Monet with no money! (And no talent, alas!)
September 12, 2010 7:24 PM Subscribe
I'd like to draw things, but I have no skills!
I have all these lovely images in my head...colors, patterns, shapes, objects. I can see my artwork so very clearly, but I can't imagine how to get it out of my head. What ideas do you have for me?
I'm thinking there are computer resources available. Can you suggest some that are simple to use and free? I don't need anything detailed...yet.
I'd like to be able to manipulate lines (think for creating patterns) and shapes as well as colors. I'm less interested in realistic drawings of objects at this point than I am of shapes, but being able to "draw" something realistic might also be fun.
The thing that is fueling me now is that I have an idea for a metal and wire bracelet for a friend, and would like to be able to show it to her on paper so I can find a way to make it.
Thanks for your help!
I have all these lovely images in my head...colors, patterns, shapes, objects. I can see my artwork so very clearly, but I can't imagine how to get it out of my head. What ideas do you have for me?
I'm thinking there are computer resources available. Can you suggest some that are simple to use and free? I don't need anything detailed...yet.
I'd like to be able to manipulate lines (think for creating patterns) and shapes as well as colors. I'm less interested in realistic drawings of objects at this point than I am of shapes, but being able to "draw" something realistic might also be fun.
The thing that is fueling me now is that I have an idea for a metal and wire bracelet for a friend, and would like to be able to show it to her on paper so I can find a way to make it.
Thanks for your help!
I got some awesome answers when I asked a related question a while back.
posted by rtha at 7:36 PM on September 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by rtha at 7:36 PM on September 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: If you need a program to draw with, try Inkscape. Easy to use for just doodling some editable lines and objects, yet powerful as needed.
posted by hungrysquirrels at 7:51 PM on September 12, 2010
posted by hungrysquirrels at 7:51 PM on September 12, 2010
Can you clarify things a bit?
It sounds as if you have some kind of complex mental images that you can't do justice to when you try to draw them. What seems to go wrong? Are you unable to draw, for example, symmetric loops or near-perfect circles? Can you get part of the detail just right, but then the whole thing looks off because you haven't mastered perspective? Or does your mental image turn out to have gaps in it?
People like Temple Grandin have extraordinary visualization skills that lets them design, rotate, troubleshoot and run complex objects. (Here's an excerpt from that book.) Skilled artists can also envision things pretty completely. But most people are going to have problems seeing and reproducing genuine, complete images without a lot of effort. This old AskMe thread might be useful, especially this answer from painquale.
Or are you interested in accurately representing things outside of your head? The books and tips already referred to will help you develop those skills, but you may still have a problem getting those mental images out of your head because they may not be as clear as you think, or you have weak mental rotation skills, or you rely on language much more than you think you do when these images show up.
So certainly try realistic drawing tutorials, as you will need to develop those skills when there's a tangible object right in front of you, but you'll have to do some other brain work as well to get closer to accurately and completely SEEING your mental image before you can hold that image long enough to reproduce it accurately.
posted by maudlin at 8:02 PM on September 12, 2010
It sounds as if you have some kind of complex mental images that you can't do justice to when you try to draw them. What seems to go wrong? Are you unable to draw, for example, symmetric loops or near-perfect circles? Can you get part of the detail just right, but then the whole thing looks off because you haven't mastered perspective? Or does your mental image turn out to have gaps in it?
People like Temple Grandin have extraordinary visualization skills that lets them design, rotate, troubleshoot and run complex objects. (Here's an excerpt from that book.) Skilled artists can also envision things pretty completely. But most people are going to have problems seeing and reproducing genuine, complete images without a lot of effort. This old AskMe thread might be useful, especially this answer from painquale.
Or are you interested in accurately representing things outside of your head? The books and tips already referred to will help you develop those skills, but you may still have a problem getting those mental images out of your head because they may not be as clear as you think, or you have weak mental rotation skills, or you rely on language much more than you think you do when these images show up.
So certainly try realistic drawing tutorials, as you will need to develop those skills when there's a tangible object right in front of you, but you'll have to do some other brain work as well to get closer to accurately and completely SEEING your mental image before you can hold that image long enough to reproduce it accurately.
posted by maudlin at 8:02 PM on September 12, 2010
Response by poster: Maudlin, I truly can't say I can draw ANYTHING well. I can't master shapes, and recreating them consistently. I understand perspective from an intellectual point. For example, when I look at paintings of apples by Cezanne, I understand that they should be rolling off the table in all different directions. I recognize theories in artwork I see.
