The prerequisite course to all other courses in graphic arts was Composition.
Composition was taught by Ms. Cool. The only medium allowed was charcoal powder. This situation is like having a required math course taught in Babylonian: by the time students master the medium, there's no time left for the subject matter.
And so it was.
Ms. Cool apparently missed childhood and jumped directly into being a Beatnik, She didn't know about cutting shapes out of paper and gluing them to other paper--skills taught in kindergarden and first and second grades which would have greatly eased practice in composition.
Perhaps she never knew anything about composition or perhaps she had breathed in too much charcoal powder and forgot.
Ms. Way-Cooler-Than-Thou (a Beatnik-plus, you can tell by the cigarette holder) taught three-dimensional arts: sculpture and ceramics.
The philosophy in art education at the time was not to teach technique which was considered teaching a craft (no crafts allowed!), but to tell students to "feel" the medium, to "become one" with whatever they were making.
She herself could throw a pot, make glaze, and use the kiln. I never saw any of her sculpture, though--suspicious behavior, that.
My grades were Cs and C minuses. I wasn't learning anything. I knew I would have to leave, but before I went, I needed to try some experiments.
First experiment:
I begged my way into a painting course (although I had not passed Composition).
I "felt" the paint, the sponges, the canvas as the sponges hit it, the runs of color splashing to the floor; heck, even the floor itself as it received the runs of paint. (I'll skip the possible essay here.)
My grade? A.
Second Experiment:
In the sculpture course, I tore apart a plastic baby doll, nailed it into a milk carton, added some fake ivy, sprayed the whole thing with gray paint, and called it "Roadside Shrine." And I felt it, too. Yes. Well, no.
Grade: A+ along with the "Shrine" being placed in the college gallery and receiving first-place in the student competition.
The faculty couldn't grasp that the subject matter of my painting and sculpture was the faculty itself and its philosophy of "art". No sense of humor there.
So, I dropped out. Eventually, I got a degree in a technical subject, Life happened. Silicon Valley happened. The Internet happened--did it ever.
So, after years and years of not really drawing, the Internet lead me to Andrew Loomis.
This book "Fun with a Pencil" is truly amazing. Mr. Loomis starts out with what seems silly--drawing cartoon faces on miscellaneous shapes. Anybody can learn to draw he states. This book is also deceiving. After learning the Loomis-method for head drawing and studying his thoughts on the human figure, he introduces light sources, then perspective--simple at first, then more and more detailed. By the end of the book, the term "horizon line" will strike fear.
The book is available in softcover and electronically from Save Loomis!
After Loomis, I found Tom Richmond. Tom is kind enough to have much of the material in his book "The Mad Art of Caricature!" also given as tutorials on his web site.
Tom gets A+++ for his graphic talent and A+++ for his ability to instruct in clear, no bullshit language.
His book is available from his web site in softback and electronic versions.
So, which graphic artists are my current favs?
Tom Richmond, of course