Ish

One of my classes at Art & Soul was a three-hour drawing class.  It was the most challenging class for me both technically and emotionally.  I'm one of those people who has always believed that because I can't draw realistically, I can't truly be artistically inclined.  Whatever drawing skills I do have would be more likely classified as "doodling" and not "drawing".

Mere semantics?  Maybe.  But I know I'm not the only creative person out there who makes these distinctions. In school I never considered taking art as an elective precisely because I couldn't draw.  I assumed that lack of skill in this area disqualified me.

Anyway, class was hard because the focus was on drawing realistically, specifically items the teacher brought for us to draw - I didn't feel connected to any of the objects. From the very first exercise I was sweating bullets.  I was pretty tense through the entire class. 

This is my partial drawing of a stuffed frog.  It is charcoal done on nice, toothy paper.  It's really not as awful as I thought initially.  Hee hee ... at least it is recognizable as a frog-like creature.

I left class disappointed and trying to surrender myself to the idea that drawing just isn't my bag.

Yesterday, I got this book at the library (in the children's section, no less) and it restored my interest in drawing and set me free from the lofty ideals I've been placing on my drawing.

In Ish, Ramon loves to draw until his brother makes a critical remark about one of his drawings not looking right. 

"Leon's laughter haunted Ramon. He kept trying to make his drawings look "right," but they never did."

Ramon is discouraged until his sister Marisol sets him straight.  She remarks on a drawing of a vase of flowers that it looks "vase-ish" and this helps Ramon see his drawings in a new way:

"Ramon felt light and energized.  Thinking ish-ly allowed his ideas to flow freely.  He began to draw what he felt - loose lines.  Quickly springing out.  Without worry."

Ramon goes on to fill his journals with drawings that are "tree-ish", "house-ish", "boat-ish" ... you get the idea.

I highly recommend this little book (and its companion, The Dot) for anyone (child or, ahem, adult) in any creative field be it writing or art.  Reading it was a nice slap upside the head and encouragement to keep drawing, doodling, or whatever you want to call it.  I may not draw things "right" but I can definitely draw "ishly".

Comments

[denise]

I have both "Ish" and "The Dot" on my art shelf. They help keep me from getting too down on myself when my drawings look 'wrong'.

It has taken a lot of practice to feel 'good-ish' at drawing, and it often still goes wrong. I especially find it difficult to draw in group settings - I get tense and self concious totally destroying any ability to make the pencil work for me. I try to remember there are many different ways of drawing, realism is only one, and some of the most evocative pieces have more to do with catching the 'ish' than photostatting reality.

I reckon all drawing starts with 'ish', so don't let comparison or judgement squash you at your beginning. :).

[Andrea Mitchell]

What a cool book!

I like your frog. He has personality.

[kiri]

the books sound wonderful will check them out.
i too whenever i take an drawing class spend the whole time very tense. i love sketching and drawing because its quick and reveals so much more about the artist, all the little 'mistakes' create a more lively drawing.

keep on drawing daily if you can.
thanks for stopping by. yes i am using pencil for my sketches.

[Karenann Young]

I think your frog is really great! You caught the essence of the frog. I could draw you a frog, if I could find one, but my drawings don't have any real life to them. I wish, really, that I could draw like you.