As I've mentioned before, being halfway decent at anything takes some doin'. There are some people out there who are just ridiculously and effortlessly talented, and they are some awesome people. We are lucky to have them on the planet with us, as they make some beautiful things (whether that be art, music, performances in sporting events, technological advances, etc.). Somehow, though, at least in the world of art, people have taken to the idea that if you don't have insta-skill, there's no hope for you. Well, I'm going to go out on a very short and extensively fact-based limb to state that such an idea is complete and utter nonsense.
Another thing I know I've mentioned a time or two is that I'm slightly addicted to podcasts, particularly one about cars and another about animation. The Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast is awesome, as the brothers (twin brothers who both worked at Disney and are now on their own path) are marvelous on their own, and they have some incredible guests on their show consistently. As I've listened to a good handful of handfuls of episodes (not a type-o), I've noticed a dependably consistent theme: about every single guest that they have, as well as the brothers themselves, tout how absolutely imperative practice is to them. And these aren't like the janitors at Disney, either. They've spoken to Mark Henn, who was the supervising animator for characters such as Belle, Jasmine, young Simba, and Mulan. They've had chats with Andreas Deja, who was the supervising animator for Gaston, Jafar, Scar, and other dastardly folk. They even tracked down Chris Sanders, who you can thank for Lilo and Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon. (Note: I don't remember that these exact people made the point I'm talking about, but I'm just giving you an idea of the caliber of friends they have in the industry.) They state regularly that they are often asked how they get to be good enough to get jobs working at Disney, and the answer they give is simply that you have to show up every day. Draw every single day. In doing so, you will be ASTOUNDED by how much you will improve. There is simply no replacement for practice.
And lately, that is something I suck at doing.
Aww, sad face. But what is it that they say, the first step to fixing something is realizing that you have a problem? So wahoo!! I'm one step out of this hole I've dug for myself.
It's interesting how that's come about, though. When I was younger, you would have to pry my sketchbook from my cold, dead hands if you wanted me to put it down. And a finished sketchbook was a precious object. There would be at least a few drawings in each one that I was crazy proud of. So I packed the one I was currently working on around like it was my oxygen tank, and if I ceased movement for a moment, it would be cracked open in front of me, and I'd be doodling away. But over the past few years, as I've gotten busier and busier, I've come to have way less time that's free for making scribbles. Less time is hardly an excuse, though. I'm talking about sketching. That takes no time, and little concentration. So could it be attributed to a pressure to have better drawings than I do currently, spending more time on other projects (I have been spending a relatively greater amount of time painting and working on this printmaking project lately), or just laziness? Maybe a bit of all three. But I'm working on remedying the situation.
A few months ago, I got a book titled 300 Drawing Prompts from Barnes and Noble. It's just a little sketchbook with little prompts on the pages to give you a starting point. I haven't used it much, until I started having a lot of fun with it this past weekend.
Another thing I know I've mentioned a time or two is that I'm slightly addicted to podcasts, particularly one about cars and another about animation. The Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast is awesome, as the brothers (twin brothers who both worked at Disney and are now on their own path) are marvelous on their own, and they have some incredible guests on their show consistently. As I've listened to a good handful of handfuls of episodes (not a type-o), I've noticed a dependably consistent theme: about every single guest that they have, as well as the brothers themselves, tout how absolutely imperative practice is to them. And these aren't like the janitors at Disney, either. They've spoken to Mark Henn, who was the supervising animator for characters such as Belle, Jasmine, young Simba, and Mulan. They've had chats with Andreas Deja, who was the supervising animator for Gaston, Jafar, Scar, and other dastardly folk. They even tracked down Chris Sanders, who you can thank for Lilo and Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon. (Note: I don't remember that these exact people made the point I'm talking about, but I'm just giving you an idea of the caliber of friends they have in the industry.) They state regularly that they are often asked how they get to be good enough to get jobs working at Disney, and the answer they give is simply that you have to show up every day. Draw every single day. In doing so, you will be ASTOUNDED by how much you will improve. There is simply no replacement for practice.
And lately, that is something I suck at doing.
Aww, sad face. But what is it that they say, the first step to fixing something is realizing that you have a problem? So wahoo!! I'm one step out of this hole I've dug for myself.
It's interesting how that's come about, though. When I was younger, you would have to pry my sketchbook from my cold, dead hands if you wanted me to put it down. And a finished sketchbook was a precious object. There would be at least a few drawings in each one that I was crazy proud of. So I packed the one I was currently working on around like it was my oxygen tank, and if I ceased movement for a moment, it would be cracked open in front of me, and I'd be doodling away. But over the past few years, as I've gotten busier and busier, I've come to have way less time that's free for making scribbles. Less time is hardly an excuse, though. I'm talking about sketching. That takes no time, and little concentration. So could it be attributed to a pressure to have better drawings than I do currently, spending more time on other projects (I have been spending a relatively greater amount of time painting and working on this printmaking project lately), or just laziness? Maybe a bit of all three. But I'm working on remedying the situation.
A few months ago, I got a book titled 300 Drawing Prompts from Barnes and Noble. It's just a little sketchbook with little prompts on the pages to give you a starting point. I haven't used it much, until I started having a lot of fun with it this past weekend.
There are definitely days when I sit down to doodle and I've just got nothin'. So I scribble a couple of faces, and before long every one of my sketchbook pages look the same: bad and boring and uninspired and scary. So this little book is a huge help for just getting the wheels turning. And, as you can see, they are not impressive drawings at all. Just a way to get the pencil moving, even if it's literally to scribble all over the page and call it a tree.
It's really a matter of habit (or I hope it is, I guess). I've just gotten into a slump of no creativeness.
So this will help get me back into the habit of thinking up as many whackadoodle ideas as I possibly can. Because that's fun.
So here's to doodling. It can only make me better, and it's pretty much my favorite thing to do. So if art is something you want to enjoy, you should doodle too.
Ready, go.
Thanks,
Sarah
Thanks,
Sarah