Rodney Art Street, where the dim streetlights illuminate the crowded and narrow streets, is already a busy place when the sky is still dawning, and the apprentices of the workshop or studio prepare the artist for the day, whether polishing the carving tools, or making mural panels, or mixing paints.

Fergus stepped across the dirty ditch, carrying an unfinished portrait on his back, and was about to open the wooden door of his studio when he heard a male voice greeting him from behind.

"Oh, Fergus."

Fergus turned his head and looked surprised when he saw the visitor: "Director George, why are you here?" ”

The man who stopped him was a middle-aged man with a big beard, with a gentle complexion, and his name was known to more than 90 percent of the painters on Rodney Art Street, because he was the president of the Painters' Guild of the city of El Roy and had great prestige.

The man known as Director George touched his head and smiled, "I have always wanted to talk to you, but I can't find time lately, so I have to come to you in the morning when I don't have to do anything." ”

Fergus opened the door and smiled embarrassedly: "As long as you tell me to go to your office in person, why bother you to come here, please come in first." ”

The two entered the studio, and Director George brought a stool and sat down, looking slightly serious: "Fergus, you should have guessed the purpose of my coming to you." ”

Fergus nodded, and said in a complicated tone: "Is it my apprentice's business?" ”

Director George put his hands on the table to support his chin and said solemnly: "Ah, rumors about her have been spread in the guild, this is a rare opportunity for her, since she works for that Mr. Adrian, and now she applies to join the guild, no one in the guild will question or oppose her with much fanfare." ”

The way to distinguish between apprentices and professional painters in Elroy is very simple, that is, to verify in the professional guild, usually as long as you have the corresponding ability, you can easily pass the test, but Fergus's apprentice Nia has participated in several tests before, and without exception, he has been unsuccessful, on the grounds that his painting skills are not good.

However, Fergus saw that Niya's painting skills were mature before she went to test it, and he knew better than everyone that Niya had talent and enthusiasm, and the unqualified evaluation was just a conclusion about Niya's female identity.

It's not that Fergus can't understand the idea of those painters, let a female painter pass the test to become a professional painter, and spread the word will damage the reputation of the painter industry in El Roy City, what kind of painter's guild will make a woman a painter? Could it be that male painters are dead? Can't even find a capable one?

Fergus was still a little hesitant: "But..."

"I know you're hesitating, you let her take the job as an apprentice, including Mr. Adrian's commission. Rest assured, after all, Mr. Adrian is highly respected in the city of Elroy, and no one will question his vision, so private employment cannot be a reason to eliminate her. ”

Director George looked out the window, at the crowds of people coming and going, and seemed to see farther away: "Fergus, I think now is the best era, just like the oil paintings of Master Oshardt two hundred years ago, his work changed that era, and now we must be in the same situation, the times are changing, we stand at the center of this change, and you have personally felt it in recent years, if it was a few decades ago, no matter how good a female painter was, no matter how good her work was, it would be impossible to show it." ”

"No, maybe it's all changing, our neighbors, the literary industry, which also uses the pen, has produced several famous female writers, and I don't think that painting, which is also art, will always be silent. Isn't it quite suitable for Nya's little girl, she likes to draw, she is highly talented, she is not bad at self-motivation, and most importantly, now she has met the opportunity that the artist dreams of, what do you think? Fergus, the eagle has learned to spread its wings, do you still want to confine her to this cramped and gloomy studio? ”

Fergus shook his head: "Director George, I have never had such an idea. ”

Director George patted Fergus on the shoulder: "That's good, I should go back after I finished speaking, by the way, do you have to think about letting Niya find a new teacher in the end." ”

A teacher's role is not only to teach his students, but also to the apprentice's career as a professional painter, and Fergus himself is just a painter who runs a fairly famous studio on Rodney Art Street, and he knows his limits, and this limit has become a constraint for Nya.

The sky is clear, isn't it just the right time to push the young eagle that has learned to spread its wings off the cliff?

Fergus looked a little lonely and depressed: "Don't worry about this, I once wrote a letter to Ms. Shirley, begging Ms. Shirley to take her as an apprentice, and Ms. Shirley agreed, although Ms. Shirley is not a professional painter, with her fame, she can definitely help Niya." ”

······

The spacious room was full of people, and a man dressed in a painter's costume came out, raised his right hand and announced: "Then start the third test now, the test topic is portrait painting, oil painting, watercolor can also be used, paint in the way you are good at, the theme is self-determined, and the time limit is two hours." ”

After finishing speaking, the male painter looked at the door: "Then Ms. Eudora, please be their painting reference." ”

A woman in a gorgeous long dress walked in with an umbrella, the woman's appearance is quite beautiful, but she doesn't seem to be used to this gorgeous long dress, and her temperament reveals a subtle sense of incongruity.

A richly dressed woman sat in the center of the room, and in front of her were six drawing boards, each of which sat an artist who had taken the vocational test.

Eudora sat down stiffly, the harsh gazes of the male painters made her uncomfortable, she just looked up and was stunned, in front of her was a beautiful woman with short hair, much younger than her, but being able to sit here also shows her identity, a painter who came to take the test, when can women become painters?

Meeting Nya's eyes, Eudora nodded politely and chuckled, her mood was much more relaxed in the presence of fellow women.

Niya smiled warmly, took a deep breath, and began to think carefully about what to write.

For a month, she worked as a deputy writer in the Degini comic studio, assisting Shirley in drawing the details of the comics, and at the beginning her proud sketching ability failed, and the detail, speed, and even the beauty that could not be depicted in words was far inferior to Shirley. Fortunately, Shirley did not hide her clumsy mentality, and carefully guided her painting shortcomings, Shirley's painting skills are mostly derived from the modern painting skills taught by Harvey, so naturally it is impossible to be bad.

Niya is very talented, although she is not as good as Shirley, but her heartfelt passion for painting cannot even be compared to Shirley.

Shirley is a better teacher than Harvey, Nia is a better student than Shirley, and Degini Comic Studio provides an excellent environment, so this month, Shirley's drawing skills have improved rapidly, and she is absorbing the knowledge and ability that Shirley has all the time.

The girl held a paintbrush and gestured to measure the scale of the figure, and what she learned the most this month was probably the sense of light, shadow and space in sketching.

The other male painters looked at her and didn't know what Nia was doing, so they almost didn't look at her with retarded eyes, and Eudora, who was a model, also hid her lips and chuckled.