figure drawing class

it's like being back in college. all the anxiety and excitement of drawing the figure. learning about and getting proportions right. being in class with folks all struggling with the same things. tonite was my first nite. it started out really good. first, we did 1min drawings where we only looked at the model. not at the paper. then we did 1min drawings with our "other" hand - not the one we normally draw with. then we did longer 15min ones - starting with light circles for all the major body parts and how they intersect. then drawing in lines. this is when it became very difficult for me. i'm not used to the circles thing...to be honest. when i was in art school, they did not emphasize realistic drawing. there were many in there that were great at it - but if you weren't yet still exhibited that you understood the human form, but exaggerated it or i dunno...used your own style - gave it flow. gave it life...you were good to go. I loved art school at southwest texas. I had some great instructors. anyway, i'm back in class to help me learn about proportions and perspective. i want to learn to draw better from various angles. it's gonna be cool. there are 3 classes going on. metals, figure/clay and ours. art has always frustrated me. it's never just come super easy. its alot of work. alot of time. but, i'm dedicated. cuz i love it - it's my folly. that and bike riding. sample of first drawings. greg asked me if the elephant man was our model. GAWD.