Warming up to sketch? Here are some benefits

TUESDAY TIPS & TRICKS

Anybody who has spent time amongst first responders such as firemen, paramedics, military personnel and athletes of all levels (and Chicago winters for that matter) will know that practice, drills and a proper warm up are an essential part of being ready at a moment's notice when duty calls. Practice keeps the team in shape and alert for whatever comes their way. It also lets the team leaders work out the details on how the team will communicate and perform with each other so there is clarity and simplicity across the group. Another part of the practice and drills are in becoming familiar with all kinds of probable scenarios the team may face in real life-or-death situations so that they do not panic under pressure.

Am I suggesting that sketching requires warm up and practice to prepare for life-or-death situations? Not unless you are faced with the eleventh hour of turning in your final project for master's thesis or a big client presentation. What I am suggesting is that there may be some value in warming up your hands and brain before you attempt your sketch. 

Here are some of the main benefits to warming up. What are some of your warm-ups?

MENTAL PREPARATION

• getting yourself in the right frame of mind
• learn to search for a scene that resonates with you
• look for a story to tell and create a sketch that tells that story

PHYSICAL PREPARATION

• loosen up your wrist and arm
• increase your range of motion
• quick studies that help synch up the hand and eye coordination
• play around with basic shapes and scale

BUILDING CONFIDENCE

• practice making mistakes on purpose
• try out new ideas without fear of messing anything up
• test out your drawing tools, make sure they are in working order and find out how they will behave on certain papers

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?

Tuesday Tips & Tricks: Thoughts on Talent

Many times, as I am sitting sketching in a park or a cafe, someone would stop by, look over my shoulder, and then say with a wistful air "I wish I had your talent… I'd like to draw too…"

I usually hesitate to tell them, but I will tell you: I have no talent.

What I have is an incessant desire to make images. I have persistence and tenacity. I gave up on instant gratification and the need to look good right away. I bought in on an idea of 10,000 hours. But talent… no, definitely not. But let's examine the situation with more attention.

For decades I did not draw or paint or make art, because I was convinced that I had no "talent". Fairly late in life I came up with a rebellious idea that I don't actually need this thing "talent" to draw or paint. Ha! What a liberation it was! I took a pencil and did an exercise from a drawing book, the year was 2009:

I did more exercises from books, and interestingly enough my drawings got better.

Then I came across a book by Malcolm Gladwell "Outliers: The Story of Success" and read about 10,000 hours concept. The idea is that you need about 10,000 hours of practice to get good at whatever you want to get good at. I did the math: working 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, gives 2,000 hours of practice in one year. In 2010 I've barely scratched the surface… I realized that I needed 5 years of dedicated practice. I also realized that I don't need "talent", I need skill. That was doable, and I got to work.

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

These are some examples. I did a lot more stuff than that. I painted and studied, and later on taught as well. 

Today, in 2014, I have done my 5 years - 10,000 hours. I have moved from being afraid of putting a pencil to paper to being a professional artist and a painting instructor. 

Here's one more thing to keep in mind. In the beginning of your 10,000 hours quantity is more important than quality. There once was an experiment in a pottery class of an art school. For one semester a class was divided in 2 halves. Students in the first group were asked to make one single pot each during the time of that semester, but it should be the best pot they ever made. The grade would be given based on the quality of that single pot. The second group was asked to make as many pots as they possibly can, quality and beauty not important. These students would get their grades based on the number of pots they made, the more the better. As you probably guessed, by the end of the semester pots produced by the "quantity" group  were better and more beautiful than single pots made by the "quality" group. 

This example comes from a book "Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking" by David Bayles and Ted Orland. You can get this book from Amazon for under $4.00 used. It is a little book - 120 pages, small format - with a lot of wisdom. This will be the best art book you ever bought.

A practical and observable shift in quality of work occurs through practice and work. "Talent" is not even a part of this equation.

During my years of practice and self-study I arrived to several conclusions that I want to share with you:

1. If you can write a grocery list - you can draw too. You have all visual and motor skills that you need.
2. There is no such thing as talent. Talent is a man-made construct that is not really helpful.
3. Drawing can be taught. Why do you think there are so many art schools and art teachers. Find the right one. Teaching yourself works too.
4. Practice and time on task is all there is. Don't just trust me, try for yourself. Then come back in 6 months and thank me :).