Attention Basic 101 Lurkers

[sultry]

Please bare with me, this is long....

Okay, I know your out there & maybe a little too timid about posting in class. This is to let you know, We all have been there but due to posting & coming out of the lurking mode & joining in, it has caused us to learn so much more then if we lurked. I should know because I lurked on this site for a year before I did my first post. Now I am known as (affectionately called by my sweet classmates) Gabby. lol, due to how fast I received my 4 stars.

I just want all you Lurkers to know that if you have anything pertaining to any of the Basic 101 classes, please post them. You do not have to start from the beginning to just post your piece. Believe me, I am sure JayD, will agree with me. Everyone will gain when you post your work, because it gives all of us another artist's style to view.
Not to mention, it also gets a Lurker out of the just viewing mode & into the posting mode.

When I first came to WC, as I said before I was a Lurker for along time and I why? Because I saw such wonderful work and felt too intimidated to post my measly stuff. So I never posted in the main WC/ D/S fora. Well when JayD started the 101 courses, I was able to gather enough courage to join in. Believe me I was scared to, infact you could find my first post back then and see it was my first post to post in WC.

By joining this class, it has not only given me confidence in my work but it has given me an open mind to accept critique to improve my work instead of feeling offended and not good enough. Infact, it has also given me an eye to give constructive critique to other artist work, which I have learned from too. Last but not least, it has also introduced me to greatest bunch of artist who turned out to be kind considerate friends. That is a great value to any artist, to find people who care about you and can help you with your pieces because they see something you may not of seen and can show you.

I want to share with you my quality of work before 101 & what I just turned in class 14.

First pic is of my nephew who has passed away and I did this in mourning but it also healed my pain. I do plan on doing his portrait again.

Second pic is my BF. I will only show the top, since the bottom is not finished.

Soon I will be posting my daughter's portrait but that is taking time to do.

This thread is for you Lurkers to not be afraid to post your first post or for my fellow classmates/WC member to post their b4 & present work.

It is also for other WC members who would like to comment on how they joined too and how WC has helped them artistically.

I just want to give you Lurkers a chance to enjoy what we do.

[Ikneadaneraser]

Sultry_
I think this is a very warm and kind invitation! Great idea.
Personally, I could not lurk very long after finding WC!. I immediately saw the welcome to other newbies, and was just enticed in. I found the welcome mat to be sincere. I am very glad to be a part of the community here.

[mothsailor]

Great idea Sults! Personally, I think your "before" picture is pretty good, but you can certainly see the improvement. I hope anyone watching does join in...it's much more enjoyable on the inside. As you'll see from my two drawings, there's still a long way for me to go...but then, that's the point of doing it!

Before
After

[sultry]

Hey Jerry & Dave ty for agreeing
Dee asked for this awhile back to see the 101 class progress and I agree with her I would like to see it too. I do think there are some ~Quiet 101ers~ (ones following the classes but never posted) out there too. It would be nice to see them post something they feel have improved on.

Jerry I see such improvement in your work also, your self portrait is really something.

Dave, Ty for the compliment on my b4 & after

I think your b4 shows you could tackle stairs pretty well but I do love that college still life the bike makes it so interesting to look at. You can see how well you can contour now.

I have extended an invitation in PM to my classmates and many say they will post soon. So looking forward to it.

[rosebard]

Hi Sultry and all the lurkers around WC!!

I joined in WC last December, right way after I found it. I must had hit it by accident. I dont really remember, because I have so amused with this community. Lots of info, but above all lots of generous people who share their time and knowlegde to help people to grow yourself out.

WC has been a blessing place for me. The first thread I joined in was the Basic 101. I was very interesting in drawing and here I found the support and help I needed. I Have being painted since last appril, oil on canvas. But since I started join in this Class and all the threads that can help me achieve my goals my skills had improved tremendous. And I am sure I will do more and more. Hope to contribute to others like I received. Because that will be the only way to show how grateful I am.

Please join in the class. Participation will give you lot to learn from, and to us will be nice to see others work.

[Stoy Jones]

Sultry, you must be the cause of the increase of newbies we have been seeing this past week! I agree, such a warm invitation. I must add that whether it be in 101 or in the forum in general, posting does take a bit of courage. Although we feel that our ability (or what we may think of as a "lack") puts us on a bottom rung in the ladder in the group here, that isn't necessarily so.

What is important to know is there is no better way than to take on the mantle of learning and experience to get the full benefit of drawing...particularly the enjoyment of the process, even if it is just a hobby. Enjoyment comes from having more experience and knowledge that allows you to have more choices in your creativity, more tricks to further choices on how to render your subjects. The knowledge isn't complex or difficult to obtain, but rather "basic" to understand and accessible as JayD has made it. The challenge is in the observation, a point that JD Hillberry made in one of his posts. From beginner to expert, we are all faced with that same challenge as well as putting our own spin or stamp on the subject we draw or sketch.

Making the mistakes and having them pointed out constantly does take a tough skin and I face that daily with my wife who is very discerning. But, for those of us who need a confidence boost, know that every problem solved is one step closer to being a master of "your" own talent and artistic voice and not the next person's or the expected view of how a drawing should appear as far as a style.

