moosehead
Member
- Location
- South western Ontario
From my high school days......I decided before entering high school I wanted to be a cartoonist and in order to meet that lofty goal I had to enroll in the commercial art class.
Well, the classes included drawing flowers, flowers in flower pots, pots and pans, more flowers and an occasional building...No cartooning which it appeared to be not exactly in the Van Gogh class. We also had to attend the pottery making classes. That was ugly....Basically trying to make a shape of something from mud. Well, maybe not mud but really gloopy (That's an actual word.) and which was easily made into muddy type snowballs which some of the guys threw at each other. Being suspended from pottery class for two weeks was the punishment. Accepted with thanks.
We also had what was called field trips. Off on a bus to the large forestry area, art supplies in hand, to draw and/or paint flowers in the wild which, as compared to drawing flowers in a class room, was an improvement. Also included in our assignment was the task of "observing trees." Our Art Teacher, Miss Graham....Around whom the school had been built, or so the rumour went....Had this love affair with trees. She knew the name of every tree in the forestry area. I'm not kidding. She had a name for each tree....AND her favourite song EVER, as she told us was "I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a tree..." Which she sang to us thankfully only once....
" And, over here we have the mighty oak tree. This particular oak tree has been here for 74 years! Yes, that long! I have named this mighty tree Richard. Observe the strength of this tree.....And over there, in the clearing...."
One of the guys wanted to ask her if she was the one who planted the seed for Richard but thought better of it.
After her ongoing speech about the trees off we went to spend the rest of our visit drawing wild flowers. I also included, in my work of flowery perfection, a chipmunk. Miss Graham was not impressed. Maybe I shouldn't have included sunglasses on the beast.
So I hung in there as we slowly moved away from the flowers to such objects as chairs, tables and larger pots and pans. So far no cartooning. I was going to approach Miss Graham and ask her about her thoughts on a cartooning career. Thought better of it as one morning she made a comment about a famous cartoonist who had been a student in her class many years before. According to her he had potential to be a very good artist but now he was only a cartoonist. Point taken.
Anyway, Miss Graham informed us that we would, next week, be sketching a human form. What? Yep, a live model. I assumed it might be an imported tree of some sort but, nope, a live person type model. Wait a sec.....Could it be??? The guys were wondering if it might be, you know, an unclothed type of model....Like in the art books the guys quickly leafed through. Maybe all the flowers, pots and pans, chairs, tables and lectures about the wonders of trees was leading to the ultimate goal! Well, to the guys. The girls were not impressed. With the guys, not the upcoming assignment.
Well, the big day arrived. Miss Graham led us all to the large art room which, until this moment had been off limits to first year art students. We entered this huge room and all set up were the easels.
All the guys rushed to the easels set up around the area where the model would be. Like, front row. All the girls just sighed and accepted the idiocy of the boys. Miss Graham climbed up onto the stage area and told the students to welcome the model.....Which we did with a smattering of applause. The atmosphere was palpable.....Well, the girls only sighed yet again.....
So, from behind the curtain emerged our model. The guys grins changed from anticipation to ahhhh no....
Miss Graham introduced our model. His name was Bruce. As he removed his robe I noted Miss Graham stumbled as she left the stage area. That happens when you are not watching where you're going.....As for the guys one could hear the groans of disappoinment. As for the girls well, their sighs become much more audible....Along with the giggles.
Bruce took his position and Miss Graham ordered us to begin sketching. Miss Graham, as she walked around checking our sketching wasn't too impressed. Actually, as for my sketch, she said it was too cartoonish which apparently did not meet her standards. The sunglasses I added to my portrait of Bruce might have been a bit much.
Anyway a week or so later Miss Graham made an observation that changed my lofty goal. She suggested that most of the boys in the class would probably be better served in the plumbing course.
I now "cartoon" in my spare time which, being retired, keeps me somewhat busy.....
Well, the classes included drawing flowers, flowers in flower pots, pots and pans, more flowers and an occasional building...No cartooning which it appeared to be not exactly in the Van Gogh class. We also had to attend the pottery making classes. That was ugly....Basically trying to make a shape of something from mud. Well, maybe not mud but really gloopy (That's an actual word.) and which was easily made into muddy type snowballs which some of the guys threw at each other. Being suspended from pottery class for two weeks was the punishment. Accepted with thanks.
We also had what was called field trips. Off on a bus to the large forestry area, art supplies in hand, to draw and/or paint flowers in the wild which, as compared to drawing flowers in a class room, was an improvement. Also included in our assignment was the task of "observing trees." Our Art Teacher, Miss Graham....Around whom the school had been built, or so the rumour went....Had this love affair with trees. She knew the name of every tree in the forestry area. I'm not kidding. She had a name for each tree....AND her favourite song EVER, as she told us was "I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a tree..." Which she sang to us thankfully only once....
" And, over here we have the mighty oak tree. This particular oak tree has been here for 74 years! Yes, that long! I have named this mighty tree Richard. Observe the strength of this tree.....And over there, in the clearing...."
One of the guys wanted to ask her if she was the one who planted the seed for Richard but thought better of it.
After her ongoing speech about the trees off we went to spend the rest of our visit drawing wild flowers. I also included, in my work of flowery perfection, a chipmunk. Miss Graham was not impressed. Maybe I shouldn't have included sunglasses on the beast.
So I hung in there as we slowly moved away from the flowers to such objects as chairs, tables and larger pots and pans. So far no cartooning. I was going to approach Miss Graham and ask her about her thoughts on a cartooning career. Thought better of it as one morning she made a comment about a famous cartoonist who had been a student in her class many years before. According to her he had potential to be a very good artist but now he was only a cartoonist. Point taken.
Anyway, Miss Graham informed us that we would, next week, be sketching a human form. What? Yep, a live model. I assumed it might be an imported tree of some sort but, nope, a live person type model. Wait a sec.....Could it be??? The guys were wondering if it might be, you know, an unclothed type of model....Like in the art books the guys quickly leafed through. Maybe all the flowers, pots and pans, chairs, tables and lectures about the wonders of trees was leading to the ultimate goal! Well, to the guys. The girls were not impressed. With the guys, not the upcoming assignment.
Well, the big day arrived. Miss Graham led us all to the large art room which, until this moment had been off limits to first year art students. We entered this huge room and all set up were the easels.
All the guys rushed to the easels set up around the area where the model would be. Like, front row. All the girls just sighed and accepted the idiocy of the boys. Miss Graham climbed up onto the stage area and told the students to welcome the model.....Which we did with a smattering of applause. The atmosphere was palpable.....Well, the girls only sighed yet again.....
So, from behind the curtain emerged our model. The guys grins changed from anticipation to ahhhh no....
Miss Graham introduced our model. His name was Bruce. As he removed his robe I noted Miss Graham stumbled as she left the stage area. That happens when you are not watching where you're going.....As for the guys one could hear the groans of disappoinment. As for the girls well, their sighs become much more audible....Along with the giggles.
Bruce took his position and Miss Graham ordered us to begin sketching. Miss Graham, as she walked around checking our sketching wasn't too impressed. Actually, as for my sketch, she said it was too cartoonish which apparently did not meet her standards. The sunglasses I added to my portrait of Bruce might have been a bit much.
Anyway a week or so later Miss Graham made an observation that changed my lofty goal. She suggested that most of the boys in the class would probably be better served in the plumbing course.
I now "cartoon" in my spare time which, being retired, keeps me somewhat busy.....
