So, just because I'm a girl who likes to draw and paint women subjects, I'm suddenly a lesbian?

Its a freakin sign. Be honest already.

That’s absurd. When I took art classes, I mostly drew fashion… on women. I also drew nudes… of women. This was back in the eighties, and no one ever said anything like that to me.

If you like to draw women, who can blame you? They’re beautiful, curvy, and fun to draw. Men are less fun, in my opinion, what with all the angles and such. I personally never got very good at drawing men. So, if it’s what you like to focus on in your art, who cares? It’s silly to assume someone’s sexual orientation based on something like that, though I guess some close-minded people might assume so. (<cough> @Everest <cough>)

just say no and move on.

@Everest Are you kidding? Please say you’re kidding.

Note: If you are joking around, our guidelines ask that you wait until the question has a serious answer or two. I see that you’re new, and might not be aware of that.

@augustlan ;Cuse me. I’ll leave my opinionated statements for the middle round.

@augustlan let Everest speak

First of all: who cares?

Secondly: just because you like to draw naked chicks doesn’t make you a lesbian.

I’m in a life drawing class at college and I have to draw naked men and women on a regular basis. I’m not bothered by drawing naked men, and it doesn’t make me gay that I appreciate the nuances of their bodies. The same should go for you.

thats basically the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. the female body has been used in art pretty much forever…
Who are they say something like that to you, when they’re supposed to be the art-smart people?
dumb.

Yes that is kind of absurd. But I have to ask, are you a lesbian, or bi? These people who reviewed your portfolio obviously know art and artists. Artists often gain reputations and have images, and maybe these people are just trying to help you create an image for yourself.

I like to draw houses. It doesn’t mean I want to fuck a kitchen.

@johnpowell ah ha ha! I use to draw people having sex…

@Violet I’m not, actually.

@squidcake ok, thank you It is rude comment either way. Is there a way to contact their superiors? That kind of comment is not appropriate.

A person who labels an artist’s sexual orientation based upon the gender of what they draw, see the human body only as a sexual object, and not for the artistic symmetry of the form. It’s like looking at Roman statues and only seeing the nipples on the breasts of the women, and missing the beauty of how the sculptor conveyed transparency of fabric in stone.

I’m assuming that because you say “AP art” that you’re a high school student. I would question how much access you even have to male models, as opposed to female forms. Part of normal, healthy development for young women is appreciation of women’s bodies in all the forms they come in.

I’m amazed at how young people are so quick to label others. No, I don’t think you’re a lesbian.

Honestly! It used to be really normal for young girls to draw girls. The interest was aesthetic and even perhaps a bit narcissistic, not sexual. We were interested in ourselves, in other girls, in appearance, in beauty, and in femininity. No one ever used to call that lesbian. It was just what we did.

I really think we lost a little of our collective intelligence when we became so worldly-wise that we lost the ability to recognize innocence anywhere.

I don’t think that makes you a lesbian, only if you are interested in girls. Are you?

So all of those boys in middle school that draw dicks on everything they can find are homosexuals?

The person reviewing your portfolio was ignorant and out of line. You may want to take some of what they said to heart though. You should diversify. You need more subject matter. If you want to do well in art studies, you should explore and show more subjects, styles and media. But we all have our preferred subjects. If yours is the female form, you aren’t alone, and this is a very sellable subject!

That is an absurd stab in the dark. Would they deny you a niche simply because some people over-analyse? The amateur psychoanalysis that seems synonymous with art these days is precisely the reason I never expanded on my artistic skills. No one seems to recognise that a person can have a third party view of the subject, and it is quite easy to throw your point of view into another persona.

I draw various cartoon characters for my kids,last I checked I didn’t have a boner over Daffy Duck….I dunno though, his voice is kinda sexy….ahem where was I..oh yeah.Anyone who suggests this to you has the brain capacity of an amoeba ignore,it’s beneath you.

“Uhh, do you draw anything besides portraits of girls?”
“Aren’t you afraid of people thinking you’re some kinda lesbian?”

Whomever you were speaking with is a moron. They are everywhere. You should pity the foo and ignore his/her ignorance.

It’s an improper question. It amounts to sexual harassment, and should be reported in writing. Suppose these people decide to use their inappropriate judgment (or misjudgment) of you to deprive you or another candidate of a position?

NO art college is going to care that someone is a lesbian, so they won’t even bother making the interpretation.

Also, you SHOULD introduce some variety, colleges DO care about you not just doing one thing.

Your friend is a bonehead ;)

Yes, that is pretty ignorant. The female form is beautiful and complex. A great subject matter to perfect in art.

I love to paint and draw trees. Am I a tree hugger? No man would be asked if he were hypersexual for painting women; it is one of the great subjects. Disregard the comment.

