The topic that intrigued me the most in the "hard questions" section was "the single most important concept you have learned." Before I answer, I must explain that before I ever considered myself a writer, a student, a musician, a laborer- before anything... I was simply an artist.
When I was a kid, I thought visual art like painting and drawing was going to be my only focus in life. Before I began kindergarten, my mom had taught me the alphabet, numbers, and how to write my name. But, drawing was something I had actually practiced on my own time. When I was seven or eight years-old, my mom met a lunch aide at my elementary school who gave art lessons. Her name was Miss Medd. I went to her house once a week and she gave me a drawing lesson for one hour. It didn't feel like a lesson. It felt like hanging out with someone who had endless encouragement, exciting knowledge, and cool art supplies. It felt like I was cut short every week. My mom gave the lady ten bucks, and I had to go home.
Aside from her sweet personality, artistic talent, and exotic furniture, I think I mainly loved Miss Medd because she talked to me like I was another human being. I didn't feel like I was eight years old and she was sixty. I felt like she was my friend... who knew a lot more stuff than I did. This brings me to the most important concept I've ever learned. On my first lesson, she whipped out a book called "Drawing With the Right Side of Your Brain." I was left-handed. So, it would come easily to me, she said. Each lesson consisted of working on a drawing together. She had lots of ideas, but, I could draw whatever I wanted. If I chose a picture of a sexy model from a magazine, I would just sit there and try to draw it, as she worked on a drawing of a bunny rabbit or whatever. As we drew, we talked about whatever was on our minds. As I hit obstacles, she gave me tips. Sometimes she would demonstrate how to use a new medium. But, mainly... the bulk of instruction came when I first began a new sketch. When I began a face, she told me to stop drawing a face. She told me to look at shapes around and between features. The most important concept I have ever learned is the concept of "negative space." It was like all she had to do was remind me, and with that idea in the forefront of my mind, my art improved immediately.
When one begins to draw, or create anything for that matter, they must break it down into sections; they must start somewhere. So, most people consciously think "OK, I'll start with an oval for the face, then the eyes, then the nose" etc. We think in terms of positive space. When we see an image of a girl standing in a field, we call it a "picture of a girl." At a glace, no one thinks about the ground she is standing on, or the distance between her and the tree in the background. In order to draw something from life, you must always consider the relationship the subject has with its environment. In order to get an image of a person anatomically correct, one must test the relationships between the lengths of the arms and the torso, the distance between the ears and the shoulders, etc. etc. etc. This concept gave me a whole new way of looking at the world around me. It showed me the importance of understanding the interconnectedness and relationships between everything. It improved my ability to replicate and reveal life.
When I was a kid, I thought visual art like painting and drawing was going to be my only focus in life. Before I began kindergarten, my mom had taught me the alphabet, numbers, and how to write my name. But, drawing was something I had actually practiced on my own time. When I was seven or eight years-old, my mom met a lunch aide at my elementary school who gave art lessons. Her name was Miss Medd. I went to her house once a week and she gave me a drawing lesson for one hour. It didn't feel like a lesson. It felt like hanging out with someone who had endless encouragement, exciting knowledge, and cool art supplies. It felt like I was cut short every week. My mom gave the lady ten bucks, and I had to go home.
Aside from her sweet personality, artistic talent, and exotic furniture, I think I mainly loved Miss Medd because she talked to me like I was another human being. I didn't feel like I was eight years old and she was sixty. I felt like she was my friend... who knew a lot more stuff than I did. This brings me to the most important concept I've ever learned. On my first lesson, she whipped out a book called "Drawing With the Right Side of Your Brain." I was left-handed. So, it would come easily to me, she said. Each lesson consisted of working on a drawing together. She had lots of ideas, but, I could draw whatever I wanted. If I chose a picture of a sexy model from a magazine, I would just sit there and try to draw it, as she worked on a drawing of a bunny rabbit or whatever. As we drew, we talked about whatever was on our minds. As I hit obstacles, she gave me tips. Sometimes she would demonstrate how to use a new medium. But, mainly... the bulk of instruction came when I first began a new sketch. When I began a face, she told me to stop drawing a face. She told me to look at shapes around and between features. The most important concept I have ever learned is the concept of "negative space." It was like all she had to do was remind me, and with that idea in the forefront of my mind, my art improved immediately.
When one begins to draw, or create anything for that matter, they must break it down into sections; they must start somewhere. So, most people consciously think "OK, I'll start with an oval for the face, then the eyes, then the nose" etc. We think in terms of positive space. When we see an image of a girl standing in a field, we call it a "picture of a girl." At a glace, no one thinks about the ground she is standing on, or the distance between her and the tree in the background. In order to draw something from life, you must always consider the relationship the subject has with its environment. In order to get an image of a person anatomically correct, one must test the relationships between the lengths of the arms and the torso, the distance between the ears and the shoulders, etc. etc. etc. This concept gave me a whole new way of looking at the world around me. It showed me the importance of understanding the interconnectedness and relationships between everything. It improved my ability to replicate and reveal life.
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