msmithartblog

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Practice is Perfect For Aspiring Artists

My experiences with Charcoal from Highschool to College

Using charcoal as an artistic medium is difficult and it's normal to see students in art classes struggling to use it, both in high school and college. My first experience with charcoal was the basic sphere and shadow. Mine was not the best looking in the class but it wasn't the worst.

Later in that class, we had to draw an animal on a giant sheet of paper. I came out of the project with an octopus. It wasn't amazing but better than bad. My teacher entered my drawing in an art competition to which it won nothing (It was not impressive or unique enough to win but it's the thought that counts).

Afterward, however, I found that I enjoyed charcoal drawing and continued it as a new little hobby on the side. I still wasn't perfect but I had learned and taught myself and gained a better understanding of how the medium can be used.

Now traveling a few years in the future from my 10th-grade art class, I'm doing my best at a community college as a fine arts major, and my drawing class, towards the end of the semester, started the charcoal unit.

The first out of our last two projects was a 2-point perspective which I had spent over 8 hours working on. I got into the small details and put every bit of effort possible into it. Looking at afterward I see the small mistakes and bits of unrealism but from an outside perspective, it looks like a photograph. My mother had even lightly scolded me on the phone for sending her a random black and white photo of a hallway.

As I do for all of my projects before critiques, I looked at my drawing on the giant blackboard next to all of my classmates' drawings and thought it was the worst thing I have ever created but was surprised by less criticism and more compliments and praise.

Moving on to the white charcoal on a black paper project, I regrettably picked what I think was a boring composition. Only working on the project in the class, I finished early, spending extra time perfecting details, even using my Exacto knife to cut my eraser to a small point in order to erase freckles on a pear.

Once again It became time for group constructive criticisms, and once again looking at my drawing on the giant blackboard caused my anxiety to spiral. I convinced myself it was not good enough and rolled back around to what will I even do with a fine arts degree? After waiting for the group's attention to move to my project, I explained my strengths and weaknesses, and once again I received no criticism and instead received compliments and praise.

The charcoal experience from high school and from my free time turned out to pay off with an A for both my charcoal projects in my drawing class. Now comparing all my charcoal projects, I see that with time and practice, you can only get better.

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Sketchbook and pencil in Hand 24/7

I have always been known to be the art person in my family and now even more so, working on getting a fine arts degree. I can see myself having a full time job in the art field and selling my personal art on the side for fun. 

I have never been found without a sketchbook since I was a tween. Both my parents possessed a talent when coming to art. My mother became a successful hairdresser and nail tech instead of her original path of being a fine arts college graduate. While my father gave up on his dream of being a car detailer to work in horse and animal care. 

I believe my family always knew I was going to start my adult life in this direction. When I was a young child, crafts was my go-to in finding a way to entertain myself. Cutting up paper to make hats, or drawing in the front blank pages of my grandmothers murder mystery books which she filled our shelves with. 

Maybe it was the vandalizing of books and paper of all sorts or maybe it is the piles and piles of full sketchbooks and art supplies I have horded dating back to 7th grade. 

In my opinion the biggest way to be successful and happy as an artist is having confidence in your work and your talent. While I wasn't confident in my abilities for many years I started to take pride in my work since realizing my love of art. Not comparing myself to others and only to my past self is the biggest step I took. You can only ever gain more experience and practice but there is always going to be someone with more as well as there is less. The way you know you are a good artist is being better than you were before. 

[msmithartblog]

What is a Zentangle?

I never noticed zentangles until learning about them in a class. You can see them in just about any adult coloring book if you know what you're looking for. Just flip through one at any grocery store and you are bound to find at least one. Zentangles are a fun, relaxing, form of art usually done by pencil and pen on paper but can be done on other mediums of your choice. There are no rules to zentangles, only learning how to make them. It's a fun art project anyone is able to do. There is no need to be a professional artist or to spend much time perfecting it. Just start with a basic shape or line and make repeated patterns. You can find patterns already made up by searching ‘zentangle patterns’ in google or you can make your own. I find myself unintentionally doodling zentangles on my notes and sketchbooks when I'm bored or having a hard time focusing. I recommend zentangles for someone who needs to destress and find a new relaxing hobby.