Just jump in and draw
This is a picture of the view from my window when I was staying in Yaroslavl, Russia. Click to see it at a larger size.
As you can see, it’s a daunting view, and I spent the first few nights looking out the window and thinking “That’s an incredible view. I wish I had the skills to draw it.”
So it’s lucky that I was there for three weeks. Eventually I managed to stay off the ubiquitous vodka for one evening and have a go. If I remember correctly, my train of thought was roughly, well, I won’t paint a finished picture, I’ll just try and record what I can see in sketch form. And in the end? I was really pleased with the image.
I think the lesson here is to just dive in. Have a go. With a large subject like this, take it one step at a time. Like any large project, breaking it into small stages will help and seem less frightening. Step one might be a few pencil lines. Step two, ink over them. Step three, have a stiff vodka and reach for the paint box.
I’m a big fan of artists like Paul Hogarth, and I’m positive he used precisely this sort of approach - possibly without the aid of a stiff drink. Now that’s the sign of a professional.
Your task is simply to consider: do you ever find yourself avoiding certain subject matter simply because it scares you?
As for the next step - well, what do you think?
Posted: August 10th, 2007 under Confidence.
Comments: 2
2 Comments
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I certainly do. Some days I’ll be completely paralysed by worry that I won’t be able to a decent job of things, but other times I see something difficult to draw and jump in anyway to see what happens. Just yesterday I was staring at a motorbike and thinking how complicated it looked and how hard it would be to do it justice, but I decided to give it a bash anyway! And I had a great time — it was most absorbing to draw all the different parts, and I completely lost track of time as I drew. Here’s the picture, which I’m quite pleased with.
It’s a liberating feeling, to tell myself it doesn’t matter if my picture’s not brilliant and I’m going to do it anyway. I’m glad you did the same for your Russian view, it’s a lovely painting.
I am sure that small steps are the key - as with any daunting task, I suppose. Thanks, too - I like this painting a lot. The odd thing about this approach is that I’m not at all sure I could ever replicate it, though I suppose if you do it enough you must build up a repertoire of techniques.