A pair of Muhlenberg men’s lacrosse players recently traded in their sticks and pads for pencils and sketchbooks.

Seniors Jay Salasko and Alex Ardolino are taking the class Drawing from Nature this semester, and some of their work is currently on display in the Galleria Lobby at the Baker Center for the Arts.

The class encourages students to seek inspiration from the natural world, be it birds, fish or animals – or even their bones. For a recent project, they were given various skulls and skeletons from the science department replicate. Both Salasko and Ardolino took a shot at drawing a pig skull. Salasko also tried his hand at sketching pig foot bones.

And while the subjects may seem rather macabre, Salasko said they were interesting and that he enjoyed the challenge of trying to convey the depth and feel of the objects.

“There are a lot of curves and shadows that can be tough to draw, especially on the skull,” he said. “It was cool to hold the two next to each other when I was done.”

While neither of them consider themselves artists, they said they’ve always been interested in drawing and that it gives them a chance to be creative.

A psychology major, Salasko has been drawing and doodling since he was a kid. But he never had any formal training until he took Drawing I in the spring of his sophomore year. That experience piqued his interest, so he took Painting I this past summer. And when he needed credits this spring to fulfill his graduation requirements, he took a look at the available art classes.

Ardolino, who is majoring in business administration, got his work hanging on the gallery wall in much the same fashion. He took Drawing I this past fall, and enjoyed it so much that he decided to keep with it this semester. Of course it didn’t hurt that one of his teammates was also in the class.

Now that they’ve gotten their works on display, Salasko and Ardolino hope to draw a few more masterpieces on the field.

And when they’re sitting at their desks a few years from now working on a project or doing some research, they just might start to doodle. And pretty soon that doodle could turn into a sketch, which just might bring back some memories of their time taking Drawing from Nature

“It’s a fun class, and I’ve learned a lot,” Ardolino said. “I never thought I’d be taking many art classes, but I really enjoy it. And I definitely think I’ll keep drawing.”