COLLEGE ART chapter 53

The instructor for my art class was a stickler about getting lines even and straight and curves smooth when lettering. We were never permitted any drafting type tools to assist. We needed to know how to do it free hand. I always through I could draw straight line until I got in that class.

The instructor was pleasant enough. She gave very helpful instruction and taught us some tricks of the trade. After we met her initial criteria, she showed us various tools to help and make things go faster and look more professional. I liked that better.

The class also included creating ads. She would place an object or several objects in the center of the room and have us create an ad. “Treat it like still life,” she would say. Because there was no adjustment once you got started, we had to do 20-30 mock up sketches, discuss them with her and then choose one to begin our project.

We moved on to landscapes using the campus as our classroom. We went home with assignments to draw our neighborhood. I did a pen and ink sketch of my house. I was attracted to old run down things. Now I wish I still had that drawing. I have no photos of the whole house. I drew part of the school building. These drawing allowed me to combine architecture with art.

We moved onto figure drawing working with poses and a focus on various parts of the body: hands, feet, face with a concentration on portraits. We also drew several full body clothed sketches and only one boy was asked to take his shirt off. I won’t deny that I nearly feel off my stool the day a young lady came in wearing a robe, climbed into the posing stage in the center and dropped her robe to reveal — all of her. I didn’t know where to look. The guys at the shoe store were often posting Playboy women where I would run into them, but those were photos covered somewhat discretely (in those days), but this was a real live flesh in blood college girl sitting just a few feet in front of me and naked as a Jaybird (are Jaybirds really naked?). The instructor treated this like a normal thing. Maybe it was in her world world, but not in my world. I never saw that in the syllabus.

Shelly sat next to me. She was a cute redheaded freckled face girl that turned beet red. I thought she was going to faint. She could not draw that girl. For the entire first human figure class she drew figures (with clothes) and never looked up. I didn't know where to look. I was very embarrassed, but because of fellow salesmen I had learned to control my embarrassment. I didn't want to give them the satisfaction. This model and a couple of others came in off a few more times before the end of the semester. What took the entire class aback was the male model we had only one day near the end of the term. Only a couple of girls clearly enjoyed the show. He had his back to Shelly and I. Admittedly that was more comfortable for both of us.

There were two guys I went out with a few times who were facing the model. I wasn’t near them but you could tell they were having a good laugh and making rude comments (knowing them).

It was second semester before I finally asked Shelly out. We went to eat and then took in a movie. She was nervous and getting more nervous as the night went on. She seemed afraid of me. I could not figure it out. I had done nothing to scare her, in my mind. I had not tried to hold her hand or put my arm around her. As we were getting back to her home she told me this was her first date. We talked about it while she kept her head turned. She was petrified when I walked her to the door. She was afraid I would try to kiss her. I didn’t. I thanked her for the evening and it was over.

At our next class she moved further away from me. I was disappointed, but understood. We never dated again and I really missed the girls from my Christian circle. We could have fun together. Maybe I had made a mistake about the church.