I wrote ~5000 words on what 40 hours of studying drawing can do. I know my drawing is not great, but it has improved considerably, and I believe it is a story worth sharing.
@nina_kali_nina this was very interesting to read, and congratulations on your hard work and persistence paying off! I am fascinated because I really, really, really cannot draw, have never been able to (I literally changed my choice of career as a teenager because my total lack of drawing skill precluded my first choice) and I still basically believe there’s some fundamental thing I missed out on.
@drmikepj thank you! I believe you might find yourself unblocked in drawing if you get a talented teacher. If you have energy and time for that, of course. It takes a lot of energy and time, and sometimes could feel pointless, in the era of virtually-free photography and terrible-but-often-good-enough GenAI (yuck)
@nina_kali_nina It’s one of those things where I start from so far behind the average that I would have to work hard just to reach the starting point for most tutorials.
@drmikepj the "Drawing on the right side" says that the art level of a student is usually indicative of the age at which they stopped practicing drawing. So, you are correct, you will need to catch up to those who stopped drawing at 12 (which seems to be the average age when children drop drawing). But it can be done, I was told.
@nina_kali_nina in my case probably more like 6 or 7. I drew for art class to age 14 and then gave it up once it stopped being compulsory, and I drew for design and technology class to 16, but my skill level never improved and I was constantly told I was making no effort to improve. I also have poor handwriting, am clumsy, and can’t throw or catch so I do suspect some motor control issues.
@drmikepj @nina_kali_nina you put that into your style! Some artists have shaky lines. You can just make it work for you. I do believe most people can draw. It’s whether you can persevere to maybe get to a place where you like your own work which is the real question. I keep making progress, drawing 40 years professionally, still feel forever on the brink & rarely doing work I am really happy with, with a few exceptions. It’s such a lifelong process. I wonder if an artist ever gets ‘there’.
@JoBlakely @drmikepj I also wonder how external support contributes to this feeling of "getting there"