Assignment 6 - Lizzy Wolfe

Art class. Seventh Grade.

I drew as soon as I could hold a pencil in my hand. Art was required in elementary school. But I found a new freedom that year that furthered my desire to make art.

At my elementary school, art class was very structured. We all were taught to draw the same thing, outline it in sharpie, and color it in with the same colors. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy this, but the rules took away from the creative aspect.

My art teacher in middle school was the opposite. He encouraged us to create our own styles and have our own creative processes. We had guidelines, but we designed our own projects. The first “real” painting I ever did was a spin-off of “The Son of Man”.  Looking at it now it’s not all that great, but I had never been taught how to mix my own colors or properly paint. There was something about creating something with my hands that was absolutely exhilarating.