Chalk... A New Territory

In my life drawing class, my professor gives anyone in II or III the chance to do whatever they want the second half of the course. Well, since I am in III and working on my thesis, I am basically just trying to do things I think would work really well for my thesis... abstract figurative drawings.

Well, in life drawing, I am pretty conservative. Conservative in the materials I use, I mean... c'mon, it's life drawing, how "conservative" can you really be when you are drawing naked people for hours? Unlike my vibrant paintings, I like to draw in black and white mediums... preferably charcoal or graphite pencil. Well, at our midterm critique, I had one drawing with a bit of color in it. My professor, who is also my current thesis advisor, told me that I should really consider expanding and branching out with color in my drawings. I was hesitant... I kind of really like my comfortable, charcoal world... and it probably helps me in the fact that I know how to use the material fairly well. BUT, I took her advice, and I am starting to use chalk pastel.

I bought a box of good pastels today from Blick. I experimented the other day in class with color, and I know it's just going to take a lot of getting used to and some good practice. I just need to keep on going... keep on going... keep on going. Right now, I feel like I am in a basic art class again, learning how to technically use different mediums. CONFESSION: I don't like being the new person. I like to be the one that knows what going on and how to do things. I don't want to look stupid or incompetent. But now, I feel like I really look like it. The first drawing I did the other day makes the male model look like an alien (that's what I get for using lime green on his skin) and I just wasn't happy with it.

This is new territory for me. Chalk, that is. I think it is an amazing medium and I LOVE it when other people use it, it's just a matter of me not getting so caught up in being a perfectionist and instead, just loving the process. Hopefully, I will get over my self-consciousness in time for my thesis show so that I could have some really solid chalk pieces in there... we'll see!