This will probably be one of my harder blog posts, since it will be a little hard to convey what I need to say. Although it should be pretty self-explanatory.
You’d think that just about anybody could draw what they see… there just seems to be a disconnect between the hand and the brain sometimes. Which is understandable. Art, like anything, you need training to not only be successful, but to know how to get started. You don’t always need a talent for it. Anybody can learn how if they truly desire it.
However, art isn’t like a sport. I can’t tell you how hard to hit or how many push ups you need to do in order to score points. Art is tangible, but it’s also an idea—a vision, if you will—that can’t exactly be taught.
With that in mind, you’ll need to figure some things out on your own. Style, for example. Anyway, I want to start with a visual example first:
Take a good look at the picture. I mean really look at it. Examine every detail. The light, the color, the texture, the placement. Everything.
Got it? Good.
Now draw it.
It’s not easy at first, it might come out looking like some spaghetti on top of a blob. So what? When you first start, it’s not about the finished product. You’re still learning to walk—so to speak.
One thing I might point out that helps me is to think about the object abstractly. In other words, don’t look at the picture as a whole when you draw (although you should before you start). Start by focusing on one leaf and think of it as just a plain shape—not a leaf—and then draw that. It kind of looks like a long skinny triangle, right? Then, add details. Build from that and before you know it you have a cactus plant in a pot on a windowsill.
It’s about training your eyes and your hands to work together. That’s the important foundation. If you can’t really look at something, how can you capture it?
Go take a walk, observe plants, animals, cars, people, whatever! You don’t even need to draw them (although I’d recommend it). Start by wrapping your mind around what your world looks like!
Stay tuned for more and thanks for reading 🙂