Learning to draw is a skill, just like learning a new language. It requires learning the rules and practicing and practicing and practicing. Did I say practice? By this I mean that you should have a sketch book, well maybe 2 or 3 sketchbooks. One small enough to fit in you purse or briefcase, so it is always with you. Everyday, steel away by yourself or sit with friends and a glass of wine — sketch what ever is in front of you. Relax and draw! Enjoy it. Don’t worry about erasing mistakes, just keep moving the pencil. You are not working on a fine piece of art, you trying to capture the rhythm and flow of the scene. When you are drawing a line and it isn’t exactly where you wanted it, just draw another line where you think it should be. (DON’T ERASE). Those wayward lines can really enhance the sketch and help capture the flow. In fact there is a wonderful word for those extraneous lines: Pentimento. It is a delightful word used to describe the process many an artists go through when they are creating their works.
Why do you even need a sketch book? The multi-purpose sketchbook is probably your best tool. It is a vehicle to practice and improve. It is filled with things that “caught your eye”. It is an idea book for scenes that you might want to develop later as a watercolor or oil painting. It is a journal of your day. It is stress relieving. You have to treat your sketchbooks like real friends, don’t worry about how good the sketches are. If you worry that someone will laugh or think less of you because the sketches aren’t perfect, then you will never get anywhere. A sketch book is like a diary, you don’t have to share with anyone.
If you try to make your sketches perfect, you will stunt your growth. Your sketches will be stiff and boring if you are overly concerned about how perfect they are, You won’t push yourself to do things that your brain screams “that is too hard and I can’t do that” YES YOU CAN. But you have to work at it.
Enjoy the journey. Susan
12 x 12
Oil
Artist: Susan Tyler
