Chiaro Fall 09：Assignment Final 4-4

Actually, I don't know what I can say about this drawing. Maybe "Finally I finish it!" is a good sentence. It is a combination of what I learn this semester. I am glade that I did it not bad. Thank god gave me this chance to come here and learn. And Thank my teacher Sadie for her teaching. She is really a good teacher. I am happy that I did all my finals well. But there is still a long way to go...

Chiaro Fall 09：Module 14: Figure Drawing (Cont'd)

The problem of block-in happened again. It happened on the lower limbs of the model I drew. I drew them too short and small. This time my measurement won the battle. I talked to Sadie that measurement should always be more precise than my instinct. She gave me a interesting answer. She said, "but our human body is not a accurate measuring machine." So, I believe that practice and practice must be the best way to improve my skill. It looks like that it is impossible to be a Lazy Artist. Alas.....

Chiaro Fall 09：Module 13: Figure Drawing (Cont'd)

Finally, we can start to finish whole painting today. The block-in was still my weakness of drawing skill. Sadie and I discussed about wideness of the model's shoulder that I drew. I drew it too wide. This time, instinct was winner. After I corrected the block-in, I finished this painting today. Come to school and draw is really a enjoyable thing for me now.

Chiaro Fall 09：Module 12: Figure Drawing (Cont'd)

We still practice to do block-in all day, today. I changed my seat to draw female model in the afternoon because I thought I was not good at drawing female human body. I needed more practice...

Chiaro Fall 09：Module 11: Figure Drawing

Today, we started to drew the real model. In fact, I was really excited about that I can have a chance to draw a real human body. Our Model is really professional and creative. Though we just did block-in practice today, he still made many difficult and interesting pose for us. After today's practice, I started to have some feeling about block-in. Remember some important trick and keep practicing will make me better....

Chiaro Fall 09：Module 10: Draw from Plaster Cast

The beauty of Venus's plaster cast proved that I was a block-in idiot, again! Trying hard to find the balance of measurement and intuition. Every time I thought I did it well, Sadie would come and tell me how many mistakes I made. I felt that I was a dog try to trace its tail. While I corrected one place and then it would make something else wrong. I really felt disappointed about my performance.

But I still learn something today. I found that there is something wrong with my way of measuring. And I have to have a foundation  point which is solid and won't be moved. In this way, my block-in will be better.

Chiaro Fall 09：Assignment 4-4

I finally finished this painting. Although after few weeks, while I took look at it again, I still can find some flaws in this painting. But I still feel proud of it. After complete rest of the dark place, I found that I really pop out the face of this young girl. It is really a cool thing. I believe that this painting is an important mile stone of my art life. Thanks for Sadie's encouragement to make me keep working hard on this painting....

Chiaro Fall 09：Module 9: The Human Head

Handouts：
1. Instructor's demo of Classical Optical Drawing


I tried to draw a difficult angle of human head today. What made it harder was the face of this head was in the shadow side. Today I heard something which benefit to me forever. While I was fighting with the face of this head, Sadie came and told me that I had to tone down the value of the dark side. She said. "you still can do light and shadow in tone down value." So, I started to try in this way, and it looked better.  

Chiaro Fall 09：Assignment 4-3

Though tomorrow is the due date, I still not finish my work. It is lucky that I still have a week to finish this work. Hope I can do it really good.....

ps. I feel sorry that I forgot to take picture of my unfinished work......

Chiaro Fall 09：Module 8: Planes of the Head

Handouts：
1. Head drawing - Optical
2. Head drawing - Anatomical
3. Head drawing - Constructive

I tried to use the way I learned from this class to draw the human's head for the first time. Before today, I just drew them by my instinct. The result seemed good. It looked better than those heads I drew before. I think I have  to remember this way and practice this skill more.

Chiaro Fall 09：Assignment 4-2

I forgot to take picture of my painting this week. I did it well but still made some mistakes.
I must remember that I don' t have to put too much contrast o the shadow part of the painting. It is very important thing to me, and also the mistake that I made it easily.

Chiaro Fall 09：Module 7: Plaster Cast Torso (Cont'd)

Handouts：
1. Essential Drawing Principles


It was a day that I gained some confidence to use charcoal. I think I did good job in doing value, though it is just a plaster cast.  Before this week, I had a hard time to struggle in studying over here. I doubted that if I can really adapt the life of studying art. What made me felt worse was that I cant' finish my homework on time. But after today, it seems that everything will be fine in the future.

Chiaro Fall 09：Assignment 4-1

The master painting I want to copy comes from this website:
http://www.artrenewal.org/pages/artwork.php?artworkid=9747&size=large

I don't know George Fredrick Watts at all before I chose this "Choosing" as the painting I want to copy. The reason I want to copy it is simple: I like it. It caught my eyes while I were surfing on the internet to find a master work to copy. I still did not do the block-in very well, and it affect my painting very much after I finished it. This is a good lesson that I should remember.  The other valuable knowledge I got is that Miss Valeri told me some technique to draw the face of this young girl in the painting.

Chiaro Fall 09：Module 6: Plaster Cast Torso

Handouts：
1. Skeleton Diagram Page 1 | Page 2
2. Muscles Diagram Page 1 | Page 2


Today we had a simple Anatomy class of human body. (As a Physical Therapist, it is easy...:p) It is a very interesting class. Those familiar picture and names of human skeleton and muscles made me felt that I was a medical student again. I still remembered how hard for me to memorize those difficult Latin words, and how hard to find the correct location of these structure on a real human body.  Think about Da Vinci, I thanked god for giving a chance to learn Human Anatomy in medical school. In this way, I don't have to struggle for it while I try hard to learn skill here. 


