Though this is written from the perspective of drawing, it’s the same for everything I do. So, let’s get started on a new journey…
- BASICS, BASICS, BASICS: Everything has its own, so remember to practice them a lot. While drawing, practising lines, shapes, contours and values helped me tons. Applying it to singing, it’s just singing the same notes over and over again until I’d wake up singing them in my head (which happens when I obsess over something). A similar example is practising strokes while learning calligraphy.
- Practice Please?: What do you do with the basics? Practice. Every day or not has been a thought on my mind for a while but unless the gap between two sessions is more than a day or two, irregularly large is much better than regularly short. I take at the very least 10–15 minutes just to get comfortable with what I do, so scheduling at least two hours helps my focus stay longer(I forget about the world when I work on something…).
- How to Practice?: Next question on the list. Working at varying speeds helps maintain interest as well as flexes all the muscles required. Drawing at a fast pace, in the beginning, to get used to the motion quickly and then slowing down to perfect it before going onto a second set is useful, not to mention quicker. Bonus, it’s not boring anymore.
- Please no Chicken Scratchesᵀᴹ: Just talking bout confidence here, be confident. Have confidence in yourself to Draw. That. Line. It also applies to everything while arting. Bold with colors, line thickness and the general flow of the diagram.
- Starting Troubles Anyone?: Three places where I go wrong — When I start, when it gets easy and when I end. Eager to start, overconfident when it gets easy and restless to finish. Have the patience to finish what has been started. And not to lose focus while doing it. The start of every line I had drawn was significantly thicker than the body of the line and this was exaggerated(I notices da issue) when I draw digitally. Patience and concentration all the way.
- Squishy Images Begone: I tend to assume vertical lines to be shorter than they actually are, giving me drawfy drawings. I remember being taught in Human-Computer Interaction course that the text needs to be placed slightly above centre of the page to be seen as balanced. Does that have something to do with this? I know not. Also, reading from left to right might desensitize the eyes to the vertical height. Either way, no place for preconception in art.
- Starter Kit Lines: Grids are really helpful while learning how to see and helping to remove the above-said issue. Similarly, value scales help in learning the actual values present in an object. And once you see the shades, you cannot ignore them. So, don’t be shy and get those training wheels on.
- When You Learn to Do it the Right Way, You Cannot Do it Wrong: Personal Opinion. Learning new things will be difficult. But you only need to learn it right once.
- Forget Hand-Eye Coordination, Brain-Eye Coordination is the New ‘It’: After you can do it with the training wheels, what’s next? Remove them and fall. Just a few though. Even though the line goes where I want, the direction is wrong, in the brain. The reason for squishy and distorted drawings is that. I don’t think right. The brain needs some training to get the art eye.
- To correct it or not? : I haven’t found the answer to this yet. Will update it when I find a satisfactory answer. Redrawing has a better score on the practice point scale but correcting the already existing one helps in knowing exactly what went wrong. Depends on the situation I guess…
- Follow the Direction If You Wanna Scratch After All: This is what I call mindful scratching. Sometimes, it’s required but don’t let the bird brain take over.
- Don’t Say Lazy: Take the time to complete what you started and don’t cut corners just because it doesn’t show in the final picture. Those corners are the ones supporting the skyscraper going up. I’d fill colors randomly without any thought and wonder why the colors overlapped recklessly.
- Know ‘The Technique’: Well, there isn’t just one, but there’s definitely one just for you. Learning and applying that will not only make the process easier but also enjoyable. Go find your technique. But don’t cling to it. There might be ones much better that you just haven’t found yet.
- Tools and Shortcuts: Does this need an explanation? Be smart. Make your life simpler. And Quicker. Call today and pick them up at your doorstep tonight.
- Loosen Up: Nuff’ said. Do it until there’s no need to be stiff.
- When Lines Meet, It’s Well Done: Do you know the feeling when your circles edges meet? It’s euphoric, like finding a treasure on a quest. About to create a whole new world. TL;DR, you will know when things go right.
- Enjoy When You Can, Struggle When You Can’t: Practice gets boring. Don’t wait for the right mood or time. Be in search of it though.
- Appreciate What You Do: Even though it hasn’t turned the way you wanted it to, it now exists physically, not just in your mind. It’s the first step to materializing your thoughts.
- Look For Analogies: I’m talking about the time I learnt more about color theory from YouTube makeup tutorials than a book dedicated to color theory.
