My first two years of art school, loaded with 3D classes. First year had mandatory ceramics and sculpture courses as well as design which included 3D components. I continued with sculpture into my second term and added printmaking to my course list and stayed an extra term at my first school to continue with printmaking and took second year painting. During my two years studying sculpture I worked with plater, paper, and learned how to cast in bronze using the lost wax casting method. In ceramics I learned coil and slab building methods as well as introductory wheel throwing. I remember all the basic lessons and I enjoyed learning them way back when.
In the last ten years I've used some of the skills I learned in those introductory years to create peacock tree ornaments, felt hats and an assortment of other handmade items that I sometimes sell in craft fairs and on line.
As an instructor at Artspace I often get to lead parties and camps that are 3D and sculptural and even though I have a good foundation I struggle a little with the problem solving and in some cases the learning how to teach portion of the prep for those lessons. I often will work and rework a 3D lesson a handful of times so that I have each step of the lesson firmly planted in my mind.
The Pro D lesson I created for Friday was one of those. I did up three sample birds for the lesson and then spent the three hours in the middle of the night that I couldn't get back to sleep after my youngest woke us with the very strong and not to be denied need to have her nose blown; running each step through my head. In the end there were some in class problems (glue stick doesn't work with a watercolour paint application as well as it does with an application of alcohol ink) but the outcome of the two classes were very amazing.
