DRAWN IN: A couple of days ago, from a post on a home schoolers' group on Facebook, I learned that we can access Great Courses free through Seattle Public Libraries via a platform called Kanopy.com. (If you're not in Seattle, lots of schools and libraries are Kanopy members, so check the site to see if you can access it, as well. In addition to Great Courses, there are tons of free movies, including a Kanopy Kids section for the littles.)
Once I logged in to Kanopy, I browsed the Great Courses catalog. I was looking for a formal art class for Annabelle, and Found "How to Draw." Annabelle spends hours a day drawing, so I figured it would make sense for her to take the class and learn some new chops, so to speak.
We started watching, and were surprised to learn the instructor is David Brody, a professor at the University of Washington. How about that? He's just right up the road from MPA. Brody has a MFA from Yale, and was both a Fulbright Scholar and a Guggenheim Fellow, which is pretty darn impressive.
Here's a trailer for the class.
The first class started off with a brief overview of the history of drawing, and Professor Brody shared his opinion that anyone can learn to draw and/or learn to draw better. He said many art experts note that learning to draw is about learning to see. The first lecture was interspersed with encouraging quotes from famous artists, including, "Don't wait for inspiration, it comes to one while working," attributed to Henri Matisse. Professor Brody contended that art is like any other subject taught on the college campus in that it's hard work and hours of practice that result in a better outcome.
Professor Brody also shared a quote from writer and watercolor artist John Ruskin: "I have never ... yet ... met a person who could not learn to draw ... there is a satisfactory and available power in every one to learn drawing ... just as all persons have the power of learning French, Latin or arithmetic."
Ruskin, a self portrait, 1875
This afternoon, Annabelle and I watched the second lecture, which was all about drawing materials. I found it absolutely fascinating. I had never been instructed on how to properly sharpen a pencil you're going to 'art' with. We learned about the grades of graphite pencils (did you know how much clay the graphite is mixed with dictates their hardness), and about charcoal and ink. We also learned that the metal cylinder that holds the bristles of a paintbrush is called the ferrule.(I am going to try to use that word as often as possible, going forward, ha ha.) We were also instructed about how to set up a work area. They were such simple, useful tips, all of which can help people produce better art.
DOG IN ORBIT: Recently, Boeing released footage filmed inside their Starliner space capsule during its recent test flight. As is common in space travel, a stuffed animal was used to help capture the moment when the ship slipped into low gravity. Boeing chose an Astronaut Snoopy for their flight.
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-011520a-snoopy-boeing-starliner-video.html
Hopefully before too long, the stuffed animals will have real live animals (humans) along side them. Unfortunately, the test flight Snoopy was on didn't go perfectly. the craft misfired and wound up in the wrong orbit, and unable to dock with the International Space Station. That, naturally, means delays for a human test flight.
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