Graphics by Hand?

As you know, have been “enrolled” in “art school” since the spring of last year. It’s more of a pay-as-you-go, take-whatever-art-class at whatever-local-art-studio kind of education that has found me taking ceramics in Capitol Hill, painting in Penns Quarter, silk screening in Alexandria while drawing and taking photography on my own. To add to the mix, I started a graphic design class on Tuesday that might just turn out to the a-ma-zing!

I walked into a plain room with tables and chairs and no windows (I know, just what one needs after a full day in a cubicle) and no computers. Obviously I thought I was in the wrong room because who the heck does graphic design without computers in 2010? Turns out, I will be just that person! The teacher made it clear that I was indeed in the right classroom and as this was the fine art of graphic design, we would be learning all about the medium sans PC or Mac. At first I was really worried but it turns out that as an introduction to graphic design, this is actually a great first step. At the end of the 2.5 hour class, I knew more about typography than I would have ever thought about and I was forced to practice hand-drawn typography. It was so much fun and I can’t wait to tackle my homework before class next week. While we are allowed to use the computer at home, I think I’m going to attempt to resist. I felt so much freer to think creatively with pencil and paper in hand that it has got me really looking forward to seeing what other creative ideas I can come up with over the next two months!

{Photo: Smashing Magazine}