Beyond the Visual: Charles Schulz and the Art of Feeling.

A micro lesson in drawing

Oct 26, 2023

“When I’m drawing a wooden fence, I’m thinking wood, when I’m drawing grass… I’m thinking grass. I feel it as I'm drawing and it just comes out of the pen". - Charles Schulz

Mindset on Creativity

Creativity is a remarkable and often elusive phenomenon.

Charles Schulz’s quote provides a glimpse into the profound connection between an artist’s mindset and their work. The essence of the creative process is to be fully engaged in the present moment. When an artist, be it a painter, writer, or musician, immerses themselves in their craft, they establish a profound connection with the subject matter.

The artist isn’t merely recreating a visual; they’re channeling the very essence of the subject onto their canvas.

Drawing as extracting.

In the same 1985 interview with Leonard Martin. Schultz goes on to say that he uses the same approach when drawing emotions for his characters.

Schulz even goes as far as to ridicule, what he called cheap instructional books about making comics - laughing at how they suggested drawing a kind of line for a mouth if a character is happy and another kind if they were sad.

To Schulz, that was too superficial an approach.

Reconsider the word drawing.

It’s the same word used to extract water from a well. In Schulz's quote, he connects this idea of extraction, with the more common idea of production.

Have you ever experienced this more emotional type of drawing, where you are simultaneously extracting from your being as you are producing on paper?

10 Minute Assignment: Drawing from thought and feeling

Today I want you to experience drawing in this deeper way of being mindful of your subject and extracting, drawing out that feeling and thought quality and letting it flow out of your instrument onto your page.

Print out this worksheet or send it to your iPad or Computer