Learn How to Draw at the U3A

October 2022

Today I had the wonderful opportunity to go and see my father teach a 9 week term class on Learn How to Draw at the U3A.

The U3A stands for the University of the Third Age, a not-for-profit education organisation that provides a variety of courses and education for semi-retired or retirees all around the world. Now, don’t get me started about how such an organisation can be made available for people of ALL ages because nowadays, learning something new shouldn’t just happen when you retire.

This was the first time my father took a class to teach. He had been coaching and tutoring individuals in the past. He had a full class today and he’s been asked to run another term into the new year (which he has agreed to). For me, I enjoy watching my parents do things like this because it keeps their mind active (although thankfully, there’s no problem there as in our household, arts, music, painting, books, languages – and indeed any learning was valued, supported (and expected).

Dad started the class today by showing a collection of paintings in acrylics and oils and showed how what they’re learning in class on drawing light and shade through different pencil strokes is really the foundation of drawing anything.

In his class, he provides handouts with the session of the day and he explains how to draw and then fill in the picture. He does not encourage exact, real life drawings (“after all, you can take a photo with your camera if you want that”). Instead, he encourages students to “make their artwork their own” by using their imagination to add the elements and create their own unique work of art.

My father calls himself an “Art Mechanic” and not a “romantic artist”. To him, it’s all about knowing the fundamentals of illustration and the techniques that you can practice that set you up for drawing anything you want. Illustrative techniques is not something that is widely taught in art schools today. He encourages students to use cheap paper (“to not be burdened by the worry of thinking of wasting expensive art pads”) and to practice continually – to not be constrained by the medium.

His method is to help people learn about shapes and then using pencils that are sharpened in a special way to hold the pencil differently to how we would normally use it (like say, writing) and instead grip it so we use the entire length of the lead; then use different pressure to create different gradients of shade using broad strokes.

Here is looks through the homework that students have drawn.

He has BANNED typical sharpeners from the class. Instead he encourages students that they sharpen their pencils with a stanley knife leaving a couple of centimetres lead. It’s weird to watch all the students sharpening their pencils – and many had it as a matter of pride to show how they sharpened their pencils!

Overall, an eye opening and a proud moment for me to watch my father teach others. He’s encouraging, patient and shares the theory in such a way that is relatable where the ‘penny drops’.

For me, I took some photos and created a video too and sent them off to the Publicity person so they can put them into their Member Newsletter. I even enquired about doing my own classes as I need to find some more French conversation classes and it turns out they run classes in this every Tuesday.

I can see myself joining U3A because I love the idea of having this education service to the local community – it’s peer and social learning – in a supportive environment with people motivated to learn. I also liked that it was held in an old secondary school campus so the whole classroom vibe reminded me of my old high school days.

Yep, it’s high time I get back to school.

Learn How to Draw at the U3A

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