COMPLETION OF THE ONLINE ART COURSE
It is hard to believe, but I have now completed the online art course, DrawAwesome. I began in November last year, after seeing our teacher Phil’s ad on YouTube. I do not regularly respond to YouTube ads but there was something that piqued my interest about this one. I clicked the link and took his free introductory tutorial. He talked a great deal of sense, pointing out the shortcomings of many of the art tutorials and courses online, and explained that he could teach us how to observe like an artist, and practise our skills in a fun way that wouldn’t feel like work.
I have been creative all my life, and most of the work I have been doing in recent years has been mixed media, experimenting with different materials and techniques, and making interactive books. I really enjoy this. However, I have always lacked skill in drawing and painting in the fine-art style. I haven’t really needed to use this in my normal work, but I’ve lacked confidence and often wished I could draw better.
Taking the course seemed like a golden opportunity, so I signed up. It was very much a spur-of-the-moment decision. Looking back, I can’t believe how life-changing it has been! I have learnt so much. I now have the confidence to tackle any subject I want.
It has been such tremendous fun! Some of the modules were less enjoyable. I really couldn’t get on with charcoal, but I stuck that one out till the end and was pleased with my final projects. You don’t know if you really like or dislike something till you’ve given it a fair trial. I don’t think I shall be returning to charcoal, though! Even if I didn’t like the medium, the whole month spent on that module was further opportunity to practise my observation skills.
I struggled throughout with proportion and angles, but I have improved with practice. I am sure that in time it will be second nature to me.
The final challenge
Each module consisted of three projects directed by Phil. We would follow along with his videos and draw as he directed. The fourth project of each module was a self-directed challenge, where we would put into practice what he had taught us that month, but without him holding our hand.
The self-directed challenge in the final module, Drawing on Grey, was different. As it was the last challenge of the whole course, Phil instructed us to do anything we wanted. It could be a subject we had enjoyed most in the course, for example landscapes, or animals, and in a medium or media of our choice. Completely open-ended! This could have made the choice almost impossible!
As it was such a significant challenge, I wanted to do something very special, and different. I wanted to put my own stamp on this, and somehow to celebrate my achievement in completing the course, but also to put something back; to express what the whole experience meant to me.
A big thank you to Phil
Above all, I wanted to express my gratitude to Phil – this excellent teacher and dedicated artist. His method of teaching has brought me to where I am now. I still look at the work I have done since beginning the course, and cannot quite believe that I could have achieved such a high standard.
I gave my choice of subject a great deal of thought. What I eventually decided to do was a portrait of Phil himself. I chose a screen grab from his initial introductory video. To celebrate my completion of the course, I framed his portrait with a montage of tiny photos of the work I completed during the course. Each module is represented, sometimes more than once. I created the layout on my desktop publisher, arranging the small images around the edges of the paper, overlapping them slightly, and adding drop shadows. I also incorprated the “DrawAwesome” logo in light grey, which I later emphasised. I printed this layout onto Neenah Bristol Vellum paper (8 1/2 x 11 inches) which is lovely for drawing on, and thin enough to go through the printer, which is a huge advantage. Once this was done, I was able to draw the portrait in the centre. Finally I drew a text banner across the bottom of the drawing, and added the date.
The whole of the hand-drawn aspect was done with Amazon Basics coloured pencils.
Thank you, Phil, from the bottom of my heart. What you have taught me in this course is life-changing.
