126 > Fearless Drawing
YOUR PERSONAL STYLE
This book should now be full of you—your hand, your breath,
your energy. Each person completing these adventures will
have done so uniquely. Some drawings may be similar, but no
two will be alike, and this is what I hope to leave with you: the
joy of creating your own unique mark upon a page and the
physical pleasure and mental space that comes with drawing.
We all aspire to be able to draw something accurately, and
developing this skill will come as you spend more time really
looking, observing, and practicing. Eventually your hand-eye
coordination will evolve and your hand will accurately capture
what your eye sees. But I don’t believe that we will get to this
point unless we enjoy drawing. If drawing becomes a miserable,
formal battle, we will quickly give up. So I truly hope that in the
course of completing these adventures, you have found and
enjoyed a range of approaches and techniques that you will add
to your drawing toolbox and carry along as you continue on
your journey.
MAKE TIME TO DRAW
I hope that you will make the time to keep up with your drawing,
time for you to be creative and inspired. As with any other skill,
with practice your drawing will steadily and surely improve.
Finding the time to draw can be the hardest thing. If the
washing needs doing, food needs cooking, and work seems
to be occupying your every thought and minute, it can be
very difficult to prioritize time for yourself. The best thing to do
is to find ten minutes each day, because if you wait to find a
spare hour, half day, or full day for drawing then it is unlikely to
become a regular habit. It is only by drawing regularly that you
will improve, and the quantity and consistency of drawing often
will stop you from becoming too precious about individual
drawings. Look for these sneaky ten minutes of drawing time in
the following places:
O
Instead of or in front of the television
O
During lunch break
O
On commute
O
On the telephone
Failing that, you could set your alarm ten minutes earlier
each morning and complete your drawing first thing! I would
recommend you buy a small sketchbook (one that fits in
your bag). If it’s always with you, then you’re able to grab the
opportunity to draw whenever you can.