Some days my sketches flow from my pencil effortlessly.
My pencil dances across the page like Fred and Ginger. I can’t draw fast enough to get
all of the ideas out of my head and onto paper. I start to believe it will
always be this way. I can go on like this for days or weeks at a time. But then
comes the inevitable crash. The brakes screech and, quite suddenly and without
warning, it happens. I completely forget how to draw. Nothing works. I’ve
fallen flat on my face! Every line is stiff and awkward. Where just the day
before I held my head high and created with ease, now there is only the dreaded
Ugly Drawing, misshapen and taunting me. This tends to occur for no apparent
reason. Other times it’s a result of a less than encouraging portfolio review
at a conference or when I’m not getting projects and stop believing in myself
for a moment.
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| Doing nothing is one option, but I don't think it's the best one. |
We all know, or at least should know, that
drawing is like working out, if you don’t keep up with a regular schedule, your
skills start to atrophy. The question is, what do you do when you hit this all
too frequent wall? The answer may be burn out. Getting out of the studio and
into nature or an inspiring boutique or museum is a great idea, but what if it
goes on for too long? I’ve been struggling with working on improving my
drawing skills, especially when it comes to drawing people, for a while now.
I’ve acquired some wonderful books to help me with that. I go out on a regular
basis and draw from life. I have a lot of sketches of the backs of people
watching volleyball from my sons’ games as a result. All of this is great, but sometimes it
just doesn’t work.
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| Tracing of Tony Fusili's work. He is a master! |
The best trick I’ve found for getting past this stuckness
and improving my drawing skills at the same time is to trace the art of some of
my favorite illustrators. Except for this blog post, no one ever sees these
tracings. They’re purely an exercise for me. I don’t just trace the outline, I use
a blue pencil and draw the action, gesture, and shapes, and then complete the
sketch. It’s amazing how much you can learn from doing this. No amount of
staring at the sketches replaces the actual drawing of them. Doing this keeps
me using me in shape for drawing even when my brain and hand refuse to communicate. Connections
are made that carry into my own drawings. This is huge! I’m telling you I have
learned so darn much! I can force myself to continue to make ugly drawings,
which I do, a lot, or I can give myself a bit of a break and trace something
inspiring.
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| Tracing of LeUyen Pham's work in Vampirina Ballerina |
The next time you feel stuck, go grab a picture
book you love and try it! You’ll be awed and amazed, trust me.
Happy Drawing!
Laura
Book List:
Creating Characters by Tom Bancroft
Character Mentor by Tom Bancroft
Prepare to Board! By Nancy Belman
Drawn to Life I & II by Walt Stanchfield
