Part I
Discovering What It Takes to Draw
In this part . . .
Think of the first five chapters of this book as an artist’s version of Clark Kent’s telephone booth. Imagine yourself, mild mannered and curious, walking into Part I . . . and a little later, walking out armed with everything you need to know to begin drawing.
The chapters in this part describe the tools, mindset, and processes you need to be familiar with before you start putting pencil to paper. Here, you find an overview of all the subjects you can explore in this book as well as a full chapter on the tips and tricks to keep in mind when choosing your first drawing supplies. To give you a quick glance into the future of your drawing career, this part also includes a chapter that summarizes each of the common steps in the drawing process. And because it’s the digital age, you find a whole chapter devoted to using hi-tech drawing materials, like your computer. Finally, you find out what it means to see the world and its inhabitants like an artist sees them.
Chapter 1
Gearing Up to Start (And Continue) Drawing
In This Chapter
Taking the plunge to see if you have what it takes to start drawing Discovering what drawing is Finding the motivation, supplies, and style you need to keep drawing Developing drawing habits that’ll get you through the rough patches Drawing is primal, universal, and deeply personal all at once. It’s primal because the tendency to draw is innate (in other words, you’ve probably been drawing since before you could talk). It’s universal and personal because whether you choose to draw a tree or just a looping spiral, by putting marks on paper, you connect the inner workings of your mind to the outer world.
So you’re ready to take a serious step toward honing your drawing skills. Well, you’ve come to the right place! This chapter is an introduction to drawing as a subject of study. Along with a quick summary of the materials and skills you need to get started, you find useful information about historical and contemporary approaches to drawing. In case you want to know more about any of the topics we touch briefly on here, we’ve peppered this chapter with references to other chapters where you can find in-depth coverage. As a bonus, we’ve included some information right at the beginning about how to tell whether or not drawing is for you. (Spoiler alert: Drawing is for you!)
Testing the Waters: Do You Have What It Takes to Draw?
For many burgeoning artists who have a nagging, tickling idea that they may have what it takes to draw, testing out the dream feels like a real risk. After all, if they fail, the dream will be gone — just like that. If you’re afraid to risk losing your dream of becoming an artist, stop worrying! Go ahead and take the risk; you may be surprised to discover that it isn’t really a risk after all for one simple reason: Anyone who wants to learn to draw well can do so.
Debunking the talent myth
Every elementary school has at least one kid who can draw an amazing unicorn (or some other detailed animal or object) without looking at any books or photos for inspiration. All the teachers and students look at that kid and say, “That kid’s got real talent.” Maybe you were that kid in your school. Or maybe you only wished you could draw like that kid. Either way, you can learn to draw well today as long as you’re ready to put your mind (and pencil) to work.
What’s called talent in drawing is actually a heightened sensitivity to visual facts (which, lucky for you, is something anyone can develop!). To draw well, you must be able to see the physical facts, such as size, shape, value, texture, and color, of things and to make comparisons of what you see. Familiar objects are often hard to draw because when you look at them and know what they are, your brain doesn’t take time to carefully analyze the way they look. To see things as they actually are, you must practice paying more attention to the facts of what something looks like than the facts of what something is as an object. When you’re really tuned in to the facts of what something looks like, that particular something becomes much easier to draw. (See Chapters 5 and 7 for some great tips on how to change the way you see.) Talent on its own doesn’t make an artist. Yes, the ability to see like an artist and make visual comparisons is a necessary condition for drawing well, but they don’t matter at all if you don’t also have a passion for drawing. Even if you feel like you have no artistic talent whatsoever, if you have a desire to draw running through your veins, you can master the other stuff with a little determination and practice. After all, the bulk of getting better at drawing is work — not talent. No matter how talented you are, you won’t grow as an artist if you don’t physically work on honing your skills, and passion is what gives you the strength and motivation to do that work.
Embracing your individuality
One of the most compelling characteristics about artists is their uniqueness, or style. But don’t think you have to have your own style right away. Even the most well-known and accomplished artists are often influenced by the work of others whom they admire. For example, you can see traces of Cezanne in Picasso, but Picasso was still unarguably unique.
You probably have a few artistic heroes of your own. Perhaps you’ve made some copies of their works or tried out their styles. If you haven’t, give it a try; copying other works is a great way to practice and develop your drawing skills. Just know that you can’t claim any copied work as your own. (Check out Chapters 2, 6, and 17 for details on how to develop as an artist by using other artists’ works as inspiration, and refer to Chapter 18 for more deta...
