Anyone who has learnt to write, can draw. It's that simple. Only they have to make up their mind and commence. They would definitely be surprised at the progress they make. You are the best example for that. You have scaled to a very large extent with persistence. That's really great. Keep it up and grow.
I appreciate your approach here. My wife is working hard to become a better drawer, and she often hears people say, “Oh, you have a gift,” as if people are born knowing how to draw. What she has found is that it just takes a real commitment to learn how to really see the world and then a hell of a lot of practice. Watching her learn and grow has really expanded my appreciation for people who draw in interesting, illuminating ways … like you.
This is a great post! It's very timely, because I am one of those people who say, "I can't draw." I have the drawing ability of a 7 year old. But have I attempted drawing since then? Have I had encouragement? Have I had someone kind meet me at my actual skill level? The classes I've taken have all been way over my skill level. So I can see why I say, "I can't draw." But I know full well that I'm capable of learning new things and that includes learning how to draw. My brain isn't severed in the "learning how to draw" domain, even though it feels like it when I see everyone else do it so effortlessly.
In a similar vein, I often hear people say "good for you doing all that trapping. I just couldn't do it." But again, they *could* if someone met them at their ability and guided them along the way.
Meeting people where they are is really important—when I run workshops I often start with talking about how to draw lines. Starting with real fundamentals that anyone can do seems to work really well.
Meeting yourself where you are is really important too—not having too many expectations of yourself. “I can’t draw” can just mean “my expectations weren’t met”.
And as for 7 year olds, most of them have an inspiring boldness to their drawings; there is a complete lack of expectations and judgement that we can all learn from.
Liking the sketches, Andrew, especially the door handle. I’ve become intimately familiar with them since the kids tore mine off and I had to rebuild it. My sketchbook and pens and watercolors arrive tomorrow!
Love this and drawing or sketching on a trip is so much more satisfying than photos. I began last winter and brought a sketch book with us to Spain last month. The memories a sketch of a place evokes is much deeper than a photo.
Totally! Sitting and looking at something for a long time really sears it into your memory. Whenever I look at an old drawing I relive that moment. It's not the same with a photo.
It's true. We can all do it in our own style. A bit like singing or dancing. And we can improve and develop. But so many people have been told they can't. That's sad.
I love taking a sketch book with me on my travels. I have a lot of Cambodia and have just seralised a book in my Substack. I love your Angkor & tuk tuk sketch! My goal is to do more everyday sketching, too.
Another great article. Your art has a wonderful style -- a product of talent. I think when someone says they "can't draw", it is about the practice and the amount of effort they have to put into it to learn the "skill". Unlike someone who "can draw" because they have the innate "talent".
I sat next to a woman who had her sketch book out and she's just filling up the book with random objects from her mind using a black marker. That's talent. Whereas I sit in the kitchen and try to draw the toaster -- while it may not be the best, I feel it's a win because you can tell what it is.
With enough time and practice even someone like me was able to draw something worth framing. No, it wasn't the toaster.
I wondered how long it would take for someone to mention the t word! I'm not convinced that "talent" is a big factor - it's mostly effort. I could be wrong, but I bet the woman on the bus has spent a lot of time drawing before she got to that point. I really believe that drawing is a totally learnable skill.
I have a future article planned about how I found my style. It was a deliberate and conscious process but the main part was lots of drawing.
I'm proof it can be learned. I used to draw pictures upside down to stop my brain from telling me what it is I'm trying to draw. While I believe people with talent still have to practice, I think they definitley have a jump on those developing a skill. At my best, I never had a "style" it was all mimicking what I saw. Looking forward to your style article.
It’s so inspiring to see where you began in your drawing journey and what was the catalyst for it. It’s also helpful for me to understand why people say those words “I can’t draw” or down play their obvious ability to draw. I do think it can be a protective measure, for fear of failure, especially when someone else (eg a teacher) has told that person “you can’t draw, you will never be able to draw”. Any thoughts on supporting someone who has had that kind of experience?
Absolutely it's a protective measure. Words can be really powerful, especially from an authority figure at a young age. Self preservation is a really strong human instinct.
I think the key to getting through that is making it more about drawing the verb, and not drawing the noun. Focus on enjoying the process and the act of drawing rather than the pictures that come out of it.
“Being ok with failure” yes. I am trying to do this. I see these cool sketchbooks. Then I look at my feeble attempts that looks like a drunk toddler drew them. But I’m persevering.
