Speakers: David , from USA
David : Hello my name is David Marsh, I live in Carlsbad, California.
Can we see some of the Draw Awesome artwork that you're most pleased with?
David : A couple of examples of my work that - - again, these are from the pastel modules. I love this because it took a simple still life, like a avocado cut in half, and you can turn it into a very pleasant picture... ...just by shadows and by positioning the shapes on the paper. Some examples of graphite or the pen - I'm sorry, the graphite pencil. I really enjoyed doing these. I would never have attempted to try this myself, but with Phil guiding me, walking me through it, step by step, it made me feel comfortable to try it. And so the very next day I went out and did my own version of a street vendor. And again, because I didn't have Phil walking me through step by step, it didn't come out quite as well, but he gets you to do... ...this is an example of my charcoal module. And again, I like doing it so much - I didn't think I would - because it's not colourful. Charcoal is messy. Charcoal is smears. But that's part of the beauty of it. And so I went out and did another charcoal painting on my own. So what is so beneficial to me is learning how to see and think like an artist. Looking at negative shapes, abstract shapes, negative space - - and then breaking down what's interesting in the picture - - what's not interesting. And so this is what the Course teaches you and it takes a while and he goes over and over again and Phil's a very good teacher. He tells you what to expect. He kind of... ...anticipates that you're gonna say, "man, this is this is looking really messy, I'm not gonna be able to redeem this picture!" But yet if you continue to follow, follow along and trust him, it comes out looking okay, comes out looking pretty good! And you'll end up doing things that you would not normally do, you know... ...again - charcoal. Yeah, and developing your ability to draw what you see and not what you think should be there. And I think if nothing else, it's that learning the ability of those negative spaces and the abstract shapes that you're placing on the paper brings the composition together.
Before starting Draw Awesome, what was your level of art experience and what did you struggle with?
David : Prior to taking Phil's course, Draw Awesome, I had been painting water colours for a good 40 years on and off because as you know, life happens, children come along... ...mortgages, jobs come and go. But I have become pretty advanced in my watercolour skills. However, my compositional skills was quite lacking, especially in perspective... ...and no amount of watercolour skill is going to compensate for poor composition. So that's what interested me in taking a class like Draw Awesome.
How do you think Draw Awesome has helped you?
David : I feel that taking Draw Awesome had helped me quite a bit in my compositional skills. This is an example of work that I have done before the class and you can see it's kind of fun, it's flowing, it's loose... but but you can see the lines are a little wonky - the perspective is a little off - and this is the type of work that I'm doing now. A little bit better perspective a little bit better, more interesting... ...more interesting. And my watercolour skills overall have improved quite a bit. One thing I like about Draw Awesome - - it leads you to to try new mediums and one medium that I was introduced to was pastel pencils and this is an example of an assignment that we was given to do in one of the Modules that we go through and it came out OK - - and I enjoyed pastel pencil so much, I decided to do my own portrait in pastel of one of my favourite actors. And Wow! It turned out good! So it's interesting to try new mediums that you would not otherwise try.
Finally, what are some of the things you like most about Draw Awseome and would you recommend it to others?
David : I heard about Draw Awesome from a friend that I was taking a watercolour class with and we was talking about the class and how we enjoyed it. But I mentioned... "I wish the class would incorporate some drawing techniques, some compositional skills along with the watercolour instruction". And she recommended that I take Draw Awesome. She had taken it and she, thought she grew through it and I would heartily recommend it to someone else. It gives you the opportunity to try new things. It gives you the ability to capture a scene that speaks to you. That's exciting to you. That has some fond memories for you... ...and to capture that and put it on a sketchbook or watercolour sheet, or canvas and have it and you can capture that excitement that you first experienced when you saw the Eiffel Tower for the first time and the Pantheon for the first time. So I would heartily recommend anybody who wants to improve their drawing skills and improve their painting skills - - as I said earlier, no amount of watercolour skill is going to compensate for a poor composition and Draw Awesome gives you the ability to... draw awesome!
