Your First Drawing Lesson Your drawing history

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Your First Drawing LessonYour drawing history
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Learning Objective

• To understand and appreciate the bigger picture
  behind why so many people struggle to learn to
  draw.

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Introduction

• Before you begin to study drawing you should
  understand the process people go through as they
  develop.
• Nearly everyone goes through the same stages so
  it's important not to worry about it and let
  yourself develop naturally. You shouldn't get too
  hung up about comparing your work to other
  people's or making things look real.
• This lesson aims to teach you how most of us
  developed our drawing ability and why so many
  people get stuck.

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How do famous artists describe drawing?

• Drawing is taking a line for a walk. Paul Klee
• Drawing is not an exercise of skill but a means
  of expressing intimate feelings and moods. Henri
  Matisse.
• Drawing is the discipline by which I constantly
  discover the world. I have learned that what I
  have not drawn, I have never really seen.
  Frederick Franck
• I draw without taking my pen off the page. I just
  keep going, and I think of my drawings as
  scribbles. I don't think they mean anything to
  anybody except to me. Then at the end of the
  project, they wheel out these little drawings and
  they're damn close to what the finished building
  is and it's the drawing. Frank Gehry

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Many people believe that you have to have been
born with a special talent to draw

• A few people can draw without any help or
  lessons. They have natural ability.
• Most other students compare themselves against
  these people, which is not fair!
• Judge yourself against YOUR earlier work to see
  if you are progressing.
• Enjoy other peoples work, you are not in
  competition with them.

Albrecht Durer Betende hande 1508 Brush drawing
on blue primed paper
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Besides, everyone can draw!

• Whilst it is true that many people can draw very
  skilfully without being taught it is also true
  that EVERYONE can draw to some degree.
• We draw almost as soon as we can hold a pencil in
  our hands and even before we can write a single
  letter. Writing is a kind of drawing too, so if
  you can write you can draw!
• Drawing is a skill we develop instinctively from
  a young age, so what happens to us to make us
  lose our confidence and think that we can't draw?

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Introduction Your First Drawings

• From an early age you will have learned how to
  draw with a circular motion.
• NEARLY EVERYONE LOVES DRAWING AT THIS AGE

Lowenfelds Pre-schematic stage
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Your Later Drawings

• At about 6 years old, we learn to draw pictures.
• MOST PEOPLE DRAW HOUSES AND HAPPY SMILEY
  PEOPLE.

Lowenfelds Schematic stage
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The Realism Stage Where it all goes wrong!
Lowenfelds Dawning Realism

• At about ten years old we become obsessed with
  making things look REAL. If we cant make things
  look perfect we become upset.
• Many people give up drawing here and rarely draw
  again.

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For many people this is drawing

• As you try to make thing look real and right on
  the paper, your brain is full of doubt
• Mine looks wrong
• Ive made a mistake.
• Mine isnt very good
• Theirs is better than mine.

You can feel embarrassed, awkward, uncomfortable
even ashamed to let anyone see your work
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We are seldom taught HOW to draw

• If we wanted to learn how to play a musical
  instrument we would get lessons or tutorials yet
  we seldom get drawing lessons!

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So how do you become good at drawing?
That's easy..............
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LOVE drawing

• faces people cars dogs cats horses landscapes
  scenes flowers animals aeroplanes tanks battles
  swords aliens warriors soldiers houses fairies
  cartoons anime comic books monsters space
  butterflies graffiti fish
• DRAW THE THINGS YOU LOVE DRAW THEM OFTEN

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• Task Spend some time drawing the things you love
• In your sketchbooks draw ANYTHING you like for
  the next 30 minutes.
• Perhaps you would like to look in a book to find
  a picture to copy.
• Maybe you want to invent something from your
  imagination.
• Perhaps you can see an object you would like to
  draw in the room.
• Do you have access to a computer where you can
  find a picture you like and print it out to copy
  from?

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Plenary Don't worry about making it real!

• You will only learn to draw if you can over come
  your fears.
• All artists make mistakes and get things wrong.
  So don't get down about it.
• Everyone draws differently and even many famous
  artists don't draw realistically and sometimes
  they can't draw at all!!!

This sketch by the artist Damien Hirst for his
'Shark' artwork is worth 5,000!!!