Well, this was quite an undertaking...

This piece was completed for a surrealism project in the drawing course I'm currently taking (my first formal art instruction!). I spent at least two hours each day for a full week to complete it, though I'm quite sure I spent several hours more on a few of the days. The piece is entirely in graphite and is quite large (though I can't remember the actual size off the top of my head - I think it's nearly three feet wide, though). It was definitely a step outside my comfort zone with size, style, and medium, but I am definitely pleased with both how much I learned and how the final product looks!

The assignment was intended to be an exploration of surrealism - where just about anything was acceptable. Everyone wrote out six words on slips of paper - two mammals, two events, and two locations - then placed them all in a large back. Once all the words were in, we each drew four and had to incorporate at least three into our work. I was lucky enough to get wedding, dog, steel mill, and on top of a building. I couldn't resist including elements of all four!

I will say, the drawing class is definitely why I've been creating a lot less of my typical style of art. In part, the class keeps me quite busy, with several assignments per week (not complaining, though - it's a nice break from my engineering courses!). However, it is also making me question my own style a bit. I'm not sure what drawings I'm happiest with anymore - whether I prefer the relaxing doodles I tend to make or the satisfaction of more realistic and larger-scale (though incredibly time-consuming) pieces like this. I was very glad this project gave me the opportunity to study one of my typical subjects in the style presented by the course, though, as I was getting a little tired of drawing random objects I found in my dorm room (though I am enjoying realistic human portraits much more than I expected!).