Stumble it!
Sketching is the way artists practice their skills. How do you make the most of it? Here are my own guidelines for how I spend my drawing time.
Study
Take a purely academic point of view and focus on what makes a good drawing.
For me, that means drawing from life. There is no better way to measure your progress than trying to imitate the world around you. It may not be the most exciting work; a line drawing of a water bottle won’t win any popularity contests, but it will do loads to help you learn form and perspective.
If I were to draw cartoons all the time, it would be like a basketball player doing nothing but slam dunks during his practice. That kind of player would get nowhere in his athletic career. The flashy tricks mean nothing without the basics; but if you can master shooting and passing, and also throw in a fancy hook shot now and again, that kind of skill is priceless.
Experiment
This time should be spent learning new ways of doing things. Try different styles, learn a new medium, and explore your favorite methods and ideas. This is where your own voice will come out and where you start to make a style of your own.
The important thing here is that you are not doing the same thing over and over again. You are always letting your work evolve and grow. Consciously try to think outside of the box or refine the way you draw.
Doodle
Just have fun.
After all, that’s why we draw in the first place. All this studying and work can make you lose perspective on this. Every once in awhile, just put a few lines down without thinking about any rules at all. Artists, as perfectionists, think everything has to pretty all the time. That kind of thinking will wear you out after awhile.
If you take the time to remember the pure joy of drawing, your art will benefit. Your work will be more spontaneous, and because you feel less restricted, it will be easier to create new ideas and images.
Keep these ideas in mind the next time you open your sketchbook. They will make your skills more well-rounded and you’ll progress further and faster. Happy drawing!
Have any other suggestions about sketching? Leave a comment on this post at DaniDraws.com.
Entries (RSS)
January 14th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Thanks for your insight.
Years ago, I would draw quite a bit and loved it. I got to a point where I got very detailed and it had to be “perfect.” That took the fun out of drawing. I also started comparing my work to others… my ego got in the way. It became a chore, no fun.
I’m going to try again and keep it simple. I’ll try a variety of style and subjects.
Thanks for your help, Joel
January 14th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
A really insightfull summary. Agreed 100%.
A nice peek at your sketchbook too !
January 15th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Like the way you put this across. I do the experimental and doodling often enough but have neglected the study. Now I know why I can’t always make the images on my paper look like I want them to.
January 19th, 2008 at 7:00 am
Thanks for the post Dany… almost felt it was a direct answer to my request some time ago.
I think perfection is in the way a lot of time when I am sketching, trying to be someone I am not.. Let’s seek the simple and the funny stuff, I am sure that will help.
Would love to see a couple of big scans of your sketchbook - does indeed look great
Regards Thomas
http://www.tinypilot.com
January 21st, 2008 at 5:10 am
Dani, thank you very much for helping me put the fun back into what had become a chore. I don’t know when I’ll have the chance to draw my favorite subject again from life but, when I do I plan on using a lot of old school & new school tech. Most importantly, I plan on have a way too much fun.
Thomas, you’re art is gorgeous.
May 3rd, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Nice post. Sketching should always be about having fun first. I recently set up a site at http://www.howto-draw.com and I think it’s important not to get bogged down by work.
Cheers - Sean