Exhibit Your Best Drawings: Online Student Show 2010

Attention all sketchers, show your best drawings! Enter your work in our Online Student Show, opening May 7, 2010. Your drawings will be featured with students from other schools in the Drawing League Gallery. Choose 2 of your favorites, either from your lesson drawings or work you've created during your own time at school. One drawing is to be from observation (drawing things you're looking at) and the second drawing is to be from your imagination. For Details: Click here

Sketcher Spotlight: Juan Arroyo

Juan Arroyo



Age: 17
Hometown: Salinas, California
City of Birth: Michoacan, Mexico
Favorite Music: Mexican
Pets: Dog

Although he doesn't consider himself an artist, if you ask his classmates who the 'artist' at school is, they'd probably name Juan Arroyo. Juan attends Rancho Cielo Youth Campus in Salinas, California and is passionate about drawing. "Drawing is important for me because I love to draw what I have inside of me and what I imagine," says the soft-spoken senior.

Whenever Juan wants to pass some time in school or at home he picks up a pencil and draws, and draws, and draws. His consistency all year long in drawing class is amazing. After finishing his daily lesson he effortlessly jumps into a drawing of his own, often straight from his imagination or from reference pictures. When asked what inspires him he simply replies, "Silence is the inspiration for me, sometimes music."


The size of Juan Arroyo's pencil and graphite drawings shown range from 8.5 x 11 to 18 x 24 inches. Click on images to enlarge for viewing.

Juan remembers drawing cars as a 9-year-old and it's been non-stop sketching ever since. Equally adept at drawing from observation or from his imagination, his pictures depict historical scenes, symbolic stories, or surrealist compositions. One can see the strong influences of his Mexican heritage and the local street art scene in his work. As a sketcher, Juan is largely self-taught and enjoys experimenting with a variety of drawing media. His latest work with 4B and 6B graphite pencils on large-format paper captures the viewer with bold strokes and powerfully shaded tones.





Whatever Juan Arroyo is planning for his future after graduating from school, we can rest assured that his enjoyment of drawing will be a part of it. Before getting back to the elaborate drawing on his desk he quietly says, "I just draw for fun and because I like it."


4.1.10

Sketching Like Van Gogh

This is an ongoing Drawing League exhibit by students and teachers from participating schools (Draw to Learn program) and organizations. Students are encouraged to use quick sketching techniques similar to that of Vincent Van Gogh while maintaining accurate proportions. Ask Rob to add your Van Gogh sketch, too.

Here are the sketches (click on image to enlarge for viewing):


clockwise, starting upper left: Helen, SCM Art Center (adult); Kirsten, SCM Art Center (adult); Val, SCM Art Center (adult); Penny, SCM Art Center (adult)


clockwise, starting upper left: Jose, Success Academy; Miranda, Highlands School; Billy, Success Academy; Elvis, Highlands School

clockwise, starting upper left: Freddy C., Star School; Nathaniel, (teacher) Star School; Hilda, (teacher) Highlands School; Patty, (teacher) Highlands School;

clockwise, starting upper left: Gage, Highlands School; Keeley, Highlands School; Keeley, Highlands School; Shaylah, Highlands School;

Vincent Van Gogh

Road in Etten by Vincent van Gogh (b.1853 d.1890) chalk, pencil, pastel and water color



Auvers-sur-Oise by Vincent van Gogh, sketched late in the month of May, 1890 pencil, pen, brown ink



Click on pictures to enlarge for viewing

Getting Surreal and Absolutely Abstract

This ongoing exhibit features the highly imaginative work of students from Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. After studying the art styles of abstract artists (Kandinsky and Mondrian), the Surrealists (Miro and Dali), and the Cubists (Picasso and Braque) these students cut loose with compositions of their own.

Scroll down to see different schools. Click on images to view larger for details.

Success Academy


clockwise, starting upper left: Sarah (teacher); Darrian; Antonio; Dezmen;


clockwise, starting upper left: Marcial; Ruben (teacher); Joselyn


above left to right: Jesus; Billy; Nate (teacher)


Highlands Community School (SLV Sketchers)


left to right: Zach (2)


clockwise, starting upper left: Patty (Teacher, 2); Nick


clockwise, starting upper left: Matt S.; Miranda; Matt G.


clockwise, starting upper left: Hilda (Teacher); Emily (2)


left to right: Elvis (2)


left to right: Ben; Arianna


Rancho Cielo Youth Campus


clockwise, starting upper left: Enrique (2); Cassandra


clockwise, starting upper left: Wells (2); Nikkie



clockwise, starting upper left: Kevin P.; Jiovany; Kevin O.


clockwise, starting upper left: Tisha; Destiny; Angelique

Salinas Community School


clockwise, starting upper left: Bryan (3)

clockwise, starting upper left: Oliver (2); Ruby


clockwise, starting upper left: Nancy; Lizette; Aris


left to right: Leo; Jose


Star Community School


Libby

clockwise, starting upper left: Yessenia; Kira; Freddy C.


clockwise, starting upper left: Crystal; Christian; Brianna