Friday, October 21, 2011

So, I hear you want to draw!



I get asked often how to draw or more accurately how to draw better. The short answer may sound kind of smart ass-y but the old saying is 100 percent true...'You learn to draw by drawing". I suppose that there are artists that are born with a gift of drawing prowess, but that certainly was not my experience. I have gotten to whatever place I'm at with drawing (still far from where I'd like to be) by pure stubborn manual labor. I draw, I read art books, I practice, I draw, I watch tutorials online, I take classes and oh yeah did I mention that I draw???
Even with the explosion of information available online I for one still feel that there is no better help for artists than some really good books. I collect folders full of content from the web myself, but a lot of it never gets looked at again, but books can be open right next to you at the drawing board or breakfast table to give you some insight into what you are doing.
In my opinion, there is no better guide to good solid drawing than the Andrew Loomis books, period. Figure Drawing for all it's Worth and Drawing the Head and Hands are back in print after many years and every artist should have them on their shelves. I was happy to see a couple of Loomis' books on the shelves of Norman Rockwell's studio when I visited a while back, that should tell you something about the level of insight an artist of any level may glean from these volumes.
Another book that I pass along to beginning artist is Drawing the Head and Figure, but Jack Hamm. This book is so good that it has been kept in print in an affordable paperback edition for decades. I am always happy to see it at Barnes and Noble and major book stores holding it's own against the sea of terrible 'how to draw whatever" books that jam the shelves.
So while there may be no short cut to better drawing, there is in fact a lot of helpful info out there to keep you on track.


Thursday, October 06, 2011

Thanks Steve


While the focus of this blog is decidedly 'non-digital' I couldn't let the passing of Steve Jobs go by without send out a heartfelt Thank You to him and the universe.
I am no techie, but his creativity and vision have made my life a better place. I use a Mac for most of my professional work, I love Pixar movies and I seldom draw out in the world without my ipod keeping me company.
Imagining a life as big as his that has touched so many lives for the better is really humbling.
Thanks man.