i started to draw when i was in my late
30s
i didn't go to art school i just bought
a couple of instructional books
and i started out
and it was kind of a disaster
the first drawing i did was pretty bad
so was the second
and it seemed like i just had no ability
to draw at all and i almost gave up
maybe this has happened to you and
you're despairing of ever getting any
good at drawing let me give you some
reassurance and some tips
you can learn to draw i know this
because i learned to draw and because
i've also taught tens of thousands of
other people to draw it's a basic skill
like tying your shoe or throwing a ball
or driving a car when you first learned
to drive a car
you were probably pretty bad at it
maybe you learned from your dad in the
supermarket parking lot
sweating
gripping the steering wheel
a nightmare
and look at you today
you can drive any car anywhere you're
relaxed confident
it feels completely natural you're a
driver
and the same can be true of drawing
let's start with motivation why do you
want to draw
maybe just because you always wanted to
or maybe you have an end goal in mind to
do drawings of your dog to hang in the
dining room
but there's a deeper reason for learning
to draw
it can help you be more engaged with the
world around you
help you see beauty you might have
missed express how you feel about life
drawing can reduce stress
help you feel happy be more creative
solve problems better they're just so
many benefits to drawing
maybe even as many benefits as learning
to drive
but at first
you can't see all that because you're
struggling with some basic technical
skills
and you're not happy with the results
which can lead to self-sabotage
telling yourself your drawings have to
look perfect just like photos
anything less just proves that you suck
you have no talent you're wasting your
time
it's like you just took up jogging and
you're beating yourself up because you
can't win an olympic marathon
art can make us put insane pressure on
ourselves and we don't have to
to succeed at drawing
you just have to draw a lot
you can draw badly and that's fine just
keep at it
because all this drawing
is going to do something magical to your
body
it's going to reconfigure your
neuromuscular network
you're going to make changes to how your
brain handles all that data that's
coming in through your eyeballs
and sends signal to your arm and your
hands and your fingers as you develop
these connections
your drawings will become more natural
and intuitive just like driving a car
it'll become more expressive of you
as a unique person
that's how your style will emerge how do
you make neurons grow
by building a habit
that doesn't mean you have to practice
slogging away at boring drawing
exercises for hours every day
instead find ways of incorporating
drawing into your everyday life get a
sketchbook
and carry it around with you everywhere
draw all the things in your life your
coffee cup your sandwich your napping
dog
just ordinary everyday stuff
now you might be saying i don't know how
to draw a napping dog or a sandwich for
that matter
and also why do i want drawings of
coffee cups and
stick with me there are a couple reasons
to do this first
learning to draw
is mainly a matter
of drawing a lot to grow neurons
there aren't magic tricks and shortcuts
no matter what certain youtube videos
might promise you
but you can do it and second
you'll learn by making mistakes
every drawing is just a series of
challenges
and problems that you work through third
believe that you can get there and you
will
you don't need talent you just need to
keep making drawings even bad ones even
bad ones of tuna sandwiches
speaking of
one of the many things that beginners
struggle with is subject matter
because when we look at what
professional artists make art about
we figure those are the things that
we're supposed to make art about too
portraits landscapes
still lives of bowls of fruit and we
assume that there are special skills and
tools that you need for doing each of
these sorts of drawings we just need to
take step-by-step lessons and how to
draw portraits of fruit
here's a more effective approach learn
to draw everything
draw the stuff in your life
just carry your sketchbook with you and
whenever you have a spare moment pull it
out and draw anything that's nearby
keep things relevant and interesting to
you and that way you'll keep doing it
waiting for a bus
draw a trash can or the lamppost
sitting in a waiting room draw a stack
of magazines a potted plant the
receptionist's shoes it really doesn't
matter
the more kinds of things you draw
the more confident you'll feel that you
can draw anything because the secret is
you draw it all pretty much the same way
drawing is basically a universal skill
set lines angles curves it's this rich
language that can be used to say
anything it's like a skeleton key that
will unlock any subject
and you learn it by slowing down by
looking intelligently
and by translating what you're seeing
into lines
there's so many benefits to carrying a
sketchbook with you everywhere
you're learning to draw building neurons
you're making a record of your life
you're living your life more intensely
because as you look intensely you're
also recording those observations into
your brain
you're creating much more vivid
experiences and memories and when you
slow down to draw
you're doing the same thing that you do
when you meditate or yoga or pray
you're focusing your mind you're
quieting all these other voices in your
head
and you're experiencing things more
intensely
imagine if you could summon up memories
from your last vacation that were like
3d immersive virtual reality recordings
that include everything that you
experienced in detail
well you will if you keep drawing
all right let's talk supplies
all you really need to begin this
process is a basic sketchbook and a pen
make sure your sketchbook is inexpensive
enough that you won't be precious about
using it it's just paper
but also make sure it's a decent quality
so you aren't frustrated by your lines
showing through to the next page
pick the right size make sure it fits
into your bag or your pocket it's going
to be your constant companion for the
next few months it should fit you
any pen is going to do but you might
prefer one made especially for drawing
they're not expensive and they're made
to flow and keep their line consistent
remember
there's no magic pen
though there are magic markers
just try them out and work your way
through lots of them
and why a pen you ask
why not a pencil with a big juicy
eraser because you want to think about
making lines not erasing them
commit to what you're seeing and a pen
helps you to do that
lose the training wheels be brave
you may be resisting this but trust me
i've taught thousands of people to draw
with a pen and they always end up
thanking me for not letting them use a
pencil
okay
get started
draw when you're watching tv draw while
you're sitting in bed
draw instead of looking at your phone
in time
you can think about how to shade and
draw a perspective and capture a
likeness
none of those things really matter now
what counts is starting the adventure
and building your confidence
and while you do this
please be good to yourself
don't beat yourself up focus on making
drawing a part of your everyday life
that will be success
and it's going to be awesome
i can't wait to see where it takes you
have fun
i hope this was helpful
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can do to help build your creativity
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you