
Because I’ve been racing against the clock all day today, I pulled a design from my design archives for today’s design-a-day post. This colored pencil and gouache pendant rendering was done shortly after I finished the GIA NY Quick Design Lab course in 2006. I was definitely adhering more here to the rendering “rules” I was taught in that course; the lack of freedom shows especially in the depiction of the aquamarine gemstone.
Even so, I still like the overall design of this pendant.
Learning the “rules” is absolutely essential in any discipline. As a musician, I spent hours practicing the fingerings and interpretations my teachers taught me. Only later, and when I was already out of school, did I feel qualified enough to relearn pieces, adjust fingerings to better fit my hands, and rethink phrasing to really reflect what I wanted to say.
I’m truly thankful for the wonderful teachers I have had both in music and in jewelry. If it weren’t for them, my progress would certainly be a lot slower and there would be a lot more “tuition pieces”!
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