Drawing figures is always funny. Human bodies are beautiful and interesting. It is the main target for me to com here. I want to learn how to draw human body because I want to tell lots of story about people. Today's practice is a good example about how I need more practice. The teacher told me that it is very hard to make breast look like nature on the body. I have to say that I can't agree with her more. Look at my painting! It is really like a extra meat hang in front of this human body model. I have to observe more clearly and practice more...

Chiaro Fall 09：Assignment 3-3

I really hope that I can finish it before this semester end.

Chiaro Fall 09：Module 5: Fabric (Cont'd)

This was the last day we drew the drape. Our teacher Miss (or Mrs.?) Valeri told me that I did the good job about drawing value, and was kidding me that I finally stopped my waiting of doing value. Haha... maybe it is true. My skill of drawing value is better than straight line block-in. But maybe it is because that I don't have enough patience on straight line block-in, and hurry to the value part. I think that I can't be satisfied with what I have now, the reason why I come here is learning and improving my skills. Hope that one day I can do block-in as good as value.

Today's note：
1. Pay attention on every part of the whole picture.
    ( Use small brush on background...)
2. Use logical thinking on light and shadow block-in.

Chiaro Fall 09：Assignment 3-2

The next morning, when I heard my classmate asked me, "Did you use photoshop to do this?" for my sphere, I knew I succeeded in drawing a perfect sphere. Actually, this small success in drawing a perfect sphere had a huge effect on me. I started to believe that I can draw something by using charcoal. Before this, I tried very hard to control charcoal. The result were not stable, and I thought sometimes I was just lucky. 5 hours of working on just drawing a sphere was a very good  investment. Something changed...at this time...and I started to believe myself.

But after I finished my sphere, I was tired and didn't have much time on  light and shadow block in of the master piece copy. I think I did it so so....

Chiaro Fall 09：Module 4: Fabric

It is a tired day. I believe that I almost fell sleep while I was drawing, but i still heard something important in today's class. It is about being patient. I love the teacher said, "Being patient is to educate our eyes. If we can see more and precisely, we will do more." I just hope that before my eyes are well educated, they won't be too tired."

Chiaro Fall 09：Assignment 3-1

Handouts：

1. Assignment: 3 Week Assignment #1

2. Leonardo Drapery Image

Actually, it took me some time to understand what Da Vinci drew. I think this is something that will not come to my head forever, but it is such an interesting painting. Doing Block-in of this painting is very complicated and hard. The angles of feet are not easy to catch. Though sometimes I think the most difficult thing is usually the simplest thing,  it doesn't mean that copying this complicated painting will be a piece of cake. I still made a lot of mistakes when I was doing this homework. It looks like I still have a long way to go.

Chiaro Fall 09：Module 3: Composition

Handouts：

1. Composition Principles

2. Composition Exercises

Composition is always a mystery for me for a long time. Yeah~ my art teacher in elementary school has already taught me lots of the theories of composition: what is better and what is worse. I just can say that  I don't have talent to use these theory on my painting. I always use my feeling as my tool to compose my painting. Sometimes I tried hard to use these theories on my painting, but the result was  awful. On the other class, Drawing from imagination, the teacher said that we illustrators plan everything before drawing. I did plan, but not based on these theory. Art stuff is such hard things that I can't not just learn by my sense but also sensibility.

Chiaro Fall 09：Assignment 2

Handouts：
1. Value Assignment: Block-in Figure with Value

Prud'hon's work is amazing. After I learn more and more, I am impressed by this simple sketch more. I have no idea how he can catch the lines and angles of the human body so accurately.Unlike him, I think that I must be some kind of "block-in" idiot. After I spent lots of time on this homework and corrected it many many times. I thought I did it almost perfectly, but I was wrong. Although the biggest  mistake that I made was I put Prud'hon's drawing copy tilted, I made my drawing with longer legs and bigger buttocks. But I can't use this for my excuse. I am not good in block-in is a fact that I have to face. I come here for learning, so I hope that I can combine both my feeling and  technique to make perfect work one day.

Chiaro Fall 09：Module 2: Value

It was a day that I learn a lot again, though I still struggled with using charcoal to draw. I can remember that I drew my first sphere when I study in elementary school. No one told me how these shadows came from. My teacher just drew a sphere and made me imitate to draw it. I learned the characteristic of  light in my physics class in senior high school, but I never thought this lesson can be used on drawing. I think that I am always a slow learner. I still understand these knowledge little by little.

Chiaro Fall 09：Assignment 1

Though I don't want to admit, the language is still one issue for me to study here. The homework I did  looked fine, but I didn't do it correctly. What really happened was that I did understand the English on the handouts, but I can not trust myself. I was afraid that I misunderstood it, so I finish the painting. It was a good lesson to me.

Chiaro Fall 09：Module 1: Perspective

Before this class, I never heard about the idea of perspective. But it sounds reasonable, so I can accept it easily. Maybe there was a vague concept in my brain for a long time, and it became a clear expression today. Actually, after several weeks, I find  that it is very useful to me while I want to create environments. I am surprised with that people just discovered this idea about hundreds of years ago. I think I should feel lucky that I live in the 21st century and learn it from the class so quickly.

Chiaro Fall 09：Basic, Basic & Basic...

Actually, I still feel that everything around me is unreal. I have no idea if it is worth to come here, but life goes on.

Before I went to the class, I didn’t know everything about studying in Art school. Everything was strange to me. I brought all my brand new art supplies. Most of them were things that I had never touched in my life. And I haven't worked on any artistic projets for for a long time.