One thing I hear all the time goes something like this; "I wish I could draw..." or "I have no talent for art..." These statements drive me crazy, because they are untruths that should have been dispelled early in childhood. I can, and probably will, go into great depth about the sad state of art education in the United States, but I will refrain for now. The truth is this. Unless you have a disability that prevents you from holding, and or using a writing implement, you can learn to draw. There are even people that don't have hands who have taught themselves to draw with their feet. Go look it up, they're pretty amazing.
Until I was close to thirty years old, I believed that art and drawing were pipe dreams that I would never really be able to pursue. Then I picked up a book titled
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards.
This book unlocked the secret to drawing for me. Which is this, drawing is not something you do with your hands, it's something you do with your eyes. Drawing is about seeing, and translating what you see onto paper. If you can write a sentence with a pen and paper, you already have the manual dexterity required to start. When you learn to shut down the mental filters and symbol libraries your brain has constructed to simplify the world into manageable chunks, you will start to see the lines, shapes and contrasts that make up your visual experience. This book contains numerous exercises that will help you do just that.
If you you've ever wanted to learn to draw, I urge you to check this book out. It's pretty cheap, and if you can't afford it, there are more than likely copies at your local library. You really only need to read through it once for a major shift in your perception to take place. Check it out! And maybe share your experience with the rest of the class. Until next time, stay strong and keep drawing.
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