When I initially set out to dedicate most of my time to art a few months ago, I started very small. I thought I'd sketch a little, read a couple of books and then find some community somewhere.
However once you give yourself the luxury of time, things open up, and - you open up. My couple of books became a whole shelf of art reads. My one sketchbook became a whole A1 paper storage with beautiful drawers filled with paper I've always dreamed of. And my "somewhere, sometime, I'll find my tribe" quickly became three different courses I go to every week at the Art Academy London.
The search for a short class led me to finally consider going back to college. After a series of considerations, I've ended up enrolling into the online Open College of the Arts. Together with the short courses, I find it a good start into my studies.
We're right in the middle with all three short courses now so I have more to say but here they are briefly:
Developing Drawing
This is a drawing class lead by tutor Francesca Corra. Each week we follow a different theme like Expression, Line, Reflection. It opens up new ways of both looking and drawing for me that I can use in personal practice. You can read up more on it here.
Drawing in Museums
This is an on-location drawing class lead by tutor Natasha Lien. We visit a different museum each week and again follow a different lesson each time. I'm loving the experience of drawing in public and gaining confidence to do this on my own soon. You can read up more on it here.
Feminist Art History
I've booked this class on a whim two days before it started, hoping it would be a light palate cleanser for the general frustrations I've encountered with studying this so far male-dominated field. The class proved to be much, much more. Our tutor, Dr. Sarah Lightman present us a different lens each week through which we look at several women artists, all largely new to me. I am thoroughly enjoying this class and it will be guiding my studies for years to come. You can read up more on it here.