Tutorial 85 - The Biggest Secret (Patreon)

Ok, you're going to kick me when I tell you the biggest secret to making progress in your drawing. 

But, if you're interested, please read on, it's important and I can't state it in one simple sentence. 

It's often easy to feel like we just can't draw, or we don't know what to draw, or the stuff we are drawing is simply uninspiring. Personally, I struggle with this feeling, almost everyday. It's so frustrating! But this is really just a negative mindset. 

Think about it. We all know how to draw. Anyone who can write a sentence has had to take the time to sit there and learn how to put pencil to paper and create forms that are recognizable. Learning how to write (or draw) a sentence is no different in process than learning how to draw a nose, or anything else for that matter. How did we learn how to write the alphabet? 

The biggest secret to leaning how to draw is to have fun with it. 

That's it.

Yes, I know how that sounds. But what I mean by 'fun' is actually something quite

deep and imperative to us as students of any craft. 

Most importantly, it's easily forgotten.

Learning to draw is hard, and not always fun. In fact, it's often so frustrating that people just give up. We have to balance the learning with the 'funning'.  We have to have fun drawing if we hope to make any progress. 

When you feel frustrated because you think you can't draw a nose, stop, before you get to the point of never trying to draw a nose again. Instead, pick up a pen or pencil and draw for fun. Draw for the feeling of making lines and creating forms. Draw and feel relaxed and zen like. It's the memory of this feeling that will pull you back to drawing. It's this feeling that will keep you up late at night drawing. 

Freeform drawing or Zen drawing or intentional doodling (I can't actually find a name for this)  is such a pure form of expression and often a wonderful way to explore and develop your personal style.  

There is no right or wrong way to draw freeform and you can make up your own rules, if any at all. You will find that you naturally gravitate towards certain patterns and the process becomes an expression of your true nature. That's how deep this can get! 

It doesn't matter what you draw, it's how you draw.