Introduction

Drawing is the foundation for any visual two dimensional work of art.  Over the last few decades as non-representational art has become accepted as the norm for two-dimensional art, the emphasis on drawing and drawing skill has been de-emphasized, and in some art schools even discouraged. Yet, even the  most casual observation of the art world should be enough to indicate that  representational art is still alive and well and there is plenty of it being produced.  I believe, any contemporary artist or art student ignores drawing at their peril and will eventually come to regret any lack of skill. For the representational artist drawing is a must, for the non-representational it’s still very useful and the knowledge of drawing methods and skills certainly can’t hurt the artist.

It is my hope that the lessons will help the beginning artist learn the basics of drawing and drawing materials, and provide the student with the tools to grow and mature in any artistic endeavor. I also hope that these lessons are fun and that the student is able to learn that drawing is not only useful in their work but is a very powerful means of artistic expression  in its own right.

The methods  I suggest in these lessons are  partly based on the way I was taught to draw and partly on  my own experience teaching art. I have taught art to first graders all the way up to older adults and have enjoyed and benefited from working with all the age groups. I hope you find these methods useful in developing and refining you own drawing skills.

Finally, I think it is important to talk about talent. For some reason I often run into the general belief that making art, even the simplest most fundamental kind requires that magical gift called talent. You do not need talent to learn to draw and draw well. Like any other complex skill you need desire, dedication and hours of hard work to learn to draw well. When you see an artist whipping out lines and shapes and magically bringing them all together into a believable and interesting image in a very short time it is not because of  talent, but because of the hours of hard work and study that the artist has spent at their craft. Talent, in my view, is the combination of desire, sacrifice, inspiration and single-mindedness, that takes the artist  into unique territory that transcends the merely competent and gives us a glimpse of something deeper and  more profound than we normally encounter. Pretty much anyone can learn to be a very competent artist. It takes talent to become Picasso, or Cezanne, or

Andy Warhol. You don’t need talent to become very good at making art. It is only after you have acquired the skills and knowledge necessary to produce fine art that your latent talent will itself known. You may just surprise yourself.

I hope you enjoy these lessons and find them useful. Work hard, take from them what you can use and leave the rest, and most of all have fun. I have always enjoyed drawing and  know that you will too.

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