I'll use the example of the bracelet I want to design. I see it clearly in my head...the line, the texture, the shape, the thickness. I see it all. But I've tried for about three days with really no success at all in coming up with something that matches in shape alone what I see in my head. I absolutely agree that I rely on language. In fact, I could probably describe it in great detail to you and make you see it.
I've tried Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain over the years. I've tried and tried and tried. I simply can't train myself well enough to make those things come out of my brain to the paper.
This is why I'm starting to think that maybe there is a simple computer application that I could try. Maybe I could take a line and bend it into the shape I want to see on that bracelet. Then I could fill in the details I want to add.
I hope that clarifies it. Thank you all for the help thus far!
posted by littleflowers at 8:27 PM on September 12, 2010
I'll use the example of the bracelet I want to design. I see it clearly in my head...the line, the texture, the shape, the thickness. I see it all. But I've tried for about three days with really no success at all in coming up with something that matches in shape alone what I see in my head. I absolutely agree that I rely on language. In fact, I could probably describe it in great detail to you and make you see it.
I've tried Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain over the years. I've tried and tried and tried. I simply can't train myself well enough to make those things come out of my brain to the paper.
This is why I'm starting to think that maybe there is a simple computer application that I could try. Maybe I could take a line and bend it into the shape I want to see on that bracelet. Then I could fill in the details I want to add.
I hope that clarifies it. Thank you all for the help thus far!
posted by littleflowers at 8:27 PM on September 12, 2010
My drawing & art has improved via a combination of Illustrator (which I use for work anyways — if you don't have an understanding of Creative Suite, it might be annoying), playing around with Ed Emberly's books, and giving myself permission to make mistakes that are ugly. What really got me started, though, was just sitting down with an illustration I liked and drawing exact lines that were there. I guess it is the fake it till it starts making sense concept.
posted by dame at 8:36 PM on September 12, 2010
posted by dame at 8:36 PM on September 12, 2010
Best answer: Thanks for the update.
Can you define what's going wrong in your drawings? (Perspective? Proportions? Asymmetry?) Do you have any samples?
If you can't draw things in front of you after practicing Edwards' techniques, this could be because:
1) Your physical coordination is off. Can you write clearly, or is your writing messy and all over the place? Can you create pretty, symmetric patterns when you doodle? If you use an overhead projector to show an image on a wall, can you trace it accurately on a piece of paper? Can you trace anything accurately? Can you copy from 2d art even though drawing from 3d life stumps you?
2) You are using language a lot more than you even think you are, or just have a very poor short-term visual memory. Have you ever tested your visual memory? For example, have a friend select 4 similar but not identical simple drawings. Stare at one of them for several seconds, then try to pick it out from a line-up immediately, 5 minutes later, or 10 minutes later.
If you're having a terrible time reproducing something right in front of you, sharp and clear, it's going to be at least as hard if not harder to reproduce what may be a lot less sharp and clear in your head. And pushing lines around with a mouse, or even a tablet and stylus, is (I think) a lot harder than drawing with a pencil. Inkscape, as linked above, looks pretty great, and maybe some work with paths would let you create the intricate wire jewelry you're envisioning, but like all vector drawing tools, this, too requires patience and a long learning curve. There are tutorials here. This one on spirals looks interesting.
posted by maudlin at 9:05 PM on September 12, 2010
Can you define what's going wrong in your drawings? (Perspective? Proportions? Asymmetry?) Do you have any samples?
If you can't draw things in front of you after practicing Edwards' techniques, this could be because:
1) Your physical coordination is off. Can you write clearly, or is your writing messy and all over the place? Can you create pretty, symmetric patterns when you doodle? If you use an overhead projector to show an image on a wall, can you trace it accurately on a piece of paper? Can you trace anything accurately? Can you copy from 2d art even though drawing from 3d life stumps you?
2) You are using language a lot more than you even think you are, or just have a very poor short-term visual memory. Have you ever tested your visual memory? For example, have a friend select 4 similar but not identical simple drawings. Stare at one of them for several seconds, then try to pick it out from a line-up immediately, 5 minutes later, or 10 minutes later.
