Fearless Drawing

Continuing

Your

Adventure

We have now reached the end of our adventure

together, and it’s time to fly ahead with drawing

independently. This adventure will encourage you

to look back at how far you have come, and it’s full

of tips to create the time and inspiration to continue

your adventure.

With this book, my goal was to explore drawing in its

broadest sense, using stitch, scissors, printing, inks,

frottage, and collage. I wanted to expose you to as

many different drawing methods as possible, to help

you find your own way into (or back into) the joy of

creating drawings.

The wonderful thing about drawing is how each

person’s approach and end result will always be

different. Each one of these completed books will

look completely different; yours is unique and

celebrates your own approach and style. A drawing

not only captures the view, model, or still life, but also

an impression of the person who created it—you!

Feel proud of how far you have come and confident

that as you practice more and more your drawings

will continue to improve.

125

126 > Fearless Drawing

YOUR PERSONAL STYLE

This book should now be full of you—your hand, your breath,

your energy. Each person completing these adventures will

have done so uniquely. Some drawings may be similar, but no

two will be alike, and this is what I hope to leave with you: the

joy of creating your own unique mark upon a page and the

physical pleasure and mental space that comes with drawing.

We all aspire to be able to draw something accurately, and

developing this skill will come as you spend more time really

looking, observing, and practicing. Eventually your hand-eye

coordination will evolve and your hand will accurately capture

what your eye sees. But I don’t believe that we will get to this

point unless we enjoy drawing. If drawing becomes a miserable,

formal battle, we will quickly give up. So I truly hope that in the

course of completing these adventures, you have found and

enjoyed a range of approaches and techniques that you will add

to your drawing toolbox and carry along as you continue on

your journey.

MAKE TIME TO DRAW

I hope that you will make the time to keep up with your drawing,

time for you to be creative and inspired. As with any other skill,

with practice your drawing will steadily and surely improve.

Finding the time to draw can be the hardest thing. If the

washing needs doing, food needs cooking, and work seems

to be occupying your every thought and minute, it can be

very difficult to prioritize time for yourself. The best thing to do

is to find ten minutes each day, because if you wait to find a

spare hour, half day, or full day for drawing then it is unlikely to

become a regular habit. It is only by drawing regularly that you

will improve, and the quantity and consistency of drawing often

will stop you from becoming too precious about individual

drawings. Look for these sneaky ten minutes of drawing time in

the following places:

O

Instead of or in front of the television

O

During lunch break

O

On commute

O

On the telephone

Failing that, you could set your alarm ten minutes earlier

each morning and complete your drawing first thing! I would

recommend you buy a small sketchbook (one that fits in

your bag). If it’s always with you, then you’re able to grab the

opportunity to draw whenever you can.

Continuing Your Adventure > 127

FINDING INSPIRATION

There will be other days when you’ve managed to find the time

to draw, but you sit with your pencil and paper and no ideas

come. On those terrible “I don’t know what to draw” days, use

one of the following ideas as a springboard:

O

The clouds

O

The view from your window

O

Your hand or foot

O

Something beginning with the letter D

O

A birthday card

O

Your favorite cookie

O

Your pet, child, relative

O

Your dream vacation home

O

A winter scarf or summer hat

The point is, it doesn’t really matter what you draw, as long as

you draw!

Thank you for taking the time to read and complete these

adventures with me. Drawing has the capacity to change,

enrich, and document your experience of living in the

world. I hope it will become a valuable and pleasurable

part of your life.