Say What…
TUESDAY TIPS & TRICKS
As artists we each have a unique voice that we express in our work. It’s our point of view, our style. We also have another voice, the little voice in our heads that speaks to us when we draw. It may be small but it’s powerful and really influences how we draw.
Do any of these sound familiar?
“I can’t draw people.”
“That hand looks like a claw.”
“This building is wrong. I never get the perspective right.”
“I can’t post this sketch it isn't good enough.”
How about these?
“Is that line curved or straight?”
“What shape is that?”
“Which roof is higher?”
“This sketch expresses what I observed.”
The first set is the voice of the critic. It speaks to us of drawing as a noun, judging what we’ve done. The second set is the voice of the coach. It speaks to us of drawing as a verb, helping us to observe our subject, get lost in the act of drawing and render what we see. One is negative and self-defeating, the other is positive and constructive.
You’ve heard it here before – practice, practice, practice. In this case you really practice what you preach.
What do you say when you talk to yourself?
Excellent advice!
ReplyDeleteAdvice I need to take to heart myself sometimes!
DeleteThank you! The first list is productive. Obviously, the first list is not. We need to be kinder to ourselves and enjoy the process.
ReplyDeleteDebra, I find when I'm lost in and enjoying the process is when I do my best work. I had a teacher who would often say "think process not product". He was right.
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