One of the best Christmas gifts I got was from Santa. I don't remember how old I was anymore, but likely between the ages of 5 to 7. Santa gave me a fresh pad of white paper and pencils. Why was this so great? Before computers and video games, we had to amuse ourselves with more simple things. A pad of paper and a pencil meant you could be busy for hours. We would play games like tic tac toe and hangman, but mostly, I would draw. According to my mother, I liked to draw houses and people. I think that at one time, I even dreamed of becoming an architect or graphic designer, or even a cartoonist. However, like many people, as I got older, drawing and art in general got pushed to the bottom of the priority list in favor of more "practical" subjects, like math and science that would lead to a job, etc.
I did not get back to drawing until I had my daughter. Then it became an activity we did together. We would make an adventure out of going to the art store, and it was so much fun to buy a fresh new sketchbook and some drawing utensils. Well the same thing happened she got older, and life transformed to focus on other pursuits, and our drawing days faded away. She is off to college now, and when she came home for a visit, she remarked how much she missed some of the small things we did to spend time together like drawing, painting and music. (One of her other favorite activities was to go the mall and buy a pretzel after we played the instruments in the music store).
Anyways, as I start the next chapter of my life, I have decided to make drawing a part of it again. It's funny, but I still feel some of that anxiety around "lack of talent" or not being good enough, which was probably a factor in my dropping the pursuit of art as a career in the early part of my life. Given this, I have decided to start fresh, and learn to draw all over again. There are so many books on drawing, but I have decided to start this journey by using the following book:
"You Can Draw in 30 Days" by Mark Kistler. I invite you to come along on this journey with me.
I did not get back to drawing until I had my daughter. Then it became an activity we did together. We would make an adventure out of going to the art store, and it was so much fun to buy a fresh new sketchbook and some drawing utensils. Well the same thing happened she got older, and life transformed to focus on other pursuits, and our drawing days faded away. She is off to college now, and when she came home for a visit, she remarked how much she missed some of the small things we did to spend time together like drawing, painting and music. (One of her other favorite activities was to go the mall and buy a pretzel after we played the instruments in the music store).
Anyways, as I start the next chapter of my life, I have decided to make drawing a part of it again. It's funny, but I still feel some of that anxiety around "lack of talent" or not being good enough, which was probably a factor in my dropping the pursuit of art as a career in the early part of my life. Given this, I have decided to start fresh, and learn to draw all over again. There are so many books on drawing, but I have decided to start this journey by using the following book:
"You Can Draw in 30 Days" by Mark Kistler. I invite you to come along on this journey with me.