If you're having a terrible time reproducing something right in front of you, sharp and clear, it's going to be at least as hard if not harder to reproduce what may be a lot less sharp and clear in your head. And pushing lines around with a mouse, or even a tablet and stylus, is (I think) a lot harder than drawing with a pencil. Inkscape, as linked above, looks pretty great, and maybe some work with paths would let you create the intricate wire jewelry you're envisioning, but like all vector drawing tools, this, too requires patience and a long learning curve. There are tutorials here. This one on spirals looks interesting.
posted by maudlin at 9:05 PM on September 12, 2010
What are some examples of artists that you admire? In other words, what kind of art do you see yourself making in five years? This would be very helpful, as "manipulat[ing] lines… shapes" can mean a lot of different things.
posted by yaymukund at 9:21 PM on September 12, 2010
posted by yaymukund at 9:21 PM on September 12, 2010
Practice practice practice. Whenever someone asks this question, I always mention the Penny Arcade guys, one of whom writes and the other of whom draws. Go to their web site, look at their earliest web comics, then look at the ones they've done this year. Just by being diligent about practicing his craft, he's developed into a terrific artist. You can do the same -- start today!
Another inspiration, although not from drawing, can be found in Harpo Marx (look at the FPP about him yesterday or the day before) -- self-taught harpist, as an adult. It's really amazing how far you can come if you have the drive and the diligence, even if you don't have the skill (to begin with.)
posted by davejay at 9:46 PM on September 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Another inspiration, although not from drawing, can be found in Harpo Marx (look at the FPP about him yesterday or the day before) -- self-taught harpist, as an adult. It's really amazing how far you can come if you have the drive and the diligence, even if you don't have the skill (to begin with.)
posted by davejay at 9:46 PM on September 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: One thing that can stymie a beginner is thinking of the things on paper as having the same physical properties as the thing they are trying to draw - they approach an apple as a round thing, a bracelet as a bunch of circles etc. It can help to try to shift your perspective of what's going on the paper - think of it as light and shadow, not outlines. Take a light crayon and a dark crayon, and look at the apple again - don't think of the shape or the outline, don't think about what it IS. Think about what you SEE - there's a patch of light at the top there, and something darker below it. Try just getting these ideas of light and dark on paper without trying to be correct about shape. Once you've trained your eyes to see light and shadow instead of shapes and outlines, you can work towards shaping the light and dark into something closer to the shapes you see (remember - what you SEE, not what you KNOW a thing is).
First retrain your eyes, then work on accuracy.
posted by L'Estrange Fruit at 10:12 PM on September 12, 2010 [3 favorites]
First retrain your eyes, then work on accuracy.
posted by L'Estrange Fruit at 10:12 PM on September 12, 2010 [3 favorites]
Best answer: If you're looking for a quick fix on this, you're probably out of luck.
I'm a graphic artist, and when I first went to school for it, the first place they sent me was to drawing class. I didn't really even know I was getting into graphic design at the time; I just wanted to be able to expand my desktop publishing skills and make a living at it if possible. So I walked into my first class, Introduction to Rendering, without any idea what it even was. The instructor introduced himself, gave us a list to take to the local art stores, and told us to be ready for class next Tuesday. $140 in supplies later, I was wondering what I'd gotten myself into.
That class was probably the most important I've ever taken. By the end of the semester, while I still needed practice, I could start putting things down on paper that I was envisioning in my head. If you can get classes at your local community college, yes, they cost money, but the value of having an instructor around to point you in the right direction is great. Otherwise, the aforementioned Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain is a good place to start.
I recommend you invest in some drawing pencils (2B, 4B, and 6B - stay away from the H pencils for now until you've gotten used to the soft ones. Harder pencils will actually scratch into the paper surface, making an unerasable line), a hand sharpener, a Sanford Tuff Stuff eraser ($2, refillable, and worth their weight in gold), and a decent sized sketch pad. Sharpen your pencil often, and be patient.
posted by azpenguin at 11:25 PM on September 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
I'm a graphic artist, and when I first went to school for it, the first place they sent me was to drawing class. I didn't really even know I was getting into graphic design at the time; I just wanted to be able to expand my desktop publishing skills and make a living at it if possible. So I walked into my first class, Introduction to Rendering, without any idea what it even was. The instructor introduced himself, gave us a list to take to the local art stores, and told us to be ready for class next Tuesday. $140 in supplies later, I was wondering what I'd gotten myself into.
