Drawing by Hand

My last post was about the need for students to get a good basic foundation in drawing skills. Yesterday I read an article in the Spring 2009 issue of American Artist Drawing Magazine by Bob Bahr, managing editor, about the same issue.

The article, "A Return to Drawing by Hand at MICA" quotes Rex Stevens, chairman of Drawing and General Fine Arts departments, "Young people these days see so many more images per second than I did at their age. Between YouTube, video games, TV and animation, it's all quick clips. We spend a lot of time helping them learn to sustain their vision."

The article continues " Until recently, new students seemed intent on scanning rough drawings and altering them in image manipulation software such as Photoshop. Some students even worked from a photo of a still life on their laptop's screen--when the actual still-life setup was just a few feet away.....The new crop of kids want more. Everyone knows howto use Photoshop. Now they want to learn handskills, to have a tactile experience....They want to make it look accurate, they want to know how to capture light."

Get a copy of this issue of the magazine and read the entire article. If you know anyone looking for a good art school to attend, have them check out MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art).