Photo by Justin Gladney/The Collegian
By Kelli Henderson/entertainment editor
TR Campus hosted artist Glenn Vilppu for an April 20 workshop, where students could see the art of figure drawing.
Malone Samuels, NW art adjunct and workshop sponsor, said Vilppu has taught for 50 years and does workshops around the world teaching the principles and techniques of drawing to professional animators for Warner Bros. and Disney.
Students interested in joining the six-hour workshop had to submit five to six pieces of their work and be either enrolled in Drawing II or Life Drawing I this or last semester, Samuels said. Twenty-one students from all five campuses were accepted.
NW student Carol Bamberger said her painting professor pointed the workshop out to her. After researching Vilppu, she said she realized this would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and jumped on it immediately.
Though she had never taken a figure drawing class before, Bamberger said Vilppu teaches drawing in a simple, logical way.
“‘The hardest thing for anyone is to change the way they think,’ probably, was the most resonating quote of the whole workshop for me,” she said.
“As he walked around and sat with us one by one, he pointed out that I was wanting to draw the finished product right off the bat and that I wasn’t really drawing the feeling of the gesture or figure that way. It really forced me to slow things down and take the steps I thought were rather minuscule, and I saw a big difference on how the drawing looked right away.”
Arvel Perry said he wanted to be in the workshop because life drawing is his weakest area.
“It was an opportunity to watch, listen and learn from an established commercial professional,” the NW student said.
Perry said he was surprised that his work was chosen and became even more interested in the workshop when some other students selected for the event showed excitement as well.
Vilppu taught the students using various stories and lessons with life drawing techniques.
“His instruction not only focused on the art of drawing anatomy but also in the tools applied in different industries,” he said.
Perry said his favorite part of the workshop was just sitting and watching Vilppu.
“I got to see naked people. Just kidding,” he said.
“It might have to be the opportunity to actually watch a true artist render images right before our eyes. He made it look easy, which it is not.”
