Your First Drawing Lesson Your drawing history Learning Objective To understand and appreciate the bigger picture behind why so many people struggle to learn to draw. Introduction Before you begin to study drawing you should understand the process people go through as they develop. Nearly everyone goes through the same stages so it's important not to worry about it and let yourself develop naturally. You shouldn't get too hung up about comparing your work to other people's or making things look real. This lesson aims to teach you how most of us developed our drawing ability and why so many people get stuck. How do famous artists describe drawing? Drawing is taking a line for a walk. Paul Klee Drawing is not an exercise of skill but a means of expressing intimate feelings and moods. Henri Matisse. Drawing is the discipline by which I constantly discover the world. I have learned that what I have not drawn, I have never really seen. Frederick Franck I draw without taking my pen off the page. I just keep going, and I think of my drawings as scribbles. I don't think they mean anything to anybody except to me. Then at the end of the project, they wheel out these little drawings and they're damn close to what the finished building is and it's the drawing. Frank Gehry Many people believe that you have to have been born with a special talent to draw A few people can draw without any help or lessons. They have natural ability. Most other students compare themselves against these people, which is not fair! Judge yourself against YOUR earlier work to see if you are progressing. Enjoy other peoples work, you are not in competition with them. Albrecht Durer – Betende hande 1508 Brush drawing on blue primed paper Besides, everyone can draw! Whilst it is true that many people can draw very skilfully without being taught it is also true that EVERYONE can draw to some degree. We draw almost as soon as we can hold a pencil in our hands and even before we can write a single letter. Writing is a kind of drawing too, so if you can write you can draw! Drawing is a skill we develop instinctively from a young age, so what happens to us to make us lose our confidence and think that we can't draw? Introduction: Your First Drawings From an early age you will have learned how to draw with a circular motion. NEARLY EVERYONE LOVES DRAWING AT THIS AGE Lowenfeld’s; Pre-schematic stage Your Later Drawings At about 6 years old, we learn to draw pictures. MOST PEOPLE DRAW HOUSES AND HAPPY SMILEY PEOPLE. Lowenfeld’s; Schematic stage The Realism Stage: Where it all goes wrong! Lowenfeld’s; Dawning Realism At about ten years old we become obsessed with making things look REAL. If we can’t make things look perfect we become upset. Many people give up drawing here and rarely draw again. For many people this is drawing: As you try to make thing look real and ‘right’ on the paper, your brain is full of doubt; “Mine looks wrong” “I’ve made a mistake.” “Mine isn’t very good” “Theirs is better than mine.” You can feel embarrassed, awkward, uncomfortable even ashamed to let anyone see your work We are seldom taught HOW to draw If we wanted to learn how to play a musical instrument we would get lessons or tutorials yet we seldom get drawing lessons! So how do you become good at drawing? That's easy.............. LOVE drawing faces animals people cars dogs cats horses landscapes scenes flowers aeroplanes soldiers tanks battles swords aliens warriors houses fairies cartoons anime comic books space butterflies graffiti fish DRAW THE THINGS YOU LOVE & DRAW THEM OFTEN monsters Task: Spend some time drawing the things you love In your sketchbooks draw ANYTHING you like for the next 30 minutes. • Perhaps you would like to look in a book to find a picture to copy. • Maybe you want to invent something from your imagination. • Perhaps you can see an object you would like to draw in the room. • Do you have access to a computer where you can find a picture you like and print it out to copy from? Plenary: Don't worry about making it real! You will only learn to draw if you can over come your fears. All artists make mistakes and get things wrong. So don't get down about it. Everyone draws differently and even many famous artists don't draw realistically and sometimes they can't draw at all!!! This sketch by the artist Damien Hirst for his 'Shark' artwork is worth £5,000!!!