developing drawing skills further

Bob Bahr — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:30:57 GMT

Hi Sheila. Welcome to the Forum.

Having kids means a busy life, so your first task will probably be finding the time to focus on drawing--because like most things, drawing mostly takes practice. I find it really helpful to draw from the human figure once a week. I have set aside Monday nights and my family accepts that I will be away then. Drawing from the human figure really forces you to be able to see and depict proportions--your youngest kid can probably point out proportion problems in a figure drawing because we study each other from infancy. In contrast, incorrect proportions for a mountain will probably go unnoticed by you and your viewers. I join with three or four other people and chip in on a model on Mondays. It's very informal.

Second, I often draw at lunch. Usually, it's in a city square, and I'm working on perspective problems on the streets and buildings. Sometimes, it is something at my desk. A friend gave me some scallop shells and I draw them if I have eaten a quick lunch and have a moment or two. Our former editorial assistant drew her stapler, her phone, her monitor, everything. As long as you keep drawing...

I try to draw or paint a lot on the weekends but weekends are so full!

Hope this is helpful.

Bob

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developing drawing skills further