The Problem
When I was in sports there were drills and exercises to work on. When I was taking piano lessons I had to practice scales. When in the Navy we practiced putting out fires, and repairing damaged ships. When I learned a foreign language I had to practice my pronunciation every day. Do you see a pattern here? When you learn a new skill you need to drill and practice.
Do you want to learn how to learn to draw like a master?
So when I was in art school, I always wondered why there were no drills to learn how to draw. In all of my drawing classes the teacher would just put some stuff on a table and say “Draw it.” There was little or no instruction. just do it. This was very different to the other areas I had studied as I mentioned above.
When I was studying to be an Art teacher, I assumed I would learn how to teach students how to draw…. but nothing. There were no drills that would rapidly help a student learn faster and better. When I started teaching I felt most insecure teaching drawing because I had no drills to put my students through.
The Solution!
Years later when I found a book that actually had a set of effective drills I was thrilled. The book is:
Learning to Draw on the Right Side of the Brain. by Betty Edwards.
There is much to say about it but the best way to find out about it is to get it and do the drills for a week or two. It is hard work, but the results are stunning. If you are keen on developing your artistic skills, this is the book you need! Not only does it quickly teach you how to draw, it also improves your aesthetic awareness. Most bookstores have it or you can buy it on eBay or Amazon.
If you click on this image you will be taken directly to Amazon where you can order the book.
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I have done the drills in this book several times and it was magical how quickly it improved my drawing. It also changes the way I look at the world. I see everything like an impressionistic painting. I can’t recommend this book highly enough!
More about this book
Here is a cool exercise to get your drawing juices going.