Thursday, June 11, 2015

Beloved Doyald Young & Donizetti Project from Got Curves




Since my first grade at the school, Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, I was suggested taking a class called 'Doyald Young's Got Curves' so many times from most of major instructors and friends who were in higher grade and who already had taken that class. In order to enroll that class, I needed to submit my pencil drawings to get approved my drawing skills, and also I had to take numbers of major required classes until the fifth term grade.

Because at that time, I was only a junior, I could not be able to take the class but I bought his books all three at once. I amazed tremendously just by looking at the images on the pages and pages, and I started admiring him. Those books are still my number one books that I flip through to get refresh when I get stock. Not only looking his hand done sketches but also reading his writing is really inspiring and motivating.





On the summer 2010, I was finally qualified to attend his class but the class was shorten than usual because of his recovery from hip surgery. I might think I was unlucky but I was actually lucky that he taught us despite of his suffering from the pain. In short amount of time, he taught me the most juicy working process of him and he became my mentor and role model as a letterer and type designer. I wish I had him longer, known him better and understood his telling and teaching more and better before we lost him. 







Class was assigned each name of person or company to do idea sketches roughly before we actually meet him in the classroom. He assigned Donizetti to me. I researched this name and it is the last name of a Italian Composer Gaetano Donizetti. I drew fancy flourishes around the name as much as I could and thought that were pretty. However at this very moment of writing this journal, I am embarrassed by looking at those initial sketches that have overwhelmed pointless curves with nonsense. Thankfully Doyald very gently suggested me to omit some busy flourishes and have nice and graceful curves perfectly enough to describe the person.






Doyald made us do tight pencil sketches over and over again until we get this right even after we digitizing the letters with putting quite a lot of time. Some students were upset and could not understand his process. I was not quite understanding the purpose of this process either at that time but I was just enjoying drawing perfect curves with pencil. I cannot quote him exactly but remember he told me something like this, 'not even you don't understand this process but you will see.' And I see. I see what he tried teaching us and still I do same thing for my own projects. 

 Doyald Young, Logotype Designer filmed by Lynda.com, 2010



This short film is taken by Lynda.com, and our class is viewed. In the scene I was sitting by next to Doyald and listening and watching his feedback on my work. Luckily or unluckily you may not see my face because I was too focused on him or maybe too shy to be seen. So, people cannot tell if I am girl or boy? Maybe...

Luc Devroye this blogger indicates me as "He" but here is a link of his blog about me but thanks to him—I guess—to wrote about my projects. 
Also this project was featured on Logo Designer—Thank you!

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