That class was probably the most important I've ever taken. By the end of the semester, while I still needed practice, I could start putting things down on paper that I was envisioning in my head. If you can get classes at your local community college, yes, they cost money, but the value of having an instructor around to point you in the right direction is great. Otherwise, the aforementioned Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain is a good place to start.
I recommend you invest in some drawing pencils (2B, 4B, and 6B - stay away from the H pencils for now until you've gotten used to the soft ones. Harder pencils will actually scratch into the paper surface, making an unerasable line), a hand sharpener, a Sanford Tuff Stuff eraser ($2, refillable, and worth their weight in gold), and a decent sized sketch pad. Sharpen your pencil often, and be patient.
posted by azpenguin at 11:25 PM on September 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
My attitude towards drawing was a lot like my attitude towards exercising. I'd purchase a bunch of equipment and read all about it and wonder why I never improved. Well, the equipment and knowledge don't matter when you're starting out. Draw on paper with any kind of pencil. If you must think about technique, work on line quality and clean strokes. Beginners often have hairy strokes because they draw every line two or three times out of fear. Work deliberately and copy from life as much as possible. That's all there is for the first year of being an artist. Keep your old sketches so you can see your improvement.
Focus on the product of drawing and you will always fail. If you think about the process you might stand a chance.
posted by yaymukund at 1:22 AM on September 13, 2010
Focus on the product of drawing and you will always fail. If you think about the process you might stand a chance.
posted by yaymukund at 1:22 AM on September 13, 2010
I second azpenguin. My local community centre has drawing classes for beginners and it's an excellent experience, no matter what your level of ability. It's great to have someone tell you what to buy like what kind of charcoal, drawing pencils, erasers, paper weights etc, and to provide a structured drawing environment [ie a mentor and subject matter/still life set arrangements] that is also loose enough to let you relax.
But after the basics, I believe there is nothing better for advancing your skills than a life drawing class. These are often available at artists' studios for a drop in fee. My local glass-blowing studio for example, has a $15 weekly session: an hour n a half with a model, bring your own board n paper. I treat it like exercise - you only get good at something when you practise it over n over.
One of the best techniques I have used over the years to train my hand/eye co-ordination is contour drawing. The pencil should never leave the page and you should only look down at your page when you pause your pencil. This helps to avoid the 'hairy lines' of the novice mentioned above, and it trains your hand to follow instructions from your eye. Use lots of paper and keep practising...
posted by honey-barbara at 3:20 AM on September 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
But after the basics, I believe there is nothing better for advancing your skills than a life drawing class. These are often available at artists' studios for a drop in fee. My local glass-blowing studio for example, has a $15 weekly session: an hour n a half with a model, bring your own board n paper. I treat it like exercise - you only get good at something when you practise it over n over.
One of the best techniques I have used over the years to train my hand/eye co-ordination is contour drawing. The pencil should never leave the page and you should only look down at your page when you pause your pencil. This helps to avoid the 'hairy lines' of the novice mentioned above, and it trains your hand to follow instructions from your eye. Use lots of paper and keep practising...
posted by honey-barbara at 3:20 AM on September 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
Thirding azpenguin—take a drawing class. I've watched people who can't draw at all gradually progress from incomprehensible scrawls to terrific figures, landscapes, and still lifes. There's no substitute for technique and practice, I'm afraid, but watching yourself learn will blow your mind.
posted by hot soup girl at 7:08 AM on September 13, 2010
posted by hot soup girl at 7:08 AM on September 13, 2010
Response by poster: Excellent answers, all of you! (Except for you, cmoj. Really, not even remotely amusing or helpful.)
I'm going to pick up the book again, try some drawing in Inkscape to see how I fare with computer drawing, and practice away.
Really, thanks for making me feel like there is hope. I'll keep trying, and hopefully get some of those cool things I see out where other people can see them too!
posted by littleflowers at 8:19 PM on September 13, 2010
I'm going to pick up the book again, try some drawing in Inkscape to see how I fare with computer drawing, and practice away.
Really, thanks for making me feel like there is hope. I'll keep trying, and hopefully get some of those cool things I see out where other people can see them too!
posted by littleflowers at 8:19 PM on September 13, 2010
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posted by localroger at 7:29 PM on September 12, 2010 [7 favorites]