WEEK 1

SPRINT 1

September 17 — 24, 2020

"IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT IF YOU CAN'T DRAW."

Ask your art teachers why they gave you a smiley face on a drawing that did not look like a dog! Drawing is like math: 2+2 = 4 and not 3.9-something. Same accounts for drawing. If the proportions, shapes, lighting and angle aren’t correct, then a dog won’t look like a dog. Saying, if nobody corrected you how to draw right, then how are you suppose to know it?!

— Stan Kong, Industrial Design Professor ArtCenter College of Design

LOOKING INTO THE PAST

This is my first time looking at my childhood art pieces. My mother has kept them in 3 large folders, sectioned in early drawings until the age of 6, drawings until the age of 10, and teenage drawings.

I’ve always surrounded myself with those who could draw, but I never felt confident when sketching myself. I knew it didn’t look right but I did not know how to fix it. So I thought, you either have got it or not. Fact is, I’ve always loved drawing and crafting, but I haven’t had one single class or teacher showing me the skills to be able to draw in a satisfying way. 

„And that’s what people do: they draw something and it doesn’t look good…they put the pen away and give up, thinking they can’t draw. But everyone can get better with the right skills.“ Stan really touched my soul with those words and they completely apply to my background. Today’s first ACX class reminded me of how I’ve always enjoyed pens, colors, papers, strings, materials, crafting and painting. I also remember how restrictive my teachers were with the usage and freedom of the materials. I never felt I was fully allowed to access drawing with guidance and to be able to express visually what I had envisioned in my mind. 

Does looking at my early drawings will give me any clues on what went wrong for me? Did or didn’t I have talent? Could have someone recognized that I needed to explore more? Did anybody see how much I was enjoying it?

—

I was afraid to find out that there is nothing in those folders that would say „you are an artist or designer“. Interestingly I found quite complex and thoughtful pieces that I actually like and feel connected with. I like the chameleon, the watercolor underwater world, my linoleum cut self-portrait, the monkey as well as the dangerous plant pencil sketches.

LOOKING AT RECENT DRAWINGS

Being able to sketch and draw feels like a lifelong pain point. Why did I not try to fix it earlier?

I (still) think that I can’t draw and that you either have got it or not. I know that I must fix this false believe. Matter of fact, I have never really tried and have given up on drawing before even exploring it. By the time I graduated high school, I thought I would never be able to put together a portfolio to apply for art schools. And honestly, I simply did not know how to do it. I felt so afar from my dreams. As my parents always said „Corinna, you are an artist. But you know, artists don’t make money.“ So, I went for the best rational thing to do: getting a degree in business. At Pforzheim University I was at least close to the people who did study art and design. As for now, I am asking myself, again, why didn’t I even take one drawing class?! And yes, my answer right away is, it would be too hard to master. I didn’t think I would enjoy it because from my own experience I know that drawing real objets and people is very difficult (without any skills).

Okay. Let’s take a look at drawings for recent projects and see if I have naturally progressed from my childhood skills in any way.

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For diverse projects I sketched out ideas in thumbnail size, created visual mind maps, sketched roughly, and rendered my artwork in illustrator. I was very surprised when I started sketching for the ACX Graphic Design class, I took in 2017. When I was asked to bring back 120 thumbnail sketches, I thought I could not even do one. And then it turned out to be working somehow. I don’t feel uncomfortable looking at my sketches, nor do I feel proud. I think they are the way they are. For most part people understand what I am trying to say. Do I want them to look and feel much better? YES!

I REALLY WANT TO LEARN HOW TO SKETCH.

Everything creative involves sketching. An idea that needs to be recorded, thoughts that need structure, a mind map to kickstart a project, any kind of logo, when communicating with a creative team or simply to collaborate. For me there are many reasons why I want to learn how to sketch, but by far the biggest reason is to enable myself as a designer. For me, sketching is a fundamental part of design. There is no great design without a sketch. As designing itself, learning how to sketch is a continuous process and I am so glad to finally get it started.

WEEK 1 — SPRINT PLANNING

Writing user stories, planning tasks, and estimating time.

Planning out the week with user stories and tasks on the taskboard.

Setting a sprint goal: practice drawing basic shapes 10 pages each with confidence, practice hand lettering, create 3 versions of my designer signature.

WEEK 1 — USER STORIES

#1 As a student, I want to fill out the student form, so that my teacher gets to know me better.

 

#2 As a student, I want to have all required materials, so that I can make the most out of this class.

 

#3 As a student, I want do sketching exercises, so that I learn the basics of drawing.

 

#4 As a student, I want to create my designer signature, so I can brand and label my artwork.

 

#5 As a student, I want to scan my homework and send it to Stan, so that I can get feedback on it.