Do you want to gain confidence in your drawing skills and be able to draw any natural subject?

There are so many different ways you can gain confidence in your drawing skills. We have already talked about making  a commitment and finding time for your creative endeavors…………. so now….. 

…….Let’s to talk about Fairy Dust!

Do you think you need to be sprinkled with Fairy Dust to learn how to Draw?

Are you one of those people who believes some people are born with talent and others are not? Did the Good Fairy come down and sprinkle talent on a gifted talented few and forget to sprinkle some or not enough creative dust on you?

I have heard people on so many occasions say things like:

• “You are sooooo talented. I wish I could draw like that.”
• “I can’t even draw a straight line with a ruler.”
• “My Aunt Mildred got all the talent in the family. It skipped the rest of us.”

I am here to tell you that DRAWING IS A SKILL. It is not magic. It does require discipline, commitment and

About 20 years ago I studied with Betty Edwards, artist and author of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. I took a 5 day training course and was certified to teach her master class. It was AWESOME! Portraiture drawing has never been a favorite of mine. I was told at an early age by dad that I shouldn’t draw people because I wasn’t very good at it.

Thanks Dad for the mental block!

Yes, mental block. More often than not, there is a voice inside your head telling you can’t do it, you are not talented, it is too hard, you don’t have enough time etc.  I could go on and on with one excuse after another…. yes, excuses. Here are some things to consider:

Most people can not draw. Why? Because they were never taught how to. Let’s look at learning to read:

In school one of the first things we learned was the alphabet.  The letters in different arrangements formed words.  Words placed together created sentences. Sentences created paragraphs. Paragraphs create stories. Viola, we were all taught to read and write. Did this make us Shakespeare? No, but it did give us the tools to be literate. Once we learned the skills of writing, it opened up a whole world of possibilities.

Did this happen for you in art class? I remember making clay ashtrays, popsicle stick houses and turkeys out of construction paper by tracing my hand for the tail feathers. In college a model was placed in front of me and I was told to draw her. Yikes. There was no instruction, no demonstrations, no tools to use besides paper, pencil and eraser. NO wonder I couldn’t draw people! 

Are you getting the picture?

Like reading and writing, drawing is a skill which can be taught. It needs to be broken down into manageable lessons which develop into skills to get you to“see and think” like an artist. Will you wake up one day and be DaVinci, O’Keefe or Rembrandt? No…but guess what… You will wake up and be YOU! Devote the time and energy into learning skills like, contour and gesture drawing, measuring, perspective, surface contour, light on form, anatomy, color mixing and more. All of these things I listed are skills that with the right instruction and tools you can start creating the kind of art you have always wanted.

Are you ready to grab your paper and join me? Online Classes are available for you to learn how to draw in the comfort of your own studio and time frame or………………………… How would you like exploring the rainforest of Costa Rica to draw tree frogs, sloths and toucans…. oh my!