How to Draw

Creamer cups,

drawn while hanging out in a restaurant, waiting for an appointment.

How to Draw

(2 simple steps)

1. Carry a sketch book with you and practice drawing everything, everywhere. Draw, draw, draw.
2. Repeat step one with passion until you become expert. We do well what we do most often. The End.

And while you are learning to draw, here are some pointers.

• You must be looking at your object. Otherwise you are cartooning. You cannot draw what you cannot see, unless you have a totally photographic memory.
• Tracing objects from photos will quickly put you in touch with the abstract shapes of reality.
• Working from the actual object is the best practice. Especially if it is human.
• The more you know an object, the harder it is to draw because objects are 3 dimensional. The curves and angles are frustrating to think about. Instead you must force yourself to look upon your object as a flat shape. Tracing from photos lets you see things as simple shapes. Look upon your object with your eyes almost closed and out of focus. It is called,"Squinting." Squint till you almost cannot see and concentrate on simple shapes. This is training the eye. It takes lots of practice.
• Compare the size of one shape to another. Appearances are deceiving. The diameter of the top of the drinking glass might look like a shorter distance than the height of the glass, however, it might be the same or greater distance.
• The size and shape of the space in between objects (negative space) is just as important as the objects themselves. Draw the negative space as if it is an important object.
• Take drawing classes from more than one teacher. Pretend to be the most inexperienced person in the class and you will get the most help, not only from the teacher, but the other students. The student with the best drawing skill is the least popular.
• Learn to draw by drawing often. Practice, practice, parctice.

Cherries 'N Heels, oil, 6"X6"

My friend, Lauri, found these crazy shoes at the Salvation Army. We are looking for someone who can fit into a size 5 to model them for us.

Draw Garbage

Cough Drop Package

Draw Garbage to shake loose the fear of producing perfection.

Keep a drawing journal. Draw something, anything, everyday.

Commit to something you love. Practice often. Do not neglect your own desire. Give yourself this gift.

Draw the things you see lying about. Don't waste time looking for perfection. Practice now.

I took an oil painting workshop in Sedona from Carol Marine. I highly recommend Carol's workshops. I feel that I can die happy now. It was that good. These eight pears were 7 minute studies, 7 minutes per pear. We were allowed to choose our own subject.

Pears 1, oil  6"X6"

Pears 2, oil 6"X6"

 The next painting is from an exercise where the goal was to mix a different color for each brush stroke. I really enjoyed it. Very good practice.

Pear, oil 8"X10"

 Pair of Shoes, oil 6"X6"

 Pear and Bottles, oil 6"X6"

Something Doesn't Belong, oil 6"X6"

Sketch & Play, Do It Today

Chocolate Bar Wrapper

Draw things that do not matter on paper that doesn't matter so you will just practice. Make your sketch book a place to play. Put a little dirt on it so you will get over the preciousness of it. Scribble it up and practice, practice, practice . . .

2 Bowls of Cherries, oil 6"X6"

Sunflower, watercolor 14X20

Failure is a good start

Garbage: Tea Bag Envelope

If you think your drawing is a failure, this is a good beginning. You have taught yourself what it is you do not want to be doing. Keep drawing and that failed attempt goes away.

If, on the other hand, you dwell on the drawing you did not like and do not continue to draw, you are letting it eat you. You are giving failure all the power. Keep drawing and take back the power.

I think this plastic cup sketch, from and earlier post, is a failure because it is very boring. I wondered about it, now I realize, it is two separate drawings of one cup and nothing fun is happening. The cup is transparent but who would know.

That 2 cup drawing is a very poor composition. Uh-Oh, the 'C' word. Composition, one of the words that makes How-To-Draw books scary. Composition just means how you arrange things. A good composition attracts the viewer, the listener, the reader . . .

Transparent Cups #2

And, BTW, an uneven number of objects makes a better composition. I have to keep reminding myself.

Observing parrots at the hotel on Maui

The moving subject again. I hope you are practicing the moving subject. It helps you simplify your shapes.

We all have failures, no matter how advanced we are. This is how we learn. The seamstress cuts in the wrong place and ruins the expensive cloth. Whatever the practice, we stumble. 

Failing does not indicate you should terminate doing the things you love or need to do. It is your opportunity to start over and do it differently.

Draw something poorly, on purpose. Study it. Think of why it is awful then draw the thing again, and again.

Draw Garbage means, "Draw anything, just draw!"

Empty Candy Box (Garbage)

The cliche', "Take time to smell the roses." Doesn't literally mean you have to smell roses to relax and enjoy your world. Likewise, my insistence to draw garbage does not mean you must draw actual garbage to learn to draw. Draw garbage is my way of saying, "Draw anything, just draw."

If you want to draw, you will stop making excuses and draw. The more you draw, the more able you will be to see the world as interesting shapes you can put on a 2 dimensional piece of paper. Most how-to books on the subject of drawing have lots of perfect logic, explaining how to draw in correct perspective. Logic is left brain thinking. The logical approach to drawing is intimidating, non-creative and frustrating. Start looking at the basic shape of your subject matter. Drawing well is about looking hard.

Look at the object before you. Let your eyes relax, droop your eye lids half closed and look at the object out of focus. Trace the shapes with your eyes. Close one eye and point at the object with your index finger and trace the object using the air before you as the drawing paper. Imagine your finger is making a line, as a pencil. Watch for long and short lines. Watch for straight and curved lines. Practice tracing the object with your finger and imaginary lines several times. Touch the object with your forefinger, redrawing all the lines then actually draw the object in your drawing journal.

Stop thinking of the object you want to draw as 3 dimensional. Because when you make lines on your paper to represent that object, it is no longer 3 dimensional. If you haven't already, purchase a pad of tracing paper. Take photos of the objects you want to draw. Trace the photos from your computer screen or print them out to trace.

There is a new drawing tool on the market. Colored pencils for drawing on glass. Find them in the supermarket or drug store next to crayons. When you draw on your window you can trace objects you see on the other side. Look outside, through your windows, and trace your car, gardening tools, your neighbors house, or your walkway. Go outside the glass and trace shapes of things you see inside. Or tape photos on the opposite side of the glass to trace. It is fun drawing on glass.

If you are worried you will fill up your drawing journal, good. Always have more on hand. Do not draw in journals with lines for writing. Lines are interference and not condusive to creativity.

If you want to learn to draw well, you will practice often.

Not To Old To Draw

Plastic Cup

I was asked if my art instruction is for children or adults. I replied, "Yes."

I have never used different methods for teaching children and adults. If you were learning a musical instrument as a child or an adult, you would be learning the same way. So it is with drawing. With musical instruments, you are training your ears and your hands. Learning drawing, you are training your eyes and your hands.

I was reading an article in AARP magazine (Yes, I am old.) about people developing artistic skills, both musical or visual arts. I would like to quote it here:

"Studies of brain plasticity--the life-long ability of our gray matter to adapt to changing demands-- are proving that our creative horizons need not narrow with age. "'We never lose the potential to learn new things as we grow older,"" says Gay Hanna, head of the National Center for Creative Aging. "'In fact, we can master new skills and be creative all our lives.'"

Great news!  No matter what your age, if you want to learn to draw, it is never too late.

Did you draw yesterday? Don't miss out on a day to strengthen your hand-eye skills. Draw something, quickly, right now!