Speaker: Jenny , UK
Jenny : Hello there my name is Jenny, I live in Weymouth, England, and I've only been painting and drawing since I retired, which is about two years ago.
Can you show us some of the drawings that you've created with Draw Awesome?
Jenny : Before I show you some of the drawings that I've done on Draw Awesome, I'd like to just emphasize how really terrible I was at this before I started. So I mean here, for example, is a picture I tried to do of a Robin and here, I also have one that I was that I was following. I was following a portrait drawing course and I sadly ended up with these... I mean they are just hideous, just hideous, terrible.
Jenny : But as I said, since I've been doing Draw Awesome, I'm so much better at proportions and things. This here is my absolutely favorite portrait that I've done so far. Isn't that a lovely old elderly gentleman in full colour? I mean it's just amazing. I've learned so much about putting colour into images as well as proportions. This is the portrait I'm most pleased with.
Jenny : Yeah, I've got a couple here with small drawings of landscapes. I don't know if you can see or not, but I've got quite good perspective in both of those two there.
Jenny : Oh yes, look, and here now is a proper Robin. Now that's a bit better than the first one, isn't it?
Jenny : This is a gorgeous picture of a chameleon that I did. Look at the detail! I could never have done something like that before. It's crazy and bonkers and I didn't even trace this. I drew this by hand.
Jenny : And my animal portrait that I'm very pleased with Is this one here. This is all in pastel pencils. I'd never used pastel pencils before but I really enjoyed doing it. And this was one of the projects from just a few weeks ago. Now I did actually trace this one to get the proportions correct, because I wanted it to be absolutely perfect. And I'm really, really pleased with it.
Jenny : I produced this wonderful young lady here using pastel pencils. That was my very first portrait which I'm very, very pleased with.
Before starting Draw Awesome, what art skills did you struggle with?
Jenny : I've tried doing painting and drawing in the past. But to be honest with you I've been absolutely awful at it. I cannot draw - - well I could not draw. I can draw now! I couldn't draw for toffee. I would have to... to produce a piece of art, I would have to either trace it or I would have to get a ruler and a protractor and a compass and all kinds of measuring tools just to get anywhere near to creating something like the image.
Jenny : Say it was a landscape. I couldn't even do a landscape without a compass and a protractor. It was just... I was rubbish at it. So I kind of gave up over the years. I mean I've I've tried it on and off but I've really not been successful - until now.
How do you think Draw Awesome has helped you?
Jenny : I can now visualize the proportions of things. And although I'm mainly still copying at this stage, I've just got so much more skill. It's unbelievable and I've tried lots of different mediums that I hadn't tried before. I found some that I really like, some that I really don't and and it's just increased my confidence and my enjoyment amazingly.
So what do you like most about the Course?
Jenny : The things I like most about Draw Awesome are that right from the very start, Phil Davies didn't presume that you knew anything at all. He started with how to hold your pencil and how to sharpen your pencil and all kinds of simple things like that. But I didn't realise it was so important to being able to produce a good drawing. And as I've gone through it I've learned how to use all of my art materials. I had some water colours but I wasn't applying them properly and my drawing skills have just improved so much. I cannot overemphasize. I've used lots of lovely new materials that I hadn't thought of before. That I hadn't thought of using like pastel pencils.
Jenny : My husband is absolutely gobsmacked by how how much I've improved. And it's all because Phil is a very good teacher. He goes into a great deal of detail so that you don't have to guess anything. He starts with very basic things and builds you up very, very slowly and right from the start, right from the very first project, I've been amazed at what I could do when I was told how to do it.
Finally, would you recommend Draw Awesome to others?
Jenny : Honestly, this course I thoroughly recommend. It's such good value for money, Phil is an amazing teacher and I would definitely recommend it. It's fantastic value for money. Much better than anything I've ever tried in the past and it's the most success I've ever had!
