learning to draw

Has anybody here learned to draw--as an adult??? --I'm distressed. I'm looking for a fairy-tale deck illustrated by Arthur Rackam . . . needless to say, this deck does not exist. The obvious solution to locating a non-existent deck is to create it oneself . . . but alas, I am not Arthur Rackam.



Not only do I need to learn to draw (in order to create the deck I want): I also need to study human anatomy, perspective, pen & ink technique, watercolor technique, composition . . . the list seems endless. & then I have to put all of this together . . . before I can even begin to contemplate the first card. The task is--overwhelming. Perhaps--if I had started studying at age 4 when I first learned to hold a pencil--I might have had a fighting chance . . .

Has anybody else here taken on such a thing at a ripe old age (e.g. 34)?? --Anybody succeeded???

--Any advice? (I mean, besides try collage instead )

Punchinella

Punchinella,

I'm also facing the task of learning to draw as an adult, but then I believe that many people do. At least in the schools I attended as a child, there weren't that many teachers with the know-how to really get us to any degree of proficiency. I believe it's always, for most artists, been a matter of desire + practice.

Suggestions:

Find some nice (appealing to you) books on drawing to use for a basis in skills. Start simple and work your way into more complex images.

Practice, practice, practice.

Keep a sketchbook and pencils with you at all times.

Draw a lot! Practice, practice, practice even more.

One experience of mine is that unless you draw all the time you lose a little of your edge. I got fairly good at it (IMO) when I was younger, but went for so many years without working at it that I now find I need to practice a lot to get back to where I used to be.

You get into a different way of looking at things when you practice drawing a lot. So, find what inspires you and practice on that. It will hold your interest longer.

I've always found nature and my pets inspiring. I'm also better at certain things than others. I love trees, for instance, but have found a single leaf easier to work than an entire tree. I think I try to work in too much detail. So ... I probably should practice more with whole trees.

Good luck.

You also might want to check into whether Rackham's work is now in the public domain, or if not whether it would be possible to get permission from the copyright holder to use it for collage images.

Nevada, who should probably not have written so much on a topic she knows next to nothing about.

WHERE'S HUDSONGRAY?

I would highly recommend getting a book called "The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards and to do all the exercises in this book.

Ruby7

p.s. anyone can draw with practice and training on how to see things and how to go about drawing, all of this is in the above book.

Wow.. I didn't realize how many of us are trying to learn to draw as adults... I am also attempting this...

Ruby7 already mentioned "The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards...

I also have Drawing for Older Children and Teens by Mona Brookes.. Although the title is geared toward a younger audience, the author states this book is also for the learning adult. It is the book I am currently using and I really like it...

I want to learn to draw animals, so I also bought a few books by Lee Hammond... she also appears to have some really good books on many topics.. and all geared toward the beginner..

... and finally, as has already been mentioned, PRACTICE is key!

Good Luck!

I don't have "The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards, but I have the older edition and I've found it extremely helpful. I imagine the new one could only be better.

Nevada

drawing...

I've worked in oils and acrylic for the longest time but in working on my deck, I've gone to colored pencil. Well, I've had lots of experience sketching and drawing, but not colors (other than those color-by-number pencil set).

So I meandered down to my local bookstores and couldn't find any books on colored pencil. some sketching books had a chapter or something in passing...

Well, my wife suggested the net. oh yeah!! lots of sites ranging from basic how-to's to real advanced.

Try cruising for whatever art instruction you want. Good chance you'll find some great sites

fly well
raven

Hey, I logged on at 6pm & nothing was going on!

Grandma Moses started in her 80's from what I remember, so yes, adults can start in on it late in life & still do great. I've got a pen pal who's seen huge improvement in her stuff in just a year or so.

Look around at the books available at the library & bookstores, check online -- http://www.kyoht.com/howto.html has a great color pencil technique for instance. And, this is going to sound funny, but look at comic books. Black & white (and color) images in there are very good ways to learn by emulation/copying. Get yourself lots of scratch paper, a bunch of pens or pencils & sketch. Literally everything is a good target for the practice--trees, people, houses, cars, pets, furniture. Start with things that don't move much. Draw people you see in magazines. Practice & play with it. You'll see your drawing style change probably 2 or 3 times, too, so just think of it as improvement.

The best online searches I've got decent info on are with the words drawing lessons, sketching lessons, color pencil technique, pen and ink drawing, etc. Narrow it down to specifics like that & you'll find some decent stuff that can teach you.

Hey everybody, I feel encouraged! (Well, in spite of the absolutely hideous thing I just spent the last couple of hours producing downstairs . . . )

It's good to hear that practice really does make perfect. I think there must be a neurological disconnect in my brain somewhere: in spite of the fact that I know one learns to draw, it never actually hit me that those who are good at drawing might be good because they've practiced a lot . . . I just look at, you know, the 'real' artists I've known throughout my life & think that they must have been born with the ability to knock off gorgeous & expressive sketches in about 10 seconds flat . . . The thought that even the most talented artist has to work at it has genuinely never occured to me before. (How can this be! --It's so utterly irrational!)

I'm thinking the best thing to do is just to forget about why I want to learn to do this (tarot cards) & just enjoy the ride. --Give myself permission to draw small things like leaves & seashells . . . Hudson Gray, I love the idea that my style will change & evolve--Thank you, that makes me feel much more solid somehow! (Well, language is the same way, & having experienced that process makes this into something I can understand.)

I'm off now to 'surf' through the websites I just received via pm

--One question though: is the New Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain fundamentally different from the original? Does anybody know? Because a couple of days ago my mother offered to send me a copy (of, I presume, the original) . . . with so many people mentioning it, I'm thinking I should probably take her up on the offer. ???

Punch

Punchinella, I threw out 3/4 ths of the stuff I drew pretty much within a few days of doing it. I did keep ONE three ring binder of my drawings from the teen years, most of which isn't all that good but it had a lot of sketches of my old cat in it when he was a kitten (he was with me 19 years) so that's a keeper. So don't worry about wasting time on a picture because you're teaching your mind that you want to know how to draw & your mind is trying to teach your hand to do it. In spite of what you might think, nothing is actually wasted at all.

Draw little things, large things, don't be afraid to try anything. Tiny sketches 2x3" are fine. Full page drawings are fine. 'Wasting' 2 hours on a drawing you hate is fine. You're teaching yourself so it's all a learning experience. And don't worry about tossing most of what goes down on the paper. We all do it. Nobody gets to see the cruddy stuff!

try to develop a doodling habit too. it can actually be a form of practice (say for example, just bring a pencil and paper in some cafe). some good ideas actually start when they're not that pre-meditated upon.