So much fun today. Teacher Carin is back, and oh, she is so nice. Encouraging, friendly, calm. Today we draw... dogs. She brings postcards of dogs to class, and all we have to do is draw. Left, right, blind. Crayon, charcoal, Conté. We can add texture to the drawings, things we find in the building. And the assignment for next week is to make some more, of different subjects and then make a small exhibition to prepare for the big admission exams in april...
Still working with the sculpture teacher. We had to bring an object from home. In class we are drawing it in different ways; right, left hand, eyes closed, different materials, etc. This is fun to do, even if it seems to lead nowhere. Then we're supposed to incorporate parts of the academy into the drawing of the object by 'rubbing.' I have no idea what to aim for, so I wander around not finding my thing at all. Teacher is very busy with other people, I get no feed back and get totally stuck. No pictures today. My drawings are garbage.
My last class here... oh, they've been so much fun! I am so torn if I should do another class here this semester... it's so good for me to keep doing it, but also it's a lot every week and I am curious to see if I can create some on my own.
Anyway, this last time we go back to the self portrait, but this time we are encouraged to let go of reality and dive into the abstract. A continuation of what we've been doing at the Rietveld. I recreate the drawings of faces I have done there last week. And then try to paint it. New problems occur. Where in a drawing a black line suffices, here the canvas asks for a different approach, so new things happen. I try to be loose again, use lots of water, and give it lots of layers. I like the result, it's fun.
Nude model
A real model comes to the studio. She's a little older, and a little obese, which gives us something to draw. She takes off her robe and poses for us with such ease... I am amazed and impressed.
We're working really fast because the lady cannot stay in her poses for too long. My Goodness, this is intense. The concentration is enormous. And it's quite hard! Difficult to get the whole body within the borders of the paper in the right proportions.
We're making many different sketches, with left hand, right hand, charcoal, Conté, on white paper, brown paper.
The teacher likes my drawings. They look like sculptures, she says...
We switched from sculpture to drawing today, and get a new teacher. I've so been looking forward to this. Drawing has always been my forte, and the teacher seemed so nice. The first class is not lost in introductions, but is spent telling short stories about the holidays. We wrote down keywords and started drawing what comes to mind on the back of rolls of wallpaper. These wallpapers will be on display at the Open Day of the academy in two weeks from now.
My drawings were nothing special, just doodles in pencil, so I did not take pictures. But it was nice to wander around on the paper, doing nothing spectacular, but following my own hand. I love the concentration and working in the group. Sometimes it's nice to walk around and see what others are making, some are REALLY good and I can feel quite intimidated!
Still life in acrylic and oil paint
I miss the second class, so no oil paint for me, but I feel free with the paint finally. I try not to think too much and I use lots more water than usual. It gives me more freedom than I anticipated and I like it.
So much fun today. Teacher Carin is back, and oh, she is so nice. Encouraging, friendly, calm. Today we draw... dogs. She brings postcards of dogs to class, and all we have to do is draw. Left, right, blind. Crayon, charcoal, Conté. We can add texture to the drawings, things we find in the building. And the assignment for next week is to make some more, of different subjects and then make a small exhibition to prepare for the big admission exams in april... 
A selection of our work is on display in the basement. I am there part of the day to represent the Orientation Year and I get to talk to potential new students about the ins and outs. Lots of young people with their parent, who sometimes confuse me with the teacher (ahum). It's nice to talk to strangers about what we're doing here. And to hear myself explain what it means to me. This school is not about painting a pretty picture, or mastering a technique, it's about finding authenticity in your work and about questioning what you make and why you make it. My big discovery so far is that the best things happen while I wasn't paying attention. And that things happen when you get out of your head. How to do that? By putting your hands to work. And then it all kind of happens by itself, or not... And that's okay too. Love it, absolutely love it.
It's back to sculpture teacher today, and she's giving a strange assignment: we have to all sit behind each other and feel our necks with our left hand. The idea is to draw the back of the person in front of us and to draw the feeling. What? Huh? How do you do that? Other people are so much better at this than me. I am constantly second guessing myself. And off course trying to please the teacher. When am I going to stop that? Anyway, I just do the best I can... it is what it is. Have a look:
We move on to self portraits. Teacher is not easily satisfied. I don't like my first drawing, but think the second one's okay.
After this, the teacher tells me to buy bigger sheets of paper downstairs and make big drawings while standing. That brings me to a new way of drawing, more free, more me.
Nude model
