Jul 13, 2015  •  In Aerin, Art/Design, Claire, Personal

5-Minute Pencil Studies

Once upon a time, I considered myself an artist.

I attended studio art classes twice weekly. I even considered attending an art college — and in preparation, I devoted the summer vacation before my senior year in high school with 5-hour portfolio classes every weekday.

I was accepted to some of the best art schools in the country. However, I decided to pursue a more “stable” future and decided to attend a traditional college instead. That being said, one of the reasons I chose JHU was for its affiliation with the prestigious Maryland Institute College of Art.

I only ended up taking a couple of classes at MICA, and haven’t done much drawing or painting since college. I subconsciously put that part of my life behind me.

So last week, when I felt a sudden and overwhelming urge to draw something, I first became confused…then excited! I quickly grabbed a #4 pencil and a gum eraser from my dust-covered ArtBin and turned my attention to a subject I know, cherish, and study every day: my children.

sketch_aerin

It was only a 5-minute sketch, so it’s not perfect. But I like to think that I captured Aerin’s essence well.

I showed the portrait to its subject and she immediately recognized herself and smiled, which was the greatest compliment I could’ve asked for. I then turned to Claire, but my shy older child asked not to be drawn.

But the next day, she agreed.

sketch_claire

Claire was considerably more difficult to capture, as her features are less pronounced than her younger sister’s. Just as I had concentrated on Aerin’s strongest feature — her eyes — I decided to concentrate on Claire’s hallmark: her slightly smiling, pursed lips.

My ability to draw doesn’t seem to suffered as much as my skills with the piano or violin, and for that I am both glad and grateful. I think I will continue to draw and paint more in the future; I had almost forgotten how much joy it can bring me!

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3 Responses to “5-Minute Pencil Studies”

  1. Juliette Kim says:

    You’ve got some talent, lady. You can make money at fairs drawing pics of people if you needed extra cash. 😉

  2. Lucy says:

    wow these are amazing!!!!!

  3. Sunny says:

    This is really good!!!

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