Canvas of Romance

First Meet

It's my first year as an architecture student. In the past, my wish was to become a student of architecture. I've realized that I've come a long way, but there's still a considerable journey ahead. I managed to get into my dream school, but it wasn't easy. I faced numerous challenges before reaching this point. As an average student from a modest background—my mother doesn't work, and only my father supports us. My father, an engineer in a prestigious company, is my role model. Despite initially aspiring to become an engineer like him, I later discovered that I find architecture more interesting. When I entered as an architecture student, all I knew how to do was sketch. Many people believe that architecture is solely about drawing, not realizing it goes far beyond that. I struggled when I first entered my desired course, but fortunately, there were numerous gatherings for freshmen like me to attend.

We were in the second semester of the year, beginning with some painting along with other subjects. I was busy working on plates in the classroom when suddenly, my friend Miya burst out of nowhere and ran up to me, asking, “Did you hear about the gathering meeting for multimedia arts?”

“What about it?” I asked.

“Well, they'll teach anyone who participates in that gathering for free, as long as you have your own supplies such as different drawing and painting materials.”

I felt the need to participate in that gathering; I find painting challenging, and it's one of my weaknesses. The color scheme can be tricky, and I believe I need guidance and a mentor for that.

“When will the gathering be held?” I asked Miya.

"I heard they will be posting it on their page, and the speaker for that event will be someone from the higher years," Miya clarified.

“I see, I would love to join!” I said as we giggled.

Class ended, and as I walked, I heard a notification on my phone. Miya had tagged me in the schedule for the gathering event of the higher multimedia arts students. It said, "Good day, students! On November 17th, we will be hosting a gathering event for those students who would like to join and participate in our free teaching sessions for painting, sketching, and digital animation. We encourage everyone to participate. Please feel free to click the link below to register, and don't hesitate to drop us a message if you have any inquiries. Thank you!" I clicked the link and registered for the upcoming event.

"OH NO! I should get ready!" I didn't hear my alarm as I hurried to fix myself. I have to be there around 7 AM, and it's already 6:15 AM. I'm running late! I didn't even have time to fix my bed; I just grabbed any clothes I could find. I'm wearing a long black maxi skirt with a sleeveless white crop top, matched with a cream long-sleeved polo and a pair of boots from Dr. Martens. I got my drawing materials and headed down to campus.

As I walked through the corridor, trying to find the drawing studio for the event, I bumped into someone who was running fast. All of my things fell from my hands—my sketchpad and other papers. I was mad at the person who bumped into me and didn't have the energy to talk because of how my morning started.

While I was picking up my things one by one, the guy who bumped into me helped me pick them up and said, 'Miss, I’m really sorry. I was just in a hurry.' Then he ran again. What a morning! I walked to the designated drawing studio and sat beside Miya. 'Oh, Danica, what happened to you?' asked Miya while laughing, but she’s clearly hiding it. “I just had a bad morning, you silly!” I said as we giggled. Even though I'm in a bad mood, Miya manages to replace it with a good mood.

"Good morning, everyone. I’m Jenna, a third-year student from the Department of Multimedia Arts. Today, we will teach you the basic painting techniques that can be beneficial in the long run. Before we start, we would like to thank everyone who participated in this event. We will assign three students from our department to each table to guide you through the painting techniques. This event will focus solely on painting, while other drawing techniques will be covered on different dates. Thank you, and enjoy, everyone!" As the speaker said.

At our table, the higher students assigned began to speak. We are five students per table, and as they introduced themselves, I saw the guy who bumped into me a while ago. He has thick and long black hair, tan skin, a tall and masculine posture. He’s wearing baggy cream pants, a crop linen mint polo, and quad black shoes. Based on what he’s wearing, you can sense that he’s an art student.

"Hi, everyone. I’m Marco Aziel Salvador from multimedia arts, and I’m pleased to meet you all." As he spoke, our eyes met, and his gaze lingered on me. My heart skipped a beat, but I chose to ignore how I felt. Most girls at my table were whispering as he spoke. He appeared attractive from every angle. Miya also whispered to me that he looks hot, and I mentioned to her that he seems like an average guy on campus.

As everyone began to paint with the task at hand, I concentrated on my artwork. Suddenly, Marco remarked, “You have a good blend using oil paint. However, understanding color is simpler when considering its components: hue, saturation, and value. These three factors collectively define a color. Hue indicates the position of a color on the color wheel; for instance, red, blue, yellow, and green represent distinct hues. Saturation pertains to the richness, intensity, or vibrancy of a color. Meanwhile, value denotes the lightness or darkness of a color.” I looked at him, and I was shocked that his face was just a few inches from mine. He smiled at me. I quickly looked back at my painting, panting really hard and can’t explain how I felt.

“I’m feeling sorry about what happened a while ago, I was running late. Are you okay? I think I bumped you quite hard earlier." Marco said.

“I’m fine, don’t worry. And thank you for the heads up you gave earlier.” I said and smiled at him.

"Okay then, if you have questions regarding painting, just approach me," and went to assist another person at the table who needed help.

“So that hot guy just bumped you earlier!?” Miya whispered, smiling like an i***t at me when he was gone.

“It was just an accident, miya! Shut up!” I said.

Then Miya and I went back to painting. I was having a hard time with the color scheme so I raised my hand and Marco approached me.

“How can I help you?” he said.

“How do you approach choosing a color palette for a painting?” I asked.

“When choosing a color palette for a painting, I start by considering the emotional tone I want to convey. For example, in a serene landscape, I might opt for a harmonious analogous palette of soft blues, greens, and muted yellows to evoke a tranquil atmosphere. This approach helps create cohesion and communicates the intended mood of the artwork.” he said.

“I see, that’s how it works! Thank you!”

As the event ended, the speaker bid her goodbyes and thanked all of us. She mentioned that next week, they would have another set date for the upcoming painting event.