Anyone Can Draw!

wearewonderIabs.com http://wearewonderlabs.com/blog/ill-let-secret-anyone-can-draw/
I'II Let You Into a Secret: Anyone Can Draw
So, as much as I Iove web design, I stare at a screen for most of the day, so I find
when I get home I'm a bit restIess and don't reaIIy feeI Iike watching TV. so I usuaIIy
paint or draw.
One day I'II draw something that isn't crap.
've always been into creating stuff, especially drawing and painting. As a kid used to draw all the time. Not
exceptionally well, may add. wasn't some sort of five year old art prodigy. drew the same rubbish stick-people like
everyone else.
n fact, remember drawing an ironing board. was slightly put out that it wasn't selected for the front of the fridge to
join the other works of art consisting of rainbows, oversized flowers, and people with freakishly long arms.
f remember correctly, the absent minded splurge of black paint held some sort of resemblance to an abstract ironing
board so threw that in for some hope of artistic recognition. As a concept it was pretty innovative, but not realistic.
suppose most people's preconceived idea of what's 'good' is something that depicts a view of the world that the
majority of people share. so ok, the ironing board was a bit far fetched to gain appreciation.
My painting looked something like this, aged six
Although from a young age, my enjoyment for drawing was tinged with an air of frustration that was drawing a
perception of an object and not the object itself. hadn't come to that conclusion at that point in time of course. just
got through lots of sketch pads, thinking 'why doesn't this look like it does in my head?'.
Frustration and fear of faiIure stand in the way.
guess when you draw, for me anyway, your brain gets in the way of drawing something that looks real. That's the left
side of your brain trying to save time and help you out by simplifying and managing information resulting in you
drawing symbolic representations of a subject. So if you try and draw a face that's realistic, you end up with this.
At this point many people paint themselves with the ''m crap at drawing brush'
When was about twelve, remember drawing a picture of Posh Spice, it was just drawn in an HB pencil. remember
that, as my sisters' name is Helen Beall, and was jealous that her initials were engraved on the end of the pencil and
not mine.
t was pretty good guess, in terms of the proportions. t was the first time felt that satisfying eureka moment when
knew 'd created something good.
(first mistake - comparing yourself to others)
But then as the years went on drew less and less, then of course, 'm sure 'm not alone in this, but 'd look at a
brilliant piece of art and think 'that's way out of my league and far surpasses anything could hope to achieve.' n
retrospect the Victoria Beckham drawing seemed a bit amateur now.
(second mistake - giving up too soon)
attempted a couple of portraits that had already decided were rubbish before 'd finished them. So the fear of not
being good enough and making mistakes stood in the way of developing my drawing skills.
Picking up the paintbrush again
A few more years went by, and had completed my degree and was working as a Graphic Designer, my creative need
was being fulfilled, so hardly drew at all, and had kind of resigned myself to the fact that drawing wasn't my fort.
Then, roughly a year ago, was randomly asked to help a Charity Art Auction by contributing a piece of art. said
"great! 'll do it..Then panicked thinking, 'Jeeeez!! what am going to do for it. 'm not even an artist!!'
Somehow though, managed to let go of the fear. experimented. Then had an image in my head of what was
going to create. Thanks to my career in graphic design, can visualise things pretty clearly. looked at the side profile
of a woman in a magazine for a reference point and then started painting.
My first attempt was ok, it wasn't brilliant though. stuck with it; tried again.
studied the reference, and got a really clear image in my mind of how wanted the finished piece to look, every time
went to make a line or a stroke, thought is this what 'm actually seeing in front of me and the image in my mind.
t took me a little while, but eventually was pleased with it, and excited that 'd painted it. named her 'Autumn' and
she sold at the auction.
First successful painting called 'Autumn'
Pretend it isn't a face. This is where the magic happens.
was feeling spurred on from the last portrait, so thought 'd try
again. The portrait was more detailed this time, studied each part
of the face closely, analysed what was doing as went along. t
helped to pretend had never seen a face before, that helped
diminish any preconceptions. just looked at the light bits, the dark
bits, the mid tone bits and the shapes they create, almost like a
paint by numbers.
Every time you make a mark, think 'is this what can actually see?
Or is my brain making me draw what know.'
remember painting this late into the evening, time just flew by, until
couldn't keep my eyes open; fell asleep. When woke up in the
morning, this portrait was staring back at me. The eyes seemed
alive. couldn't actually believe 'd created it.
We often can't draw because we're blocked from seeing
what's right in front of us. What blocks us is our
preconceived notions about what a human hand or leg or
eye should look like. We struggle, trying to draw what we
assume we'll see instead of seeing what's actually there
Betty Edwards
When you go to draw a face, the prospect is daunting. Thoughts like ' can't do it', or 'it's too difficult' bombard your
mind. There is a huge block in your brain before you start so it's impossible getting that vision onto paper.
Say if you're about to draw a nose. Don't look at a nose, and think ''m going to draw a nose.' The chances are your
brain will hinder you, and you'll get caught up in familiar feelings of 'noses are difficult to draw; or this looks nothing
like a nose.' The fear of failure and the frustration of not creating a realistic drawing will put you off.
Pretend it's not a nose; pretend you've never seen that object before. What you're doing is building on what you see
right in front of you, the shapes, the light and dark, the absence of sharp definite lines. Build up each little bit and look
at it as a separate shape. Then it transforms into the nose, eyes or mouth or whatever you're drawing. t's like magic.
Once started seeing in shapes and shadows, t was a bit of a revelation.
As soon as figured this out, painting and drawing became a lot easier, was mostly getting better with every portrait
drew or painted, and started getting more adventurous by putting some cool compositions together.
Pink Lady; one of my more recent pieces
(third mistake - I won't be brilliant overnight)
Now, instead of feeling despondent when see work from other artists, can actually appreciate it and think how much
've improved in the space of a year, and how much 'll continue to do so.
guess it's all subjective really, but it comes down to creating stuff that you feel excited about.
feel 've unlocked a door, and the limits are endless. 've gone on to draw lots more, and with each piece keep
experimenting. The important thing is not to be afraid to make mistakes (as a bit of a perfectionist, that can be a
challenge) and not to think you're rubbish, and just enjoy developing new stuff.
My works in a few Galleries in Brighton and London now, think 've still got a long way to go, but that's part of the
appeal. 'm going to enjoy the journey because sometimes that's more fun and exciting than the goal.
You can check out more of my work and even buy some if you love it that much! will drop a few cheeky links below
for you to have a look : )
kerrybeall.com
Red Bubble Account
Space; Experiment on canvas, it's a giant at A0!
Carnival; This is one of my faves.the dramatic tiger.

Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved