The Skill of Drawing

There is nothing wrong with doodling cartoons, or using symbolic figures to represent reality, but being able to draw things so that they look and feel ‘right’ is really satisfying. It’s not actually that hard to learn either. It just takes a drastic adjustment to the way we see the world, and then everything changes. 

I think it’s a shame that the majority of people say that they wish they could draw but were never any good at it. Or that they loved it at school but have not drawn since. 

Quite often, the problem is that everything looks so easy when we see an expert doing it. Have you ever tried to whirl dough like a pizzaiolo? Ride a monocycle? Spin a lassoo? We are not born with these skills, any more than we are born able to walk or talk. We learn these skills by copying people around us that have already mastered them, by trial and error, failure, success and determination. How many times does a baby fall down and get up again before it learns to walk? How much babble does it produce before the first words form? They just don’t give up, do they? And we don’t laugh at them for trying and failing either; we encourage them and we applaud when they succeed. Every parent wants their child to walk and talk, so these skills are actively encouraged from birth. 

We laugh at their funny drawings though, and we say ‘well what’s this meant to be?’ 

The urge to draw and make marks is something we are all born with, so all children do it. It’s an innate method of self-expression along with speaking, walking, singing and dancing. It’s what makes us human. We want to express ourselves but also to ‘fit in’ and be part of the society we are born into. Laughing at their pictures is enough to put some children off drawing forever.

I think it’s strange that people seem to think that drawing is a gift you either have or haven’t got. No one would expect to compose a symphony without knowledge of music and the instruments involved. Or write a novel without starting with the alphabet, rules of grammar, language etc. Why should we expect to draw or paint any better than we did as children without learning some basic skills? 

Driving a car is an incredibly difficult skill to learn. Steering round a corner, changing gear, indicating and being aware of other traffic all at once seems completely impossible at first. With practice we can do all those things (except indicating, which seems to be illegal in Malta) – and maybe even sing to the radio at the same time.

Of course it looks easy when an expert draws, but everyone has to start somewhere. Some children have a gift for seeing differently and they really can find realistic drawing easier to master. It is a skill that can be taught and learnt though. After that it comes down to practice and practice and more practice!


Classes Update  We are still making the most of the A/C every Tuesday morning at Le Meridien - must take a photo there next week!
And -surprisingly - we are STILL meeting at Villa Bologna to paint outside in the gardens! Even though we are in the midst of a heatwave (this is not funny in Malta, temperatures are around 38 C) the trees have kept us cool and calm every week so far !

24.7.15