Week One Exercises

Exercise 1.1

Using my sketchbook and a pencil or pen spend 3-4 minutes drawing a car. Then start over and draw it in 2 minutes. Then 1 minute. Then 30 seconds. Then 15 seconds. Then 5 seconds. Repeat with four other objects: a cat, a castle, a telephone, and a self-portrait.

Ok, so it took longer due to sheer laziness on my part. Anyway here we go.

While looking around Bookpeople in Austin, I came across Comic Art Annual vol 9, a rather thick and well designed magazine with huge articles about comic history and what have you. I also took note of a little book that it came with. Anyway, I bought it and looked at the little book on the way home. It was by the illustrious Ivan Brunetti and was titled Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice. Inside is about a 15 week course, shaped after a class he teaches at Columbia. My goal/project/whatever is to actually make it through the whole thing. Each week I'll post the exercises I have to do and if you, I suppose mainly and possibly only Kellyn, will bug the crap out of me until you see the end products up on here that'd be quite helpful. I need to buy a new sketchbook first, otherwise I'd have started already.

The first week focuses on spontaneous drawing. I've never actually timed my drawing speed, but I'm going to have to do most of the drawings in under 10 seconds.

The point of all this is to force my self to get used to making comics and drawing and what not. Also so I have something to do all semester, and sadly/awesomely this might be more rewarding than the two directed studies I've taken so far which together cost me over $5000. Such is life. Check back tomorrow for the first week's exercises.

With all the best intentions a new project shall, depending on my ability to wake up later today, began sometime later today. If I weren't extremely tired I'd type it all up now, but bed for now. Just check back later.