While I was studying drawing and painting at the University of Utah I recall one of my professors making a point about the amount of time it takes to make a drawing (or painting). While the drawing may have taken me 15 hours to do, it also required all the skills I've developed and the experience I've gained in my life up to that point. So that particular drawing would have actually taken me 15 hours, plus 31 years. (I think this was a concept from a famous artist, but I'm not sure who. Do you know?).
That idea has stuck with me and it's proven more true over the last year and a half as I've begun a more serious pursuit of drawing and painting at the
Hein Academy of Art. I'm more dedicated and consistent with my art than I have been in the past, and I'm receiving great instruction from
Jeff Hein who is helping me train my eyes to see and understand how to accurately depict a 3D object or person onto a 2D surface. Jeff is very talented, but he's also put an incredible amount of time into perfecting his craft.
I've learned about the 10,000 hour rule, which basically states that it takes a person approximately 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to master a skill. A few weeks into my studies at the Hein Academy I started keeping track of the hours I was spending on each assignment. I've decided it would be interesting (for me...not sure if anyone else will find it interesting) to start a blog of my progress and the amount of time I've spent on some of my drawings. I've enjoyed reviewing the progress I've made in the last year and a half and will begin posting some of my previous assignments over the next while.
The drawing below, on the left, is the drawing I did on my first day at the academy (June 2010). To be fair, I probably only spent a few hours on it and my more recent drawings have taken months to complete, but that has been part of the process. Understanding the amount of discipline I need to have to really draw something right. On my second day I learned from Jeff that our goal on each drawing is perfection...that's not asking too much, is it? Well, I'm learning to make my drawings as perfect as I can, which is a higher standard than I've ever held myself to.
The drawing on the right is my first model drawing at the academy.
In May 2011, after 60.75 hours of pure drawing time, I completed the skull drawing below.
I don't keep track of the time I spend on the model drawings, but I would guess this was about 6-9 hours. I wasn't able to finish it because we changed the model's pose.
Last July I completed this drawing using black and white charcoal. For the assignment I wanted to draw something more interesting than the casts of Beethoven, Roman guys, Lincoln, and others, that I usually choose from at the Academy so I found some items at home. The wooden box on the left has been sitting on the bookshelf in my parents' home for as long as I can remember. I recall using it as one of the gifts presented to baby Jesus during my childhood Christmas nativity reenactments. That memory prompted the idea to draw three objects of differing materials that could represent the three gifts of the magi. It was a fun challenge drawing the varying surfaces of wood, brass, glass, and silver. To continue the theme of my blog, I'll mention that I spent 43.75 hours on this drawing (which was less than I expected going into it).
On Saturday my nieces and nephews reenacted the nativity story as my dad read the account from Luke. The three wise men used the three gifts from my drawing. I particularly enjoyed our two little lambs, and we were surprised to discover that sweet baby Lia didn't mind lying in the manger.
