Hello, its Hello, its Lillie, I’m back from my pre college session at MCAD. I’ll be splitting up the details into several different blog posts, so the information isn't overwhelming. This is the third out of three blog posts, I recommend you read the first two if you haven’t.
The tenth day of the session had me analyzing graphic novels and different newspaper covers for my Art History class. I was really inspired by all the different graphic novels from a wide variety of artists. In the future I want to make graphic novels so it was very helpful to see such a wide spread of artists and stories in the genre. In Ideation class, I started on my final project; A short comic about a tree I loved growing up and my connection with it. I worked on it in my comic class since I had already finished my work. We had a special lecture in the evening about Art History within movies, with different clips to demonstrate what my instructor was talking about. We had our last critique in comic class, I was given some really insightful critique about my inking style and potentional artists to look at to influence my work. For the last portion and class and for studio hours we scanned and edited our comics for a booklet all the students in the class received.
We’re in the final stretch now! My last Art History class was on the history of Graphic Design and how its developed over time. I presented my comic in Ideation class, commenting and dissecting other people's work as well. Since everyone was done in comics it was a very relaxed day, we watched Into the Spider Verse throughout the class, we were also free to draw whatever we wanted.
The final day of drawing I once again drew a nude model in my drawing class, this time on toned paper. I love using white charcoal for lighting and was very proud of the final figure drawing. In comic class we went over the booklet, changing any errors. We also folded the booklets for ourselves and some for the exhibit the next day. We also had to cut off the excess on our pages so they would be presentable when hung on the MFA walls.
The last day was the exhibition. All the students spent the morning hanging their work in the MFA Gallery. I was pretty confident in my hanging, since I’ve been working at the UNC Galleries and have previously helped hanging work. Before the exhibition, I was able to have dinner with my mom and grandma, who flew in from Colorado and Tennessee respectively. We then went to the “graduation ceremony” we were shown the work of the animation students and I was presented with a certificate of completion. We then headed to the MFA Gallery and viewed all the work done by students.
Overall, I had a great time at MCAD. I learned a lot about a wide variety of aspects in Art. I feel like I’m a better artist and I have some great pieces for my portfolio as a result of participating in this program. If someone wants to do a session like this I definitely recommend it! Do take into account your financial means. These sessions are expensive, especially if you plan to buy supplies and eat out. If a session like this isn’t for you, check out your local resources and contact those who may have suggestions about local classes being offered in figure drawing, painting etc.
That's a wrap on my summer at MCAD! I hope this was an enjoyable read and served as a great glimpse into an experience I won't forget!
