Joining Art Classes

One day a month ago, I decided to check out if there were any evening art classes that I could join.  I was really not wanting to be taught something but to have the opportunity to attend a class where I could just create, with a group, at a set time.  It seemed to be a good idea to schedule some time where I would make art.  I am finding it difficult to start making art on a regular basis.  Although I have produced more work in the past few months than I have over the past few years, I will not get a serious body of work without dedicating more time on a steady basis.  So I searched for print making classes, drawing circles, and nude model sessions.

Leipzig has several options that sounded interesting.  Two of my grade 12 students were interested in working from a model and so we tried an hour and a half drawing circle at the Kreative-Spinner in Halle 14 at the Leipziger Spinnerei.  We had a good time and made drawings of each other with coloured pencils.  Although we had expected to have a model, we enjoyed the session.

During the following two weeks a student and I tried a two hour figure drawing class at MÜHLSTRASSE 14 e.V..  It was great!  It was the first time drawing a nude model for my student.  I told her of my experience having a nude model at a summer arts camp when I was 14 years old.  I had not drawn from a model since being in graduate school 15 years ago.  It was such a fun challenge.  I am really looking forward to next weeks' session.

Attending these two sessions just happened to precede the drawing trip we had planned before Christmas.  We took the three grade 7 classes to Leipzig's natural history museum.  My colleague and I took the students to do drawings of the stuffed wildlife.  It was so nice to sit among the seventh graders and sketch the images of different animal types.  The task of recording form, pattern, and texture was so rewarding and having the drawings to use as demonstrations for the students worked really well.  It was a very relaxing hour with the students and a good time to get some practice in myself.