I guess the big hurdle in starting to draw is that it's all so visible. All your mistakes, all your shortcomings, all there on the page for anyone to see. I remember feeling quite vulnerable and embarrassed about it as a teenager. Also because WHAT you draw reveals a lot about you. (I drew soldiers and felt vaguely ashamed about that)
Yes. There’s a certain permanence of drawing that doesn’t exist for other arts like music or dance, and that does lead to a bit of vulnerability.
But theres an upside to all your mistakes being there for all to see; you can see them too. There’s direct and lasting feedback on what went “wrong” and if you have the right attitude then you can learn from that pretty quickly.
Definitely! I'm so glad I resisted the urge to crumple up my early drawings. Looking back I can see exactly which things I was developing, whereas back then I could only see how it did not match the image in my brain. Brad&Dave of ComicLab call this "developing your inner editor".
People can't really draw. People can sing, people can't sing. People can play an instrument, people can't play an instrument. I can draw, I can't sing or play an instrument. Some people can cook, others can't cook. You can learn to do some of these things, but I wonder if you can learn to draw if you don't have any talent regarding that.
You can’t learn to be 7 feet tall or to lift a cruise ship or to run the 100m in 5 seconds.
But these are physical limits.
“I can’t draw” is a self imposed limit that only exists inside the head. In my experience the only talent needed to overcome that is to keep showing up.
What I love about your drawings is the slightly surreal/unreal element of the images. The walls aren't parallel to each other. The car looks like it's made of rubber. I get to hung up on being precise - it's part of my nature. But I want it to be looser! Any hints?
I think the key is to work out what you care about and do that. I care more about line quality and clarity than I do about exact proportions so I lean into that.
There are a few exercises that can help you loosen up, like blind contour drawing or using a "too big" pen. It's quite a big topic so I suspect I will write a post on it sometime soon.
Anyone who has learnt to write, can draw. It's that simple. Only they have to make up their mind and commence. They would definitely be surprised at the progress they make. You are the best example for that. You have scaled to a very large extent with persistence. That's really great. Keep it up and grow.
I appreciate your approach here. My wife is working hard to become a better drawer, and she often hears people say, “Oh, you have a gift,” as if people are born knowing how to draw. What she has found is that it just takes a real commitment to learn how to really see the world and then a hell of a lot of practice. Watching her learn and grow has really expanded my appreciation for people who draw in interesting, illuminating ways … like you.
It is a gift; she gave it to herself through commitment and work.
Thanks for the kind words.
Lovely style you've evolved there. Reminiscent of Crumb or B Kliban.
Thanks so much. I’m flattered.
This is a great post! It's very timely, because I am one of those people who say, "I can't draw." I have the drawing ability of a 7 year old. But have I attempted drawing since then? Have I had encouragement? Have I had someone kind meet me at my actual skill level? The classes I've taken have all been way over my skill level. So I can see why I say, "I can't draw." But I know full well that I'm capable of learning new things and that includes learning how to draw. My brain isn't severed in the "learning how to draw" domain, even though it feels like it when I see everyone else do it so effortlessly.
In a similar vein, I often hear people say "good for you doing all that trapping. I just couldn't do it." But again, they *could* if someone met them at their ability and guided them along the way.
Thanks Beth.
Meeting people where they are is really important—when I run workshops I often start with talking about how to draw lines. Starting with real fundamentals that anyone can do seems to work really well.
Meeting yourself where you are is really important too—not having too many expectations of yourself. “I can’t draw” can just mean “my expectations weren’t met”.
And as for 7 year olds, most of them have an inspiring boldness to their drawings; there is a complete lack of expectations and judgement that we can all learn from.
Liking the sketches, Andrew, especially the door handle. I’ve become intimately familiar with them since the kids tore mine off and I had to rebuild it. My sketchbook and pens and watercolors arrive tomorrow!
Love this and drawing or sketching on a trip is so much more satisfying than photos. I began last winter and brought a sketch book with us to Spain last month. The memories a sketch of a place evokes is much deeper than a photo.
Totally! Sitting and looking at something for a long time really sears it into your memory. Whenever I look at an old drawing I relive that moment. It's not the same with a photo.
It's true. We can all do it in our own style. A bit like singing or dancing. And we can improve and develop. But so many people have been told they can't. That's sad.
