Here’s some advice for all you really smart people who want to be able to draw what you see:

Dumb it down a bit.  Great painters have more in common with magicians than with detectives.  See less, rather than more.

Don’t show off your sexy curves.  Curves are where straight lines go to die.

Don’t lose yourself in your art, find yourself.

You can always do away with precision.  It’s more difficult to do away with a lack of it.

Sometimes we have to decide between beauty and looking good.  You rarely can have both.  Why, because perfection is boring.  Beauty is exciting.

We train for control, so we can give it up, throw it aside, accept when it is not what’s called for.

If you have the option of doing anything you want, it is highly likely you will do nothing.  Choose a structure, invented or stolen from others, and be free within it.

Five steps to an accurate and expressive drawing:

1 start with a gesture
2 develop an envelope
3 get the main proportion
4 find 5 or 6 linear relationships
5 refine negative vs positive shapes

Any questions?  Come take a class.  Drawing is not rocket science.  It’s a celebration of how things are connected to one another.

BTW, there are still a couple days left before the GoCharlestonDeals Mother’s Day sketch special comes to a close!

If you like/don’t like or want to add your thoughts to the conversation, I encourage you to comment.  Also, you may want to get a copy of Point of Art – Second Edition, or download it today.   I offer career coaching for those serious about a career in art. Don’t forget to check out  The Portrait – a painting video  and The Power of Positive Painting