Drawing by Donald Aidala

Drawing

My interest in art began at an early age when in grade school I thoroughly enjoyed art class, particularly during the Holiday Season when the variety of art subject themes available made it challenging but a fun time to look forward to. Early on, I was always interested in capturing a likeness in a drawing, but never pursued any kind of formal art instruction. It wasn’t until my mother-in-law, some forty years later, encouraged me to draw and paint with more ambition. She herself was an accomplished painter in oils, acrylics and watercolor. It really wasn’t until I retired from engineering in 2014 that I started to take some local formal courses in drawing, watercolor and acrylic painting, and to work in these areas with any consistency.

With an engineering background I tend to focus on details which can sometimes be a double-edged sword in both drawing and painting. Trying to capture the essence of some scene, animal or person without overdoing the details, as well as trying to be expressive, are some of the challenges I face in art. Although I am interested in improving my drawing and painting abilities in capturing all types of subject matter, I do have specialized interests in animals and people because I am fascinated by the variety of moods, expressions and movements which they have to offer.

In reviewing the Drawing Academy Course syllabus, I find that it has the sequential structure and level of detail I am interested in which I feel would most benefit me in my quest to improve my art. I firmly believe that to paint well requires strong foundational drawing skills which the Drawing Academy Course places great emphasis on. I believe that this teaching platform coupled with the genuine desire which I have to learn (I’ve been taking science and math professional development courses most of my life) would be a good recipe for success in art. As to why people should vote for me, I can’t say that my reasons are nobler than others with a similar desire to improve their artistic capabilities. I can however say, without reservation, that if I were to win the Drawing Academy Course, that I would take advantage of the entire toolset which the course provides to become a better artist.

I am submitting a practice portrait drawing in graphite which I tried from an art book I recently purchased entitled “Lessons in Masterful Portrait Drawing” by Mau-Kun Yim and Iris Yim. I also included the reference photo used for the sample.