a friend who went
: to Graduate school in New york City, and his
: instructor only spoke to him once during the entire
: year. He would stop in and say this sucks or that’s
: good without giving him any real feedback or any real
: advice or criticism. So he was wasting all this money
: teaching him self how to paint.

: And more importantly college is just a place to get
: feedback, what is learned is learned on your own. So
: read and do lots of painting and drawing. Read art
: history, and read lots of it because it will teach you
: more than most painting classes will about painting.

: Read about De kooning and Pollock and Picasso and Rivers
: and Bacon and Close and Kahlo and Klimt and Warhol and
: Basquiat and the hundreds of other great artists that
: have graced us with their brilliance. Read about
: impressionism and abstract expressionism and pop art
: and American realism and minimalism and fauvism and
: romanticism and cubism and post-impressionism.
: Read
: Learn
: And share with other students
: Throw away any preconceptions and just learn
: A good artist is an educated one
: So read
: And not just about art
: Read about religion and politics and science and whatnot,
: because art is merely a reflection of all these other
: things and it is important that you are aware of the
: world in which you live.

: And I agree that MACK is an awesome artist >> and
: you should look at the list of artists he acknowledges
: in the back of Metamorphosis and start reading about
: them.

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Messages In This Thread

NEW: Learning to Draw (Mack?) -- Oliver -- TUE, 2/20/01, 10:09 p.m.
NEW: Not Mack, but... -- Victor -- WED, 2/21/01, 7:57 a.m.
NEW: Re: Not Mack, but... -- Oliver -- WED, 2/21/01, 3:40 p.m.
NEW: Re: Not Mack, but... -- Andrew Croskery -- WED, 2/21/01, 4:07 p.m.
NEW: drawing conclusions -- Dustin Parker -- WED, 2/21/01, 10:23 a.m.
NEW: Re: drawing conclusions -- Oliver -- WED, 2/21/01, 3:41 p.m.
NEW: Re: drawing conclusions -- MACK! -- WED, 2/21/01, 5:44 p.m.
NEW: Re: drawing conclusions -- Synesthesia -- WED, 2/21/01, 6:02 p.m.
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