Penguins and trees, interesting combination. :-)

We always crave what we can’t have. (sob)

The lesbian comment from the college board is really dumb. Whether you’re a lesbian or not, it’s none of their damn beeswax. The only relevant thing they could have said is critiquing your portfolio. It’s fine that all of your subjects are women, but the college board looks for a unified body of work, especially one that shows that your ideas are evolving. A good example is starting with very realistic figure drawings and going more abstract. The comment they should have given you was, “Why do you choose these subjects? What does it mean to you?”

How stupid.

Honestly, how many gay Italian male artists of the Renaissance painted naked women? all of them.

IMO, it makes sense for you to draw women.
It’s what you are, know best, and are most confortable with.

That doesn’t mean you are lesbian at all.

ask them if they like the stuff you’ve done? then point out that they are lesbians too.

I have to ask -

who made that statement? the college board, or your art class? It would be absurdly unprofessional of the college board to say that, but also very typical of a bunch of high school art students.

It sounds from the details like it is just one friend.

Agreed with @Seek_Kolinahr . Totally unprofessional of a college board. Perhaps it was a problem they have had to deal with in the past? (Problem in the sense that other students misunderstood and teased artists with primarily female portfolios). I can only hope that’s the explanation.

Needless to say, art colleges and art communities as a whole are more reasonable.

And no it does not stand to reason that you may be lesbian. The female form is incredibly exciting to draw (in a non erotic way). Hell, even if you did draw your models in erotic poses, it wouldn’t stand to reason that you may be lesbian. The female form is fun, curvy, and very fluid. It makes for a technically fun subject.

I guess it may depend on the audience in terms of how they consider it. I guess prudes and the like might jump to that conclusion and high schoolers most certainly. I mean if an outfit can get you labeled as a lesbian in high school, why not pictures of naked ladies? Anyway, my point is that once you get out of high school, mature people will look at your work for the art. Not a definition of your sexuality.

I would talk to the members of that board to see their intention. Were they just concerned about your peers harassing you? Or were they jumping to conclusions and harassing you themselves? If it’s the second, you should approach your principle or higher about it so that future artists don’t have to deal with that. It’s completely inappropriate and doing it to someone during the high school years only makes things more confusing for them.

@lucillelucillelucille Bingo!!

@squidcake The person that said this to you isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, that’s for sure.

wait wait, did the college board say that or another high school student. Reading your question a second time, it sounds like it might not have been the board.

“I was discussing art with someone a few days ago”?

Your artistic vision is the most important thing you have; never give it up and never change it.

That’s a rather silly remark if I say so myself. Women drawing other women is not unusual. Actually, I tend to think the female figure drawn by a woman is more interesting to look at than those drawn by men. Men tend to idealize the female body because it is an object of desire for them. Women are more familiar with the female form on an intimate level, seeing as they possess that form. Of course I’m making a gross generalization here, but you know what I mean.

I will say that when you do get into art school, you will need to branch out. And of course professional reviewers of your portfolio will look for variety in your skills. Even if your subject matter is mainly based in one thing, have you familiarized yourself with different types of media? You probably already know this, but most schools require a self-portrait as part of an applicant’s portfolio.

As for “automatically” being seen as a lesbian by drawing women, that’s an incredibly closed-minded view. Once in art school you will find that very few people will actually think of you like that.

This someone apparently doesn’t appreciate art enough to be worthy of giving their comment a second thought.

That remark was inappropriate. They might have legitimately asked for a more diversified portfolio, but the isuue of sexual orientation was totally out of line. I draw machine parts, what the hell does that make me?

That is absolutely absurd. It’s art, everyone has their skills/preferences. You create what you like!

Women are more beautiful to draw then men. If I could draw I’d probably only draw women too and naked too. But I’m not lesbian. Women have more curvy bodies and are more beautiful to draw then men.

That is ridiculous. Just because you draw something, doesn’t mean you’re sexually inclined toward it. Women are easier to draw anyhow, so why should they care?

No, of course not.

What the phuck? You know it doesnt so why are you asking the community? Just to prove a point to them?

I think their comments say an awful lot about them & almost nothing about you…

Does that mean that I’m a lesbian, too?

@CyanoticWasp For sure. We knew about you for months. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

I wonder what they ask of people who draw children.

@Jeruba I’ve always liked drawn butter with steamed clams and lobsters. What does that make me?

@CyanoticWasp, but do you draw the butter?

@Jeruba no ma’am. But I’ve drawn the short straw more often than not. And if my present life is any indication of how I’ve lived my past lives (if any) then I’m sure that I’ve been drawn before. And quartered.

Getting a straight answer out of @CyanoticWasp is like drawing teeth.

@CyanoticWasp @Jeruba I consider that match a draw.

@janbb We should probably stop drawing this out…

@The_Idler Yes, your face is beginning to look a bit drawn.

The only conclusion I can draw from that statement is that you took too much man,
you took too much,
too much…

Wow, people are still answering this. XD

Of course it does not make you a lesbian. Of course it does not matter if you are.

I was hoping that someone had put this thread in a drawer and locked it.