Great work, Just-B!. Like you, I had to learn to draw things “just like a photograph!” because that is what was expected of an artist in the small town where I grew up. I would cringe every time I heard that phrase, but I was too shy to say what was really on my mind (“IF I WANTED A PHOTOGRAPH I WOULD HAVE USED A CAMERA!”). Nevertheless, drawing with realism was excellent practice study and a useful skill that made my less realistic work easier in the long run.
Several years ago when my wife and I were on a cruise, I had the good fortune to be invited to the ship’s control room. There were a multitude of electronic gadgets and control panels for navigation and getting the ship from one port to another. I asked the Captain what would happen if all the electronics failed while the ship was at sea, and he told me, “No problem. Every operator on the ship knows how to navigate without electronics.” Interesting—That’s why I think it’s funny that so many young graphic designers and commercial artists I have known, grew up creating all of their art on computers, but can’t create a simple pencil drawing.
Thanks PopsD! When I was in my university art program, we had an assignment to spend a couple of weeks drawing a one-square-inch section of a dollar bill. The objective was to get it as close and precise as possible.
I remember lots of people, including other faculty members, were dismissive of this being more about copying than art. That might be true, but it forced us to pay attention to the smallest of details and have patience regarding those details, which is a great thing to be able to do when needed.
Hah, reminds me of the dragon-cat mash-ups my daughter draws. She’s in an Honors Biology class this year, with an assignment to “design your own organism,” and early sketches of her lycanthrope-o-raptor are chilling.