I love taking a sketch book with me on my travels. I have a lot of Cambodia and have just seralised a book in my Substack. I love your Angkor & tuk tuk sketch! My goal is to do more everyday sketching, too.
Another great article. Your art has a wonderful style -- a product of talent. I think when someone says they "can't draw", it is about the practice and the amount of effort they have to put into it to learn the "skill". Unlike someone who "can draw" because they have the innate "talent".
I sat next to a woman who had her sketch book out and she's just filling up the book with random objects from her mind using a black marker. That's talent. Whereas I sit in the kitchen and try to draw the toaster -- while it may not be the best, I feel it's a win because you can tell what it is.
With enough time and practice even someone like me was able to draw something worth framing. No, it wasn't the toaster.
Thanks very much.
I wondered how long it would take for someone to mention the t word! I'm not convinced that "talent" is a big factor - it's mostly effort. I could be wrong, but I bet the woman on the bus has spent a lot of time drawing before she got to that point. I really believe that drawing is a totally learnable skill.
I have a future article planned about how I found my style. It was a deliberate and conscious process but the main part was lots of drawing.
I'm proof it can be learned. I used to draw pictures upside down to stop my brain from telling me what it is I'm trying to draw. While I believe people with talent still have to practice, I think they definitley have a jump on those developing a skill. At my best, I never had a "style" it was all mimicking what I saw. Looking forward to your style article.
It’s so inspiring to see where you began in your drawing journey and what was the catalyst for it. It’s also helpful for me to understand why people say those words “I can’t draw” or down play their obvious ability to draw. I do think it can be a protective measure, for fear of failure, especially when someone else (eg a teacher) has told that person “you can’t draw, you will never be able to draw”. Any thoughts on supporting someone who has had that kind of experience?
Thanks Larissa.
Absolutely it's a protective measure. Words can be really powerful, especially from an authority figure at a young age. Self preservation is a really strong human instinct.
I think the key to getting through that is making it more about drawing the verb, and not drawing the noun. Focus on enjoying the process and the act of drawing rather than the pictures that come out of it.
Excellent. For my money your premise still works if you replace ‘draw’ with damn near anything - do math/find time to read/write a poem.
Totally agree. Most things are learnable.
“Being ok with failure” yes. I am trying to do this. I see these cool sketchbooks. Then I look at my feeble attempts that looks like a drunk toddler drew them. But I’m persevering.
Persevering is everything. Keep going. You got this.
I guess the big hurdle in starting to draw is that it's all so visible. All your mistakes, all your shortcomings, all there on the page for anyone to see. I remember feeling quite vulnerable and embarrassed about it as a teenager. Also because WHAT you draw reveals a lot about you. (I drew soldiers and felt vaguely ashamed about that)
Yes. There’s a certain permanence of drawing that doesn’t exist for other arts like music or dance, and that does lead to a bit of vulnerability.
But theres an upside to all your mistakes being there for all to see; you can see them too. There’s direct and lasting feedback on what went “wrong” and if you have the right attitude then you can learn from that pretty quickly.
Definitely! I'm so glad I resisted the urge to crumple up my early drawings. Looking back I can see exactly which things I was developing, whereas back then I could only see how it did not match the image in my brain. Brad&Dave of ComicLab call this "developing your inner editor".
People can't really draw. People can sing, people can't sing. People can play an instrument, people can't play an instrument. I can draw, I can't sing or play an instrument. Some people can cook, others can't cook. You can learn to do some of these things, but I wonder if you can learn to draw if you don't have any talent regarding that.
There are some things you can’t learn.
You can’t learn to be 7 feet tall or to lift a cruise ship or to run the 100m in 5 seconds.
But these are physical limits.
“I can’t draw” is a self imposed limit that only exists inside the head. In my experience the only talent needed to overcome that is to keep showing up.
What I love about your drawings is the slightly surreal/unreal element of the images. The walls aren't parallel to each other. The car looks like it's made of rubber. I get to hung up on being precise - it's part of my nature. But I want it to be looser! Any hints?
Thanks Rowland.
I think the key is to work out what you care about and do that. I care more about line quality and clarity than I do about exact proportions so I lean into that.
There are a few exercises that can help you loosen up, like blind contour drawing or using a "too big" pen. It's quite a big topic so I suspect I will write a post on it sometime soon.
I can show you my sketchbook pages to show how “I can’t draw” I am. 😆
Can you show me again after you’ve finished a sketchbook? Keep on going!