learn to draw

I dived in today with the first sketch/drawing I have attempted since I was forced to live in a foreign world many know as hell. Or high school.

Loving all things water, especially shells, I was given a jar of sea shells and decided these would be a great way to start to learn how to draw.

My little voice, known as “Self Worth” rose to the surface to drown very quickly by that demon called “Perfectionist”. If it’s not perfect, if it’s not looking exactly the same, if every line, shade, tone, whatever isn’t detailed correctly then self worth can jump the plank and plummet to the bottom of the ocean. My mind however did a strange thing and actually told “Perfectionist” off reminding itself that I was only a beginner and that this was only a sketch for FUN.

Egads, what a concept! I never do things for fun. Not creative things. I always do them so they are perfect perfect perfect… but I guess The Artists Way is having it’s um, way with me.

To beat “Perfectionist” into a corner and to give “Self Worth” a shot, I am even going so far as to post the little sea shell sketch. (Now that three people have actually told me without prompting that it looks like a shell! Yes I really am that insecure when it comes to creative things…)

I’m going to try to draw at least one shell a month, and if that goes well, perhaps I’ll start a new goal of doing 100 sea based sketches? Anyhow…. here goes nothing! Ladies and Gentleman, I give you the oh so exciting sketch with the very original name… “Shell No.1”.

Seriously, I’m inspired by tattoo artists. They are able to do the most amazing things freehand.

I decided to look through a few of our drawing books to see if we had a book about basics, especially in cartoon style or anime. I came across one that seems to be scary, yet covers all I was seeking. Today I just plunged into it and drew…. boxes.

It was actually fun. Even for drawing boxes. The whole point was to learn perspective. I got it. Some of them looked pretty out of it, but others were able to tell me from which angle they were supposed to be looking from so that was good.

I never thought I could draw. Actually I still don’t think I can. This will be really weird to do since I learnt shit at school about sketching and drawing. At the end I am supposed to be able to draw anime people, with lots of detail. The thought is rather laughable to me, but it does sound fun and for now, that is good enough.

It is interesting to discover that art takes on it’s own energy and that you don’t necessarily have to like what you are doing at the time either, but you do have to feel what you are doing for it truly comes from a place within you. For some reason I always think art should look like exact replicas of items but they don’t have to. In actual fact, it’s the energy of your art, your soul, that rises and takes over while you are in the process of creating which gives the art life. I would like to be able to draw better, but I’m not sure it would make me an artist, rather it would just make me “technically” more proficient, which won’t hurt, but to be more free and less self critical of what you are creating I think may be more along the lines of being a better artist.

So yes, this goal stays, I want to learn to draw and will when I get to it but it’s not stopping me from being artistic right now. Already this is an interesting journey I have found myself upon, one I never expected but am embracing and loving and absolutely never thought I’d understand. Yet here I am and for once I’m comfortble with not being technically perfect at something because I’m just being myself.