June 20, 2011, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Morgan Nelson was my teacher for a Portrait Drawing Class as part of the Hein Academy of Art in June and July of 2011. On June 20, 2011 her class consisted of a three-hour portrait demonstration from a model. Here are a few observations:

-Eyes first, straight-on, frontal view...

-Loose, intuitive...

-Searching lines...

-Vine Charcoal, on Arches Watercolor Paper...

-Started over after just a couple of minutes. She told us that she had started too high. It takes a lot of courage to start over and admit a mistake...

-“Squint down” to simplify...

-Blended shadow shapes...

-Aggressive with stump...

-Holds vine charcoal way back, near the top...

-Combine shapes, general values...

-General to specific, larger to smaller...

-All values submit to the brightest white...

-Covered nearly the entire face with light gray...

-Discussed possibility of using white charcoal for highlights, but during this demonstration she did not...

-Sharpen the vine charcoal for smaller details...

Morgan was a great teacher and I was very impressed. I was served a very kind and polite helping of humble pie every time I attended her class. It’s a good thing to be reminded that as an artist one can always improve, and that someone is always better. In this case, someone slightly more than half my age showed me how much further I have to go. Morgan was very generous with her criticism, and was not afraid to point out the need for improvement, for better accuracy, or the need to slow down and be more patient. At times, I seemed to hear my own words, that I speak to my students, ringing in my ears, but they came from her.

At times I was discouraged and felt that Morgan’s skill was so far beyond my own that there seemed little purpose in even trying. I seemed to hear the words of King Theoden of Rohan when it was pointed out to him that Rohan had no hope in defeating the hosts of Mordor. King Theoden agreed that there was no hope or possibility of victory, but asserted that Rohan would meet Mordor in battle, nonetheless. So, I had little hope in achieving her level of skill, but I tried and drew just the same.

Morgan Nelson was just a “student,” teaching a basic class on behalf of the Hein Academy of Art. But I saw her as a young master, and felt fortunate to have had the opportunity to be in her class. I look forward to what her artistic future holds.

"Self-Portrait," by Morgan Nelson