—Creativity—
I once led a drawing workshop for a group of executives at a large corporation. They recognized the value in learning to draw to help them learn to communicate better with each other in meetings. Drawing is something we can all learn, and it's not just for artists. There was a time when learning to draw was considered part of a modern, aristocratic education for every young person.
Drawing has something to do with talent, but anyone can develop the cognitive and physical skills that form the foundation of drawing technique. It is in vision and inspiration that some might stand out more than others. On the other hand, one can go far by simply learning to listen to the muse. So here are a half-dozen aspects of drawing that are available to anyone willing to learn.
Drawing Conventions. Certain ways of rendering a drawing are time-tested for their effectiveness in communicating visual form. These conventions can be learned by anyone. In my classes, for example, students learn how to draw shadows using a formula that most artists use.
Fundamentals of composition. There are constants in art, just as there are constants in music. We can identify a variety of visual characteristics that we can rely upon to produce consistent visual effects. Anyone can learn to create emotional harmony or tension using these fundamentals. These rules seem to be based in nature rather than in culture. For example, a horizontal line will usually seem to refer to landscape.
Seeing. A great deal of any art making has to do with seeing, just as making music has to do with hearing, and great writing has to do with reading. As you develop your drawing skills, you will learn to see the world differently, and see your drawings differently.
Drawing skills. Over time, artists have learned the ways that tools and materials work. Anyone can learn to use a pencil. You can learn how to sharpen and hold a pencil, and how to draw with it. If you practice, you can easily master your technique.
Style. Simply by being yourself, your own unique style will come out. You will learn to recognize and value your style, and then develop it.
Imagination. This is where some people stand out more than others. Some of us are quite naturally called to engage our peers with unusual ways of experiencing. While some of us may be more imaginative than others, we can all develop our imaginations more. In addition, we can all learn to identify, appreciate, and create visual poetry.
So, there's no reason to fear drawing! If you understand that learning drawing is like learning any new skill set, you will understand why you have trouble at first, but you will know that you can watch yourself master it over time like any skill. Maybe we should think of every skill in life as an art form!
I once had a young student who told me, at the beginning of the first class, that he wanted to learn to draw a fist. I told him that I would teach him what he needed to know to draw anything he wanted. I soon forgot about the fist. On the last day of the six-week course, his mom came to pick him up. And he asked her to wait as he pulled out a fresh piece of paper. On it, he drew a perfect hand, closed into a fist. He had remembered what I told him and proved to himself that he had learned to draw it, simply by learning how to draw.
The theme I used throughout the advertisements and publicity materials was graphic images of people's legs all walking in the same direction. There are men and women and boys and girls of various ages—which you can tell from the clothing and the size of the figures. A number of the figures are carrying art that they purchased.
