You know, my husband thinks I'm a genius. He suspects that I can do just about any crafty, makey, arty type thing. (Shhh... don't tell him I really can't!)
That aside, one thing I really can't seem to do, though, is get a picture out of my head and into the sketchbook. I have lots of ideas, but actually putting them onto paper seems beyond my ken.
I have to have a visual in front of me.
I buy sketchbooks and pencils... like that will help me get better... they sit on the shelf... collecting dust.
I have tried. I've taken art classes and done okay... I learned some basics... and spent hours and hours on every drawing and agonized the whole time.
So I generally give up the idea of drawing out of my head and go back to doing the things that I do well.
(Gotta keep up that image, you know?)
And doing something I do well takes up less brain space.
I see other people's finished products, or see videos of how people just create a stunning picture, and I compare my feeble first attempts to their years of practiced, finished artwork.
Mistake.
This past summer, I read several articles about how copying the old masters is a tried and true method of learning, hundreds of years old.
And as I got to thinking about it, that's really how we learn most things ... by having others show us ... and practice.
Then we branch out, using techniques we have learned from others and from trial and error. We start creating our own art.
Anyway, when a group of friends said they wanted to do an "Artober," I was ready to say no, the same as I have done in years past.
Then I said to myself, "Self, if I want to draw, I need to do it every day. There is nothing wrong with googling "how do I draw XYZ."
Or googling "what does XYZ look like," and find an image or several images, of what I want to draw.
It is simply a way of learning and getting a visual for the next step.
It's not cheating. It's learning.
So far, most every day during October I have looked up a prompt or had an idea. And/or googled how to draw something or tried drawing it myself or looked for examples of whatever it is.
Step by step directions help me most. And some days, I drew whatever the article told me to draw, working on understanding why I was drawing it that way.
There were some days I felt so busy that I didn't have the 30 minutes to hours to spend on a drawing.
I still picked up my pencil and drew something even for five or ten minutes.
Because... if I want to draw I
have to make the habit of just doing it.
Even when the practice brought tears of frustration to my eyes.
I have to remember to give myself permission to be a beginner.
No more excuses, just do it.
Friends encouraged me. (Having cheerleaders are invaluable!)
I am pleased with how I am progressing. A few days better than others. A little better every day. And drawing a wee bit every day. Another lesson learned this month? I can take days to finish a picture. I don't have to agonize. The time it takes to make a picture has no correlation to quality. (The same as other projects in other mediums. Duh... hahaha) Perhaps someday I'll actually be able to draw something without those step-by-step directions. Or without another picture in front of me. Or perhaps not. Either way, I'll keep practicing. And my cheerleader husband will keep telling me how talented I am.
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