Getting back to "brass tacks" - drawing.

On my other blog, (the class assignment blog which is at ccedesign.blogspot.com), you can plainly see that there is still a lot going on around school. We have multiple assignments going on, and we are preparing for the Media Arts Review in mid-May, which is our year-ending capstone experience around here. I have been writing a lot about our seniors. While I know it is impossible to build a great department without great seniors - I am also aware that you have to have an "up and coming" group of great underclassmen to lead in the future. When it gets "down to brass tacks" it takes everyone doing their job on a daily basis. The students, teachers and administrators have to have the best interests of the students at heart on a day to day basis. I have found that we here at CCE are fortunate to have intelligent motivated people in all of those roles.

I feel very lucky to have some really strong people in place as sophomores and juniors. I feel that some of them are just now beginning to come into their own and will likely develop greatly over the next year as creative people.



There is one sophomore that I have to tell you about. Her name is Johanna. She is the most prolific sketch artist that I have EVER taught. She simply never stops drawing. I never thought that I would see a student who drew more than Isaac Romo, who graduated several years ago. I think this girl has even Isaac beat for having a non-stop pencil...and believe me, that's saying something. She draws her friends, she draws characters she invents in her mind, she doodles in class when she isn't supposed to be drawing, she is in a hurry to sleep at night so she can wake up and draw more. She brings in a visual journal that is full even before you know she has bought a new one. This girl draws and draws and draws. She is going to be scary soon, because now in addition to drawing with a pencil, she has begun to paint and do digital sketches on the Bamboo. Next year as a junior, I am going to assign her to a Cintiq station, and watch for your minds to be blown. I think that she is going to be unstoppable as a young illustrator. This sketch (Red Bull Love) was done when she was just starting to feel comfortable in digital paint and the pen and tablet. She does these now at a frenetic pace, and is working on a children's story about a bear and a bee. It will be done soon, and we are going to publish it here in class. Go Johanna!