drawanyway.com

First of all, in case you hadn’t realised, I just want to say how pleased I am that drawanyway has started with such a bang. I honestly thought there would be two or three people responding at first, and I’m really, really bowled over that you all took the time not just to write, but to post your pictures as well.

Please don’t consider that post closed, if you’d like to add to it. Although a blog follows a calendar structure, I’d like to think there’s no sell-by date on any of the tasks.

One thing I found really interesting, looking at the various pictures, was how different people respond to the invitation to ‘draw’. Some people draw from their imagination, others from what’s in front of them. Of course, both approaches are equally valid, and interesting, and require their own set of skills.

But, given that drawing allows you to pick any subject, real or imaginary, big or small, how do you choose? Today I’d like to suggest that a habit an artist would do well to cultivate is that of noticing things.

It’s a hard strategy to pin down really, but I’d put it like this - when you are in the right frame of mind, maybe on a walk, or looking around a room, certain things stand out as notable. You might not notice this process happening, but I’ve read enough blogs where people post photos of little things they’ve seen to think that it is a basic human function to notice, and record.

Rather than try to express this any more in words, let me show you some pictures:

These are all things I snapped recently with the idea that they would make a nice drawing or image. Some reasons why:

• A group of pleasing shapes (like the bottles waiting for recycling)
• or one strong, pleasing shape (like the alium)
• a pattern (like the branches or the leaves on the pavement)
• a colour combination (like the different shades of the sea, which, sadly, didn’t really come out in this photo. But still, the photo reminds me of it)
• a composition that pleases me (like the broccoli on a chopping board)

Your personal criteria might be quite different. I suppose most people respond to colours, or colour combinations that they like. Some people notice shapes in everything. Or you might simply find something amusing, or intruiging. Or you might not know why it appeals; it just does.

‘Real’ artists carry a sketch book and make sure that they sit down and record such objects or views. I’m taking it for granted here that none of us has much spare time to do that, and might also lack the confidence, and in that case, the camera is your best friend. It’s a quick way of making a quick visual memo to yourself, and moving on. There’s no compulsion to make a good photo, either, just so long as it captures what it was you wanted to remember.

Easy task today, and no drawing required unless you want to. Just take a look around you. Note anything you find appealing or worth drawing. If you have a camera with you, snap it. It’d be nice to see your photos here (or link to Flickr/image-hosting site - I think the scroll bars appear in the comments when pictures are too wide).

If you then sit down and make a drawing of any kind, even a simple sketch around the shapes, colours or subject, by all means post it too.

I’m just going to add that this isn’t just a task - it’s a habit that you might want to cultivate. Maybe dedicate a folder on your computer to photos of this kind, or actually do start carrying round a sketch book for quick scrawls. No-one need ever see the contents!

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