Tip: Expressive Drawing - Freeing the Artist Within

I can't even draw a straight line! Few people can draw a straight line. If you really need one in your drawing, you can use a ruler.

My drawings look like stick figures. Nothing wrong with stick figures. They can be very expressive. Some drawings featuring simple drawn figures have received lots of acclaim.

I'm to old to start (or restart) now. Grandma Moses didn't begin painting until she was in her 70s. Raphael completed his life's work in 20 years time. Vincent van Gogh completed a large body of drawings and paintings in only 10 years.

Anna Mary Robertson ("Grandma") Moses - A Beautiful World, 1948

Doodling helps too. A kind of mindless scribbling and scratching with no particular purpose. Doodles can reveal key facets of the doodler's psyche. Also called Automatic Art.

Andre Masson - Automatic Drawing, 1924

What will make Drawing Easier?

• Be kind to yourself
• Don't worry about being perfect
• Set reasonable expectations
• Enjoy the process of getting there
• Don't over think things
• Challenge assumptions
• Ignore uninformed feedback
• Find community

(From "A Practical Guide to Freeing the Artist Within - Expressive Drawing" by Steven Aimone)
Connie Hayden