The toilet roll that humbled the class

Have you ever looked at something and thought, "That'll be easy to draw!"?

Our Rye students do exactly that every term.

As part of their art journey, they get to choose their own image references based on the theme they're exploring. It's one of our favourite parts of the lesson because students have the freedom to pick something that excites them. Unsurprisingly, many of them also have one mission in mind: find the easiest picture possible!

After all, who wouldn't? Simple shapes, fewer objects, less work... sounds like the perfect plan. Or so they think.

A few months ago, our Rye students were exploring pencil sketching. They were searching for objects and landscapes to use as references when one student suddenly lit up with excitement. "I've found it!". Her masterpiece-to-be?

A humble toilet roll. In her mind, it was foolproof. Two cylinders, a few curved lines, some shading... done! Except... it wasn't.

The moment she started observing the image properly, she noticed something she had completely overlooked. Tiny dotted patterns covering the tissue. Lots of them.

Very. Tiny. Dots.

What she thought would be a quick sketch turned into an exercise in patience as she carefully added detail after detail. Safe to say, her "easy shortcut" wasn't quite the shortcut she imagined! But that's exactly what makes art so fascinating. Art teaches us to slow down and really look. The first glance often tells us very little. It's only when we spend time observing that we begin to notice the little things—the subtle textures, the tiny shadows, the slight curves and angles—that make an object feel real. Every drawing becomes more than putting pencil to paper. It's an exercise in observation.

As our students sketch, they're constantly training both their eyes and their hands. They're judging the length of each line, comparing proportions, spotting angles, noticing highlights and shadows, and translating what they see onto paper.

These may seem like small skills, but together they build concentration, patience, and confidence. One thing we've noticed over the years is that the students who improve the most aren't necessarily the ones with the "most talent." They're the ones who keep showing up. The ones who patiently work through each lesson, embrace the little details, and aren't afraid to erase, adjust, and try again. Because great art isn't about finding the easiest subject.

Sometimes... it's about discovering that even a toilet roll has a lot more going on than you first imagined. And honestly, that's a lesson that extends far beyond the art studio.