Don't forget to draw

Got drawing?  It's so easy to get so wrapped up in the pursuit of a great painting that you forget to hone your drawing skills.  Drawing is the basis of all art.  It is the fundamental language of imagery.  How fluent are you at drawing?  Just like learning a language you can teach yourself the basics of drawing.  Here are a few things I try to remember about drawing:

   Drawing gets easier the more you do it.  Challenge yourself to draw something every day.  Carry a small journal with you and draw while you wait in line or when you talk on the phone.

   Train your brain.  Draw something you can see, not just something you imagine.  Look for shadows and light.  Find basic shapes like ovals, squares, rectangles, circles in your subject.  Make yourself look and look and look.

   Learn values.  What is the darkest dark on your subject?  What is half as dark?  What is the lightest shapes?  Studying values will serve you well as you compose paintings and as you work with colors.  

My great uncle Leonard was an artist in the early days of Disney Studios.  He would visit us and draw for hours while my sister and I sat transfixed at the images coming to life on the paper.  I remember thinking then that I had to become an artist!  I wonder what he would think of this picture I drew of Carlie and a little girl she met while visiting an orphanage in Mexico recently.  The girl put on her sunglasses and posed for this photo.  I often think of him especially when I draw.  He gave me a precious gift-  the magic of art.  Grab some paper and a pencil, it's all you need to make a little magic of your own.