Dried Fruit
Welcome back!
This past week our students in the Observe and Draw class examined dried fruit. Each class is mailed a box filled with all the materials they will need for the semester. Our Observe and Draw Material Box included some slices of dried fruit.
Dried fruit is great to draw due to its texture. However, we had our students take their drawings to the next level with some watercolor paint.
The most important thing when it comes to this class is understanding the real meaning of observation. Most of the time we are drawing from memory. We draw what we think and know the fruit to look like. We draw what we remember the fruit to look like. However, there is a big difference in drawing from observation and from memory. In this class, we take the fruit one part at a time and have the students draw little by little drawing what they really see. This skill takes time and patience, but is a great skill to practice at a young age so that we do not develop the habit of drawing from memory.
We first had our students observe and draw their dried fruit slices. Each slice is different and it was nice to see how each student’s drawing varied. We had the students draw the basic shapes they saw first.
We then had our students work with watercolor paint. We chose watercolor paint as the medium because of the shine and tones of the dried fruit. There is no other medium that would depict the colors of the dried fruit better than that of watercolor paint. Our students learned how to mix water and paint to achieve their desired tone. It was great to see the students experimenting with the level of water to mix the paints and adjust the ratios. Watercolor paint is really such a fun yet challenging medium to work with, but our students did a great job.
The weather is beginning to get warmer and the COVID-19 situation is getting better due to the distribution of vaccines. However, Asian hate crimes have become a serious issue. Coming from a Korean family myself, it is scary looking at the news each morning. I tell my mother numerous times a day to stay home. “We’ll go grocery shopping together on my day off.” It’s insane what the world has come to. The other day a 35 year old was attacked while throwing out the trash right in front of her home. When will New York get a grip? Why are minorities attacking other minorities? Isn’t New York a state of minorities? When will it stop? Protect yourself, your loved ones and stay safe. We’re in this together. #stopasianhate