My Journey in ART
Starting Later in Life
My journey started ten years ago, and it’s been one of discovering abilities I never would have imagined. I had never held a drawing pencil or a paintbrush in my hand, and at the age of fifty-four, I didn’t believe I could achieve the art skills I have today.
My First Drawing Class
At my first class, I was given the task of drawing a self-portrait. I sat there, looking in a mirror, knowing this was not going to be easy—and it wasn’t. I struggled, but I survived. With each step I took, and with the guidance of great instructors, I developed skills I never thought I could learn.
Learning to See Like an Artist
Like all beginning students, I started drawing with graphite pencils. I learned to see the shapes and angles in things. Negative space, vanishing points, and horizons were concepts I never imagined were part of art. Then I journeyed into “the dark side” (as my teacher says when she wants me to increase contrast by darkening values), which brought all those shapes to life. It was amazing—something I never thought I could achieve. To this day, my graphite pencil is still my starting point for every piece.
Discovering Color
My journey then led me to explore color in art. Using colored pencils and pastels, I ventured into blending, highlighting, and shading. This allowed me to use color to express my ideas when creating an art piece.
Over the past ten years of this journey, I’ve learned so much—and I know there’s still more to discover. When I finish a piece and sign it, I take a moment to look back at what I’ve learned and accomplished. I could not have achieved any of this without the knowledge and patience of all my instructors at ART+Academy.
— Alice
