What’s Drawing?
And what is the right way to draw?
“Each and every person will draw in their own unique way, whether trained or untrained every mark made speaks differently - from nervous, tentative searching strokes to bold gestural and direct mark making, sometimes all in the same image.” -Martin Salisbury
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Drawing is language.
First you need to see, truly see. Then you can respond with a drawing. The problem is we to easily name the thing we see then draw the icon of the thing we see.
Pure drawing is something different, perhaps that’s what Picasso meant by he was trying to learn to draw like a child, to be able to skip the words and all the baggage that comes with it and simple communicate with visuals from what he saw.
Children draw in the most amazing way, they just go for it, they are not so much trying to draw a thing or a word, rather the images just emerge and they might name it later.
Who we are emerges in every mark of a drawing made. It’s a permanent accent.
It can be trained away, but that might be a mistake.
The way you draw is a precious expression of who you are.
There is a right way to draw (for you) it is the way you already draw.
Could you describe your drawing style? What makes it so?
Or is it something else entirely?
TenMinuteArtist Prompt:
The Dot
Draw a dot in the middle of a page, imagine it’s a portal, try to switch of your verbal brain, and use your visual brain and hand to capture everything coming through that portal onto your page.
Share this with the person in your life who is always drawing!
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You are reading part one in a series called Drawing for Illustration.
Ten Minute Artists,is a Page-a-day guide that offers fun prompts, encouragement, and thoughtful perspective for every stage of the creative journey to help new and experienced creators alike advance their quest in 10 minute increments.
Award winning illustrator Adam Ming draws lessons from creative legends, industry experts, and his own experience of rapidly breaking into international publishing from a third world country.
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Cool idea! I have an artist friend who every time I say that I Drew something because I liked it asks why. And then after I answer the why he follows up with another question which is just another version of asking why. It's usually how come? Or tell me more. Usually through all of his inquiry I get to the heart of what really matters to me. So in the spirit of your question, what might you write in your sketchbook alongside something you have already created, I would say how about questions. That is, we can also go back through an old sketchbook and ask or write ourselves questions. What was it about this drawing that was important to me? Why did I spend however much time on that particular sketch? How come? Then what? And even what did I draw after that and is there any connection? Would I draw it again? Did I incorporate it into another drawing later on? And so on. Thank you for this post, it really made me think! Next step, is to go back through an old sketchbook and do!
Strangely, although I like using sketchbooks for EVERYTHING and making a big mess in them, I very rarely write in them. I do like to write ideas down so that they're out of my head, but then it's either in a note app or in my organiser.