It is good to know (and I have seen it here) that folks here do try to be gentle and complimentary, not only to make a person feel welcome, but to take in account of the person's level of ability and intentions for the drawing and base their critique around that.

Keep up the fine work Sults! Your hard work is paying off.

Stoy

[ct_sketches]

Hi Sultry and the others
First, thanks for the invite, very kind of you.
I am (sad to say) a lurker on the Basics 101. However, it's not because I'm diffident about my work; but because I'm not prolific enough to keep up and also do not have ready access to a scanner or a good digital camera (yet).
Mindset has a lot to do with how I draw (that's nothing new), and it hasn't really allowed me to devote exclusive time to systematically develop my art.
But I will say this...just looking through the daily threads, getting familiar with the members, following the discussions and techniques has not only contributed vastly to my development, but also made more defined the presence of art in my life. (Does that make sense?)
I really see that JayD is doing an amazing, amazing job leading this class and it's an invaluable resource for anyone who would like to get better fundamentals in drawing. Basic 101ers, you ROCK!

Chandu
Edit: I just saw I had a star to my name! WooHoo!

[bjcpaints]

Hi everyone. I was asked to comment in this thread as a student in Basic 101 which I have diligently followed from day one. Before WC I was trying to learn on my own from books (last July). Found that very difficult. My main reason for wanting to learn to draw is to become a better painter. I have had little or no art instruction in my life. In high school I was so bad at art; the art teacher gave me grades to do other things;model for the class (I was young and thin and had high cheekbones), clean the art room, he even gave me a 95 one semester to stop biting my nails! Lets hope public school is a little more concerned about class content these days! LOL Back to 101: The pace is flexible and the content is going to give you a solid foundation and also introduce you to subjects, various mediums, and techniques with which you will be able to hone your skills. As each week goes by and you progress, you will find you have more confidence. There is always someone here to help you if you get "stuck" on any particular thing. Learning at your own pace is so crucial to development. I am truly grateful for this opportunity I have been given and for everyone's participation.
Barbara

[sultry]

Hiyas Rose, Stoy, & Chandu

I must say Rose I liked your boats but that tree wow, the contour and shading is wonderful.

Thank you Stoy for very insightful words, I do think your sooo right about it being so hard to post. I also have my worst critique too, my BF but I am happy about it, because it shows he cares and is interested in my artwork.

Hey Chandu, you should not feel bad about posting too late because Jay does not have a set time for any of the classes. Please do post in the classes if you have something. You can stay in one as long as you need to. If your in class 1 till ten buck two, at least your in class.

This is not only for the 101ers by the way, I have extended the invite to all WC who would like to show a B4 & After WC. Us curious minds would love to see it.

& For the shy ones who do post here, I ask on their behalf to only give positive feedback. Some may not be ready for constructive C&C yet.

Hey Barbara, we must of xposted, ty for commenting.

[Deb Leger]

Hi Sultry

Got your invite! And am posting. Great idea!

I started the class at the beginning and have really enjoyed the challenges. I've had to draw things I never would have attempted on my own. And Jay has this nice way of asking us to draw things that we just can't refuse.

I've had to take a "leave of absence" for that past two (or was it three?) classes but thanks to the flexibility of the class, I'll be able to catch up on the past classes while still doing the current one.

I know there's quite a few lurkers in the class and hope this thread gives them the confidence to start posting! (Chandu, congrats on your star! And I hope you can get posting soon. Feel free to comment in class though, even if you can't post!!!) We still have people posting in the first class so it's never too late to start.

For my 'before' drawing, I'm using the pre-class drawing we had to do. For the 'after', I'm using a drawing I've done recently and am currently painting it in watercolour. And I also attached two "in betweens". (The snow-covered tree one is from the bran tub exchange just before Christmas - my partner dropped out without a word, so this one never got shown.)

Deb

Before drawing and the bran tub:


the current one being painted is the eggs and the collander:

[Reinhard1]

I would so much like to chip in with me "pre WC drawings but I am sorry I can't. Not that I would embarass myself, I'm doing that right now but I didn't draw at all. I was so thoroughly convincec that I can't draw, so I didn't. I doodled during meetings and phone conferences, but that was the extent. So whatever I can present now is the pure work of all those here in WC who were fiendly and cooperative enough to help me from my meager beginnings to my present state.

A word out to all of you lurkers from won experience. You don't know what you can achieve if you don't start.

Confucius said: The high mountain only fears the slow wanderer.

If you don't leave you will never arrive (Reinhard )

[SILKNSATIN]

Well I guess I should contribute lol

[kblack]

Thanks Sults for inviting me to post a before and after... I really want to thank those out there.. you know who you are - that have helped me in my drawing & sketching. I can see a big inprovement when I look back and appreciate all the support .. which is what keeps me trying ... even when I can't get over a hump.
I will post 2 befores... and then a recent .. as of today.
Karen

[*Deirdre*]

Well Sults,,,you wore me down! Here are some of mine from the 70's

Then I didn't do any more artwork until I started here in late 2003!
Rather than upload any more....if you want to see what I started with in my WC life...click on my name and look for the first or second thread I posted!

[SILKNSATIN]

OOps I forgot to post my after lol