To anyone who doesn’t think they have any talent for drawing, but who wants to try, I’d recommend starting with simple shapes. I know, I know, it sounds childish, but I’m going somewhere here.
Start with simple shapes on their own. Then start adding simple shapes to each other. Connect them, overlap them, make some of them squiggly or unusual. Do whatever feels right.
Then, look back at the picture and really look at it. What else could it look like? If you showed that picture to a child, what would they think it was? (Go ahead and ask a child, if one is around. They are really good at this.) Look at those shapes and imagine something new growing out of it. If you must, put the picture down and go do something else for a bit. When you come back, your fresh eyes may see something that you didn’t see before.
Then, add on whatever you imagined, bit by bit.
Not only does this help hone the hand-eye coordination and fine motor control needed for drawing, but it exercises your imagination and teaches you how to perceptualize more complex images (by being able to break them down to simpler parts.) It blends seamlessly in with Bob Ross’s approach of using mistakes to enhance a work, too. Mistakes will happen, nobody’s perfect. Being able to turn a random paint smear or inkblot into something that would fit in with a work can take you far.
To anyone who doesn’t think they have any talent for drawing, but who wants to try, I’d recommend starting with simple shapes. I know, I know, it sounds childish, but I’m going somewhere here.
Start with simple shapes on their own. Then start adding simple shapes to each other. Connect them, overlap them, make some of them squiggly or unusual. Do whatever feels right.
Then, look back at the picture and really look at it. What else could it look like? If you showed that picture to a child, what would they think it was? (Go ahead and ask a child, if one is around. They are really good at this.) Look at those shapes and imagine something new growing out of it. If you must, put the picture down and go do something else for a bit. When you come back, your fresh eyes may see something that you didn’t see before.
Then, add on whatever you imagined, bit by bit.
Not only does this help hone the hand-eye coordination and fine motor control needed for drawing, but it exercises your imagination and teaches you how to perceptualize more complex images (by being able to break them down to simpler parts.) It blends seamlessly in with Bob Ross’s approach of using mistakes to enhance a work, too. Mistakes will happen, nobody’s perfect. Being able to turn a random paint smear or inkblot into something that would fit in with a work can take you far.