drawings

Drawing is a skill that:

• can be learned
• can be practiced
• can have an expanded definition of what is possible and pleasing

I think some folks love to draw and others see it as a chore or challenge. I have a couple of tricks that I use to make it less of a chore.

#1 Expand your idea of what a good drawing is

If your skills are not where you want them to be just yet, then try to be gentle with yourself as you train your eye, hand and brain to all work together.

• Look at line drawings by Matisse, Picasso, Ellsworth Kelly or other famous master. Hopefully you will notice a raw, authentic beauty in the characteristics of their line drawing. Check out my pinterest board of Master sketches.

#2 Use tracing as a tool

With some hesitation, I suggest doing some tracing studies. Please use them as a tool and not a constant crutch. If it becomes a crutch that you use all the time, then your skills may stagnate. But if you can use it with restraint it may help you to see.

• Try the tracing study of a Matisse drawing that I suggest in this tutorial. Remember that the goal is not a perfect copy, but to train your eyes to more accurately record on paper what you see in 3 dimensions.

#3 Draw a bit each day and keep it fun

Fun, quick and easy is important. And your daily practice will pay off. Sometimes, I have done quick little line drawings in a notebook and found it months later and been pleasantly surprised by the memories the drawing evokes.

• Give yourself a reason to draw. My reason is so that I have imagery for making printing plates, templates and stencils for other printmaking processes.

If you are interested in using your drawing more and learning how to make trace monoprints, then check out the details of the online class,  DRAW into Print.

I am guessing that you have become more aware of your hands and what they touch in the last few weeks.

Image by Manuel Darío Fuentes Hernández from Pixabay

Hands are always with us, so often they can be the subject of drawing assignments in school.

This is a hand drawing that I did in art class.

Hands can be intimidating too. They are complex and ever moving. Plus you need at least one hand to draw with and the other to pose.

I offer you this drawing challenge to you:

1. Get a pen and paper
2. Move and model your hand into different positions
3. Do a loose line drawing of your hand
4. ahhh, pause, breath
5. Were you focused on the lines, wrinkles, and shapes of your hand?
6. Repeat – Enjoy

The goal of the drawing is not perfection or even realism.

If you are new to drawing your hand, then the goal is to slow down and start to see the 3 dimensional hand. And to begin to train your eyes and drawing hand to work together to flatten the 3-D to 2-D on paper.

I actually like my wobbly, imperfect drawings. Somehow they feel “real” to me.

I hope you give it a try.

If you would like to explore more about line drawing and then using those drawings to make trace monoprints, then check out the upcoming online class, SEE, draw, Print. It starts April 17th, 2020.

As artists we choose what to include and exclude the the work that we create. It is our own selective vision. Our perspective is our gift.

I offer a challenge to you.

Use your window as a framing device. You could start the challenge by just drawing the window frame. This type of focused drawing will pull you into the present moment and you may even become peacefully lost in noticing the details of the window.

• Keep it easy and fun
• Embrace your style of line drawing
• Look at the window frame constantly as you sketch

Then you might notice what is outside the window. It could be simple or more chaotic.

It could be:

• other buildings
• landscape, sea or lake
• trees, birds or people

Notice what you tend to focus on.

Do you take it all in? Or do you look at one element? For example in the rather boring and chaotic view from my window, I chose to take a few minutes and draw the tree in the lower right hand corner.

I enlarged the drawing and used it as a template to cut out a tree for a collage project.

Have fun with this “Out the Window” idea.

• Pause and see
• Frame and capture
• Complete and share

Enjoy!

I know that I have said, I don’t like drawing and that is still true. It is not a thing, that I love to do. But it is kind of like exercise, I am really glad I did it when it is over.

Art teachers will tell you that drawing is the foundation of all art making. That can be discouraging if you don’t like to draw or don’t like how you draw.

So here are a couple of thought patterns to get around the resistance to drawing:

• Expand your definition of “good” drawing
• Embrace scribbles, gestures and line drawing to begin with
• Less is more – try simple contour drawings
• Cover up a drawing in your sketchbook that really bothers you with collage
• Make your drawings “go father”, use them as a printmaking matrix
  •  a trace monoprint
  • a foam relief plate or
  • shape for a stencil

Mostly, find a way to trick yourself into liking the drawings that you are doing, so you will be willing to draw more. Then you will natural improve.

Doodles are drawings too!

Have you ever tried “hair sketches “? It can be surprisingly fun. Just draw the hair of people you observe in person, on TV or in a picture. Do it fast and loose and have fun.

Here the flower drawing became and ezscreen for screen printing and the bird is a trace monoprint on rice paper. This way I have given my drawings new life.

So I encourage you to find ways to be happy with your drawings as you build your skills.