Mandy...

Sketching was one of my talents back when when I was little.I'd just get a stick and draw at the ground. Obviously, art was one of my fave subjects at school and my work usually ends up being posted at the board. I was on my 3rd grade when they let me compete with other schools and luckily I reached the regional level.The experience was great, it's because I'm exempted to attend classes and practice. I lost during the regional level and didn't get even the third place. The representative of the hosting school won. Anyway, that was just the beginning. I competed many times and became part of the school paper as an editorial cartoonist.

Highschool was not the same. I needed to focus more with the subjects and do well in class since I was in the star section. I was also thinking about taking up "Fine Arts" but my parents discouraged me. They wanted me to take Architecture or Engineering instead. By the way, I really hated Math eversince so just thinking about those courses made me feel nervous. I am very dependent with my parents especially to my mom, even now I can say that I still am. So, I took up Computer Engineering which they say was in-demand that time. I lived in a dorm for five years since my college is far away from home. I really didn't expect I'd finish engineering but I did. Studying kept me away from this hobby and I feel that the skill in me has vanished. "Art Appreciation" was a relief. It was one of our modules during our third year when everyone is going crazy over calculus and other math based subjects. I never imagined myself to be singing and dancing in front of the class but it was fun. This was also the time where we get to choose a medium for expressing our artistic side. Most of them picked photography which is much easier but I decided to do portraiture. I was having a second thought since I haven't sketched for such a long time. I'm more concerned on how it will turn out rather than the grade I would get. I guess I was taking it very seriously so the first thing I did after class was to buy pencils and this is how it turned out...

I ripped off Mandy's photo from a mag and drew intersecting lines over her face (criss cross) so I'd get the exact points. This helps a lot so you'll know where to start. It's not that good but I had it framed because I think this would be the last portrait I'do.