Klance Oneshots

Figure Drawing

I'm not dead, and just to prove it... I present a one shot specially made for you!

Keith wasn't an easy person to surprise. He was pessimistic at best. And when things went wrong, Keith was always there to happily remind everyone that he was right. Things rarely ever go according to plan, and he was counting on it. Keith stood a firm believer that if things go right, it was because he put in the blood, sweat, and tears to make that happen. If he was going to ace that test, he would work until he knew without a reasonable doubt he'd pass it. If he wanted a drawing to invoke a response out of someone, he'd put the time necessary into it to make that happen. He liked to be sure of himself, and he liked to be in control of his life. Maybe it stemmed from a childhood that was far out of his control. And when things weren't within the realm of certainty for Keith, he avoided them like the plague. People tend to be that uncertainty for him most of all. He hated the unpredictability of people and despised human nature, for he only saw the worst in it.

Sometimes he expressed those feelings in his art, and it has come out the most since his figure drawing class began. To draw people as he saw them was to draw them in dark values, and their smiles appear sinister rather than carefree. No matter how many times he would erase and try again, their eyes always came out cold or dull, they never showed life.

"Keith, come talk to me after class." His professor smiled as she watched him erase the face of their model and start over. The model was handsome with boisterous red curls, and yet he looked borderline wicked in Keith's drawing. He didn't mean to, and he tried it multiple times over, but class would end in a few minutes. The model covered himself in a robe and padded to the back room—a.k.a storage closet—to change back into his clothes and Keith sighed at his unfinished figure.

He sat quietly as he watched his classmates pack up and leave one by one. He held his charcoal tightly as he stared at the blank face of his figure in indignation. How come it was so easy for them to capture a stranger's aura? He was a good artist—no, an excellent artist. So, why couldn't he get past his bias and just draw them as they appear?

"Keith, I can tell you're struggling." His professor, Dr. Katz-Wettin, gave him a pitiful smile. She had long brown hair that she always wore in a high pony tail bringing out her sharp features. Everything about her was sharp, her nose, chin, eyes, ears, and even her hands. But in contrast was her gentle nature, though Keith was positive she could be cutthroat if she wanted. "What's up?" She tilted her head as she spoke.

"It's nothing," Keith rubbed his neck to relieve some of the stress he was feeling there.

"How come whenever you draw a person from your head they're flawless, maybe lack some depth or life, but amiable nonetheless. But, whenever we bring in a model, while the execution is still perfect, they have this scheming, shrewd look about them." She, as if to prove this, deposited a pile of his assignments on her desk and spread them out. "Notice the difference?" She held up two for comparison.

"Yeah, I know." Keith sighed. "I'm not doing it on purpose."

"Oh, I'm fully aware it's not purposeful. I want to get to the bottom of why it's occurring. So tell me Keith, what do you think of people?" She rested her chin on the palm of her hand and peered at him.

Keith fiddled with the charcoal in his blackened hands. "I never cared much for people. If that's what you mean."

"Why's that?" She glanced down at his art.

"People by nature are cruel and self serving." Keith leaned on a desk and tilted his head to look out the window at the green campus below, full of wandering students. He didn't mean to sound so cynical, but perhaps he was a cynic.