- Imperfection is the Key: There’s a magic to doodles which cannot be captured by the most exquisite artworks. The flow of the mind is truly communication without words. Sometimes, when we are too stuck in techniques, the meaning is lost, so loosen up a bit! And don’t always try too hard.
- Express Yourself: As said above, the true intention of art is for communication, so before taking a pretty photo, think of what you want your photo to shout. Without captions that is. A not-so-pretty doodle expresses more than perfectly shaded still life. Each one has its own purpose. That’s important to remember.
- Be Willing to Look Bad: Bravery and courage. Art isn’t always soft and subtle. The hard emotions are sometimes in the background when you’re still not good enough.
- Do What Is Required Along With What You Love: Still life vs doodles again. Shade when you have to, scratch when you want to. Both are equally important parts of the learning process; precise yet loose — that’s the final thing to be aiming towards.
- When Everything Fails, Just Look Right Ahead: A thing I noticed when I increase my speed of drawing a line, I tend to look at where the line should end but the line does not end up there. A cm to the left or to the right, sometimes too long and sometimes a little short, no end to my undo bangs. But, when I’m slow I just look right ahead and the lines in place where it needs to be even if wobbly. The same thing applied to faster scribbles, gave perfect traces! One step at a time applies here too I guess?
- There’s always a lot to learn: Now I’m not referring to the even so nonchalant ‘You’ve got to be a lifelong learner’. I’m talking about the sheer amount of data present on the internet, innumerable tutorials and many, many articles. Just hold on to one, even though it might not be the ‘best’. A good place to start is always the classics, they are classics for a reason. Traditional education is not all that bad.
- Without a First, There isn’t a Second: DRAW! I keep reading up soo much, that I rarely draw. So, I’ve made it a point to draw something, anything every day. So just draw.
Step 1 : Create. Step 2 : *Poof* You become a magician.
Now, the true secret of art, MAGIC!
If art was just techniques, it’d be boring. So let’s make it magical!
- Start the Ritual: Every magic potion requires a spell. Every magic spell requires a specific series of weird dance moves and an ever so mystical chanting with background mumbling. It ain’t any different for drawing. I start it by scrolling through Pinterest to see amazing artworks which first drown me in depression and then set me ablaze to be able to draw like that.
- Get Your Weapons: I can never have enough art supplies. Even when I already have the required pencils, if I see a new one, I have to buy one. So, take out your wands and pots, let’s get stirring.
- Put on Your Warpaint and Don’t Forget the Warcry: Well, traditional art is messy, so why not get ready before starting? Sometimes, when too frustrated, I start mixing colors on my forearm, and as a side-effect, I’m extra motivated. Also, a nice upbeat song running on loop(to save data) in the background.
- Be Generous With the Potions: Even though witches need to be lionhearts, they also need to be content. Every perfect potion is the right mix of the ingredients, a lil too much or a tad bit too less and you might blow up the house(and the drawing).
- Love Attack: The secret ingredient of the person who makes a tasty everything while using the same old ingredients. Trust me, without this ingredient, everything’s bland.
- Observe: Peep into the other huts when they are asleep or busy watering the wildflowers. Copy their recipes, perfect them, mash them and then remix them. There’s the true magic, the magic of stealing and making it your own.
- Challenge Yourself: The potion to vanish. The potion to fly. And the recipe of the eternal youth. Some might be tricky, and some might be downright impossible in your current state. But it isn’t bad to dream a little dream right? And then act on that dream.
- Lose Yourself: Ever remember, the time you were so involved you created an invisible bubble around yourself? Which cannot be penetrated by the strongest forces in nature. Every potion requires a similar barrier around your hut, to make it more potent.
- Be Flexible: Just because the potions to clean houses are on-demand, you shouldn’t just learn how to make that. How will the houses get messy quicker? If you do that. So just because a thing isn’t your style, don’t just ignore it. It may help the thing you want in the future. Just sayin.
- The Intuition Attack: When, I mean WHEN you’re ready to experiment(please do this outside the house), add additional ingredients. The most important one to mention is intuition, it’s the flavourless liquid with gives the potion its grimy green color. And that’s a good sign!
- Burn Up the House: If everything else fails, let the house go poof. Just another crumpled paper in the dustbin.
Turn Spite into Resolve and Anger into Art