I will never be an organic chemist, but I sure can draw spoons and cups. (Things I learned in college)

I’M DONE FOR THE SEMESTER!

I’m done. I’M DONE! And I will be for quite a while, since next semester I won’t be taking classes. Instead, I’ll be on co-op full-time.

Which I might as well be. This semester has burned me out. 

The classes were harder, everything was time-consuming, I took on too many part-time jobs again…

But it’s fine! Because college is a learning process, and I sure did learn a lot!

THINGS VY LEARNED THIS SEMESTER

In her advanced writing class:

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In her genetics class:

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In her organic chemistry class:

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Alright, so that may be an exaggeration. (Besides organic chemistry.) But to be honest, I really only enjoyed one class this semester. Of course, it was the class that had nothing to do with my major at all: Drawing Foundations 1. But it was that class that I feel as though I learned the most!

I think.

THINGS VY LEARNED FROM HER DRAWING CLASS

How to draw a naked old woman.

Remember this lady? Well, here are the results of my labor!

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(My parents: “Why is she so saggy?” Me: “WHY DO YOU THINK?”)

How to draw lots and lots of kitchen utensils.

I refuse to draw another goshdarn cooking tool for at least a month. Here’s why:

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I AM NEVER DRAWING ANOTHER SPOON, CUP, OR BOTTLE AGAIN.

Charcoal is the silliest drawing medium out there.

…because every time I use it, I end up looking like this:

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Okay, I did learn real things, I swear. I improved! I really did! I mean, my self portraits went from this

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to this:

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Also, I can draw imaginary cities now!

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Really, though, this is the class that was the most… fulfilling to me, I guess. All my biology classes are full of boring, Powerpoint lectures, useless memorization, and seemingly pointless information. They’re challenging, but for the wrong reasons. My art class pushed me out of my comfort zone, forced me to think and draw in ways I hadn’t before. It was tough, and at times I wanted to give up– I even considered dropping the class– but in the end I really tried hard to produce good drawings.

It was worth it, I suppose.

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Happy holidays, everyone!

When a bio major takes an art class

If you just look at my blog, you’ll know I’m not that great at drawing. It’s pretty clear that the only thing I know how to draw are people, and even then those people are frumpy and cartoony and disproportionate.

And if you read my blog, you can probably can tell I like comics. I do. One of my dreams is to, one day, publish my own comic book. Of course, with my art skills as they are right now, this probably isn’t doable. My imagination is restricted by my sheer lack of drawing skills. This is sad. This needs to be fixed.

So I thought that it would be a great idea to take an art class this semester. Foundations of Drawing 1, to be exact. I could learn art! Learn to draw! Improve my art skills!

Except, I forgot that this was college. Where we are graded on merit in addition to effort. Also, I forgot that I was a biology major.

My first day of class looked a little like this:

I was pretty nervous. I was the odd man out, after all. What was I doing here? I can’t draw the way all these kids can!

I knew I would have to try hard to get a good grade in this class. Our first assignment was to go outside and draw landscapes. So, on a nice fall afternoon, I went out and sketched…

The results were less than spectacular.

Our second assignment was about composition. We were to draw objects and try to frame them nicely. I tried my best, and…

I actually really love my art teacher. She’s super-nice, really fair, and very sensitive about critique. She understands people who are coming from another major, though she still expects you to produce good work. However, she’s also an art teacher. Like how some people don’t understand scientific jargon, I don’t really get art terminology.

So I was really nervous when I handed in my first graded homework assignment. Every homework we hand in is peer-critiqued. In other words, we hang everyone’s stuff up on a wall and bash them, one-by-one. I knew my homework was bad…

I’ve been struggling a bit this semester, as my classes (especially this one) have been more time-consuming. I was also convinced that I was going to fail this drawing class. I seriously considered dropping it, and called my sister in a panic.

I decided that it all hinged on what I received on our first graded homework assignment. The one where my composition was poor, that is. Our professor handed back our work…

I GOT A B! I got a B. Despite my art being awful, I didn’t fail!

And that is probably the only time I will be happy with getting a B.