I love going to museums and stare at works of art for hours. There are even some paintings or photographs that make me tear up. I love art, but I admit I still need a lot of practice to become an artist myself.

Because I’m trying to hone my artistic skills (or try hard to draw out any artistic talent in me), I have enrolled in several workshops: drawing & oil pastel, acting, and Minhwa (Korean painting). I found an art school that conducts classes for all ages near my home – the Luna Art Workshop. Because I was a beginner, I took the basic drawing and oil pastel class which was composed of 8 2-hour sessions (total of 16 hours). Included in my enrollment fee are the drawing materials: a sketchpad, pencil, eraser, 24 color oil pastels, and Canson mi-tientes art paper.

On my first day, Teacher Ted taught me the basics of drawing using my sketchpad and pencil. At first I was a bit shy because I was the only adult in the class, but later on I relaxed as Teacher Ted patiently guided me and gave me feedback and tips. The atmosphere in the studio was light and soft music was played, making the students at ease. I practiced drawing shapes, created a pencil gradient, and drew still life objects. I was advised to keep practicing my drawing even at home, so I tuned in on some YouTube and Pinterest tutorials for inspiration. I even started bringing a small notebook in my purse for my doodles.

The following days were dedicated for oil pastel drawing. I was able to make two still life objects, two landscapes (using cool and warm toned subjects), and 2 portraits.

Canson mi-tientes has two sides: rough and smooth, and I drew on the smooth side of the paper. What worked for me was starting with a light sketch before adding the colors and fine-tuning the details.

Of the themes, I was most comfortable drawing still life objects. 

While I love landscapes, I am still not an expert in doing my own drawings or paintings. So this is something that I continue to practice as much as I can. For now, I still struggle on warm-toned landscape subjects. My goal is to be able to draw or paint a beautiful sunset soon.

Portraits were the most complicated ones for me. I tried my best drawing a model, but ended up making something that looked like a cartoon. Teacher Ted was very encouraging, and he said that I did not need to perfect the features of the model, otherwise it would look like a photograph.

I’m glad I found Luna Art Workshop, and my teacher was very supportive. I believe it’s never too late for me to learn so as long as I keep practicing and getting guidance and feedback. My dream is to be a watercolor artist some day so I’m grabbing all the chance I can get to attend these workshops, or spend at least an hour a day to draw or paint at home.

Luna Art Workshop is located at 66 G. Puyat St., BF Homes, Paranaque City, Philippines. For more information, you can find them in Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/artlandph/