Today, I decided to start my art classes that have been moved to online due to the virus. Nathan had a pencil set and we shaved down one of them to look like what I used in class.

I had to create an easel somehow with paper but be able to have it upright so I could draw on it. I found a cardboard box that a record came in so it was small and binder clipped the paper to it (like they do in class but with an actual easel).

The in-person class is two hours on a Saturday morning but I was thinking I could one hour blocks at home (depending on my focus each day). There are two instructors that wander around the room since each student is in a different spot and course (we have our own books and follow the instructions/steps). Now the online course can’t have the same instructional interaction (of course), so there are built in videos with the same steps from the course book.

I am on Course 2, which focuses on tones. Course 1 was teaching you the sketching method with shapes and proportions. Unfortunately today I was only able to get through two chapters before I hit a road block – there are supplies needed that I don’t have (charcoal sticks, sanding board, white pastels, and some others). I went and ordered what was available on the online store, which wasn’t everything. The very next chapter needed me to use the charcoal sticks so I had to pause.

It will be interesting once my materials arrive, how it will work without an instructor to gauge my progress and answer questions. As a teacher myself, it is fascinating to see the boundaries of educating yourself without a physical body to check in with!