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By Adamduncan
Introduction
'The greatest art is produced when an artist with original vision also has a high degree of technical skill. Of the two, vision is the more important because, on its own, all the technical skill in the world will not produce a great work of art.'- Ian Simpson from 'Drawing, Seeing and Observation.'
This isn't going to be a 'how-to-draw' article. There are too many different ways of learning to draw for me to write this along those lines. What I am going to try to do is offer my perspective on drawing, specifically pencil drawing but a lot of what I will cover applies to drawing in general. Drawing is important to me, I'm training to be an illustrator but that isn't why it is important. It is a very personal experience (like any method of creating artwork), this is one of the most important points when considering what good drawing is. Good drawing isn't trying to produce a drawing of an object or a scene in the style of anyone else (no matter how famous they are or how good you think they maybe). Good drawing is about describing something, whatever that maybe (a memory, a thought, a scene in front of you) in a style that is personal to you.
Of course, as artists we should learn from other artists (I will mention one or two artists during the article at relevant points) and feed off what other people have done. However, the end result must be yours; if you copy the style or work or ideas of another artist then the artwork might as well be theirs. It stops becoming personal and original.
Originality in artwork comes in many forms, it could be in the style, in the subject matter or the idea that is governing a piece of art. I can't comment on the artwork of everybody who reads this (without make sweeping and mostly inaccurate statements) so I'm going to comment on mine.
Here is a small collection of my work (although not all recent), it shows widely varying techniques. It isn't all pencil drawing, for which I apologise, but the collection shows a wide variety of styles and ideas. This brings me to my second point, experimentation. This (again) applies to all artwork not just pencil drawing (but it does apply strongly to pencil drawing). I am in the process of learning to draw and I don't really know what my style is yet (I'm getting an idea of where it is going but I don't know where it will end up). Some of my work is realistic(-ish), some is abstract and some is stylised. By experimenting with styles and methods of drawing you will begin to learn exactly what it is that you enjoy doing. Not necessarily what you're good at, not what someone else enjoys looking at but what you enjoy producing. The chances are if it is something new to you, it won't look very good first time round but it will eventually and you'll enjoy doing it. How do you know you don't like abstract art? Or realistic art? Or watercolour? Or gouache wash-out? Or screen printing if you've never tried them and spent a while just playing around with what can be done. Experiment, try new things, try everything and see what appeals to you.
Contents of Article
I have broken this article down into several smaller chunks in order to make it easier to navigate.
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| |  | Sketching With A Pencil: For Those Who Are Just Beginning
Hamilton explains, in a fine text accompanied by many simple sketches and finished drawings, how to sketch. He succeeds in encouraging development of competence and increasing satisfaction for amateur artists using the simple materials of paper, pencil, and eraser. Concentrates on fundamentals: how to hold a pencil and compose a drawing; and creating the illusions of depth and distance. |
| |  | Pencil Sketching, 2nd Edition (Paperback)
The complete, classic guide to the art of pencil sketching. So many art books give long-winded descriptions of what to do, and even how to do it, yet they fail to capture the essence of what makes a drawing good. Wang concentrates on simple elements and rules of thumb, providing a wealth of wisdom in a few words and pictures. |  |
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Anon.
