By Michaella Lesieur, Staff Writer
Let your imagination run wild as you hone your skills in a community of people who share your passion for art.
The Illustration Club is one of the many clubs offered here at UMass Dartmouth that might just be calling your name.
If you could not guess by the title, the Illustration Club is just as it sounds. “We specialize in illustration of Course,” said Rebecca Purchase, senior club president, illustration and biology major.
Purchase was beyond thrilled to be involved in the club for almost two consecutive years now, including this semester. She was so excited and honored to fill the shoes of president this year.
First created by a senior behind Purchase, the young and vibrant Illustration Club has only been here for about a year, providing students with a place where art can come together and shine at it’s brightest.
The club is an atmosphere where illustration students can utilize their time to work on school-related projects or to wind down and get lost in the various shades, lines, and shapes of their sketchbooks.
Students view the Illustration Club as an opportunity to thrive in their work. “I saw it as an opportunity to really strengthen my portfolio and utilized the time, basically, as an extra period of class,” said Purchase.
The club also holds themed events such as paint and movie nights. Currently, the club is planning a Bob Ross Paint Night for the spring semester.
Fundraising for any club is always a must and the members are looking into ways to fund their events. “Right now, our focus is fundraising. But for an illustrator that is also an event in itself, because much of our fundraising ideas include artistic components,” said Purchase.
Purchase said that the “best part about the club is our members. The people that attend are first-year students to seniors. They all communicate and assist one another with their projects, ask questions, and are always curious to learn more.”
To bringing the UMass Dartmouth community together, from each year’s new students to the upperclassmen, is something the club works hard at.
“Our goal is definitely to remove the gap between upperclassmen and students just starting out. We want to see the Illustration Club (and the Illustration program) evolve into a community where experience is shared amongst all levels of skill,” Purchase said.
Senior illustration major, Jacob Condo, says that the group is made up of “a really busy bunch of people trying to get work done and enjoy the company of like-minded individuals. We even have people who aren’t even art majors coming in and hanging out, drawing like the rest of us.”
Condo also said that the group works on different collaborative illustration projects from time to time, such as a coloring book, then everyone “[draws] a few pages, and it gets printed.” He continued, saying that the club is “in the process of setting down [its] foundation.”
If you are interested in some extra time to work on an art project or want to test your skills on a sketch pad, you can join the club every Friday at 6 p.m. in CVPA in room 304.
The best part you don’t have to be an art student to join. Purchase wanted to make it clear that the club is not just for illustrators. “Anyone who is interested in the field of illustration or just has a passion for drawing are encouraged to attend,” she said.
If you have any questions about techniques, work, or even types of media, all are encouraged to contact current members at either rpurchase@umassd.edu or tsteff@umassd.edu.