Speakers: Patricia Bendixen
Patricia Bendixen: Hello, my name is Patricia. I'm an expat who has lived in Norway for most of her adult life.
Patricia Bendixen: So how has Sketch awesome helped me as an artist? It's helped me become a lot looser in my style and my approach to things. Not to make the thought of a masterpiece every time frighten me, so that I just let go on the paper and live and enjoy and have fun with what I'm doing. It's helped me to create things that I didn't think I could create and it's helped me use the different media in different ways, place things on paper in different ways, how to draw the viewer's eye into what I want them to see. It's just generally taught me a lot more about art.
Patricia Bendixen: I'd really like to show you some of my sketchbook projects. I have lots of sketchbooks, but I did two, I filled two with Phil and we started fairly early on doing portraits, learning how to use the Loomis method. A very good way of learning how to do portraits and that's the first attempt at Loomis, and that was the results from the lesson. I also enjoy doing people - - it's another favourite of mine, and that was to a very early lesson actually. And we learned quite a bit about the proportions and different media. So that was one of my favourite lessons. I also very much like doing boots and shoes and things like that. So we had one lesson with a pair of boots. I've actually created a sketchbook with other boots and shoes. And we also do things like this. Not my most favourite, but I've learned a lot doing them. So that was that first sketchbook. I do have others that I really, really enjoyed doing here, and I'm just trying to find the one. As I said, I do like people, so these are sketches of people. And we had a very big favourite of mine, was the scribble project with just using a biro pen. Amazing what you can do with a biro! So that was a favourite. And I think the one that sticks out most in my mind now is the pop art one. That was really great fun to do. But I've enjoyed all of the lessons, absolutely all of them - - even the ones that aren't my favourites have become more of a favourite.
Patricia Bendixen: Would I recommend Sketch Awesome to other hobby artists? I would! I think everybody can learn how to draw. I think they just need the right teacher... Sketch Awesome has proved to me that anybody can draw. I've improved from day one, and I do know that. Yes, I haven't produced any masterpieces, not seen by the world's eyes, but by my eyes I have improved. I can draw things that I'm very happy with. Phil's lessons are very professionally laid out. They take the time. They show you the different stages. And then they give you the chance to do it yourself without having a time pressure on you. So anybody wanting to learn more about art should really try this. It's a wonderful way of learning. And apart from that, there's a whole group of students who are there to cheer you on, to come with tips and with ideas, and it's just a marvellous environment to learn to draw in. So why not give it a go?
