Drawing is simple!

Drawing or sketching is nothing that requires high mechanical abilities. If you read this text, you probably can also write. Writing is a substantially more complex activity than drawing or sketching.

Good drawings are made in mind. The art of drawing is the art of a seeing in a special way. You will benefit having learned drawing even if you don’t draw well. You will be able to differentiate between good and bad drawings, paintings, pictures and designs, you will be able to give aesthetic judgements. You will get a different “view”. To use an old (only German?) expression, you will “train your eye”.

Don’t hesitate. Drawing is primarily exercise. With each drawing or sketch you'll make, you will get better results. Do not make the mistake to judge your own drawings too critically. Keep your drawings, don't throw them away, and put the date on them. When you have a look on them after some month you will see, how much you have learned.

It’s boon and bane of our today’s media, that they confront us with the world’s best artworks through several centuries. These artworks set standards, which you can’t fulfil as a beginner and only few will fulfil them after years of practice. On the other hand media like the internet support you with beautiful training material. Looking at the works of other is the best way to learn.

So, don’t compare your drawings to the drawings you are used to see in art-magazines!

Or to works of people, who have trained since years.

I was in an exhibition of drawings by Rodin in a province museum. Rodin made wonderful sculptures and drawings, but in this exhibition were the minor works. It was facilitating to see, how bad some of Rodin’s drawings were. But normally you never will see this works, printed and published are only the best artworks.

Drawing is simply fun. It is an “end in itself” (self-purpose?), it’s a play, and sometimes it’s a kind of meditation. Therefore just play and don’t care about the rules formulated here. The drawings, the results of your drawing practice, are pleasing, but actually they are not so important. More important than the resulting drawings is the act of drawing.

And again the tip: Keep your drawings and note the date, even if you reckon, that they are not worth to do so. The reason is, that you will make rapid advance without noticing it. When seeing old drawings you will experience that you see them in a different way and you will see your progress.