If you’ve always wanted to learn to draw and live near Silver Bay, MN, I’m teaching a beginner’s drawing workshop in February. You can find out more information and register by clicking on this link: https://tce.me/igzWB6.
As I created my plan to teach drawing techniques, I realized there is so much to explore, play with, and discover. With this in mind, I thought it’d be fun to create weekly posts about drawing with pencils (aka graphite), pens, and charcoal. Many of the techniques used for drawing carry into painting mediums too.
This week I want to give you some reasons to learn to draw:
Drawing makes your surroundings more interesting.
Once you try to draw something, you begin to see details you never noticed before. You’ll notice shape, texture, the way light hits an object, imperfections, similarities, and so many other details.
Drawing is a great stress reliever.
There is something meditative about our hand moving around the page. You’ll find yourself so focused on capturing what you want to draw on paper that it isn’t uncommon for your mind to go quiet and just be.
Drawing helps you take life less seriously.
Your drawing will improve with practice. However, some of the practice pieces will look nothing like what you intended. This is great! You’ve just learned one way not to draw something. One time I sat down to draw an otter that looked more like a squirrel. The result made me laugh, so I named the squirrel “Otter” and tried again.
Drawing is for you.
Just because you want to learn to draw doesn’t mean that you need to create masterful, realistic pieces worthy of galleries or for hanging on your wall for everyone to look at (however, there’s nothing wrong with wanting that outcome either). You don’t have to show anyone your drawing if you don’t want to. Many people use drawing to record things throughout their day, to broaden their skills, to try something new, or to sketch an idea to draw a more detailed piece later. You could even use your new skills to create comics or improve your skills at drawing games.
Drawing is fun.
The more you let yourself experiment and try new things, the more confident you will grow in your ability. Always try to draw things you like or think will be a fun challenge to tackle. The pleased feeling you have when you finish a drawing that you spent days, maybe even weeks creating in, is something to relish. There will be projects that each time you look at them, you’re pleased and, maybe, surprised at how well it turns out. Enjoy the feeling before starting your next drawing.
If you have the desire to draw, I hope you take a few moments to try it out (or signup for my workshop). Also, if you have questions about drawing or art, please don’t hesitate to contact me or leave a comment below.