Back To The Drawing Board
Can you draw a straight line? What about a perfect circle? No? Don't worry, nobody can. Not freehand anyway. I'm not even sure they exist in nature. There's the path of light, which is straight, but that's an abstract concept, not a thing. They are both mathematical concepts like zero and infinity that are intangible.
Having said that, the ability to draw what looks like a straight line, or the more difficult perfect circle, is a measure of how much control you have of your drawing hand.
I spent many years drawing as a child, so I developed the drawing muscles that not only give me the ability to draw fine and accurate lines, they also improved my handwriting. It's going to the gym and fine-tuning a movement. Have you noticed that when you pick up a pen to write after a long time, your hand and arm start to hurt? Those are your tired, atrophied muscles complaining.
Back To The Drawing Board
My problem isn't to do with atrophied muscles, but rather, the lack of basic skill. I taught myself to draw organically as a child simply by picking up a pencil and drawing. I drew and drew and drew till my drawings started looking good. Later in life I moved to drawing with pens. I also dabbled in other mediums like pastels, oils, and charcoal.
My art life was brought to an abrupt end during my teenage years when parental pressure, and educational demands robbed me of my drawing time.
I decided to go back to it now after so many years. It's one of the reasons why I needed to rebrand my YT Channel that I keep talking about.
I have returned to absolute basics, learning to draw lines and shapes again. Of course I already know how to draw these, but in order to learn new things, one must at times unlearn things one already knows. You can't fill a full cup of water with new water without losing some of the old water first.
What I hope to gain from these tutorials I'm following now is proper proportions, which will help eventually when I start drawing people again. Over the years, that has been one of my weaknesses - the proportions.
I'll probably be ordering one of the new iPads on which I can use the Apple Pencil so I can carry it around with me for drawing. I know I can use sketchbooks like the one in the video, but I want to keep all the drawings I do, but I don't want to create a heap of paper. It's counter to my attempt to be a minimalist, and it's a bit of a waste.
Exciting times ahead! Don't forget to subscribe to my YT channel if you want to follow my growth.
Peace and Love ✌🏿
Adé
All copy and photos are original content by me.
© adetorrent.com
Drawing with the Apple Pencil can avoid producing a large amount of paper and modify the drawing at any time, which is very convenient.
How fun! I think it’s great to go back to the fundamentals and reinforce them anytime you want to develop a new skill or move from amateur to a higher level — no matter the discipline.
Writing is another example where one needs to develop the fundamentals first, and then continue to exercise those muscles. I write technical marketing content for a living and write fiction as a passion, and while the skills cross over to a degree, I have to keep in practice with both of them to avoid that atrophy situation you described!
Oh absolutely! Thank God for spell checkers. I'd have to learn how to spell simple words again haha.
Yes, spell check and grammar check was a Godsend for me in my undergrad and grad work. I'm originally a "country boy" and often write as I talk. Love writing, but it takes time because I continually read and re-read content.
Agree on the fundamentals. You often need to return to the fundamentals when doing anything, new or old. When one returns to the basics, it can also bring clarity to the "Why?" of what your doing.
Sucks, you know, we lose so much when we get educated, it's ironic. Good for you to get back to something you loved so much when you were younger <3
The Apple Pencil I've tried once and I've been dreaming of buying an iPad ever since :D #steemat5dollarsandillgetone
I'm talking that hashtag to my voodoo priest tomorrow :)
I could make up a good freehand drawing when l was a kid. But no more. Lol
LOL. I know how you feel.