Saturday 9 June 2012

The Worth of 1,000 Words

I'm not normally a person who bemoans who they are - tried that once, realised it was doing me no favours, hammered it out of my head fairly quickly - but if there is one thing I really regret about my talents and abilities, it's that I've never been very good at drawing.

Though words have always been my first and foremost love in life, there are few things I love more than a good illustration. Not only does the obvious devotion, effort and determination of the artist impress me, but seeing things words brought to life in full glory before me is a feeling I love. Especially when the aforementioned wonder is an illustration from a favourite book or movie.

I haunt an alarming number of art websites around the web - there are two of my favourites, Elfwood and Meadowhaven down in the "Places of Pure Epicness" link roll at the bottom of the blog - and, without fail, every time I see a piece of art that makes my eyes boggle out of my head like a surprised pug, I always think exactly the same thing.

"I wish I could draw like that."


Unfortunately for me, drawing does not come easily. Though I can very often picture what I want in my head very clearly, when it comes to picking up the pencil, paintbrush or octopus tentacle to draw the blasted thing, it never comes out right. Though I long to produce accurate, expressionate images of the various wonders that I see behind my closed eyelids, stick men and potato-headed creatures that look like something out of Picasso's worst fever dream are the usual results.

Even still life is beyond me; about two years ago we were drawing from one in Art class, and my teacher came up behind me and said "Wow, Charley, that's a lovely cupcake!"

I was drawing a pomegranate.

However, I do believe in the saying that one can't have everything. Heck, if there was a person in life who COULD do everything, then they would probably be accused of spying for an alien invasion force. Or been told to head back to the Rainbow Bridge, for Midgard has no need of gods right now.

On the other hand, I don't think that one should give up just because something doesn't come easily. If we did that, then the planet would be an exceedingly unproductive place. Though my resolutions are seldom held fervently for long, I have decided to practice drawing so that I can fulfill that whispering little desire in the back of my head.

It won't be "I wish I could draw like that". It's going to be "I'll learn to draw like that".


They say challenges can be character building. In this case, I plan to do this quite literally. I've always wanted to draw my own characters - not in the least so I could stop them magically altering their appearances throughout the course of a story - but also, just like writing, for the enjoyment of it.

They say the pen is mightier than the sword. Let's hope I wield the former better than I have proved myself with the latter.

And what about you? Is there any talent or skill you wish you had? Have any of you ever been in a similar situation to me? Did you improve by trying? How hard was it? Leave a comment and let me know!

~Charley R

22 comments:

  1. Yes, Charley! All you need is to practice!
    I never believed that. I used to be TERRIBLE at drawing. My shading was abysmal, and I couldn't get proportions right. But I recommend grid technique - drawing squares over an original and then copying it square by square - because seriously, it really teaches you about proportions. Eventually, you'll be able to draw freehand. You know how much I've improved, you've seen my artwork :D

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    1. Thank you! I am going to do some drawing practice as often as I can - start with basics and work my way up. Mebbe I"ll try your grid stuff ... if I can use a ruler to draw enough straight lines xD

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    2. Try drawing Loki first, or Sherlock. Because once you can draw a face with such ridiculous cheekbones, you can draw any face.

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    3. Haha, thanks for the tips. I'm still having trouble enough working out where shoulders and elbows go xD

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  2. The funny thing about me is that though I might wish to draw my characters, I can't because... well, I don't see them that well. Usually I just make up a name and presto, IT'S ALIVE!! Later I go through and add physical characteristics that fit the character. But I don't actually see the chap's face in my mind's eye. Thus, I can't draw the guy.
    But I can draw passing well, though not spectacularly. I just sketch and hope it looks slightly true to the original.

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    1. Hehe, I'm opposite - I know almost exactly how they look in my head, or at least have a main gist of it and fill in details at opportune moments later. It really bugs me that I can't draw, so now I'm going to fix it, hehe!

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    2. My character outline:
      Gender
      Height (eg, short, average, tall)
      Extremely strange attributes that have a part in the story

      ...and the rest just fills itself in. I've gotten better at describing characters, however-- though I still don't know what they look like until their description pops out onto the paper.

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    3. *shrugs* The basics is a good starting point!

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    4. ...And you don't get more basic than that.

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    5. Liam, you and me are on about the same page... except all females look like me *sigh* I so have to change that. :}

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    6. Aah! It's "you and I", not "you and me". Sorry, my inner grammar Nazi made an appearance.
      Indeed. Though, since I can barely imagine the characters' faces, I don't know whether they all look like me or not. And if the females looked like me, that would be a little strange...

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    7. *giggles* I nee d grammar Nazis or I won't learn a thing about grammar. :}

      Yes well it's not so odd for me, since I am female. I also have strong women protagonists, which is a family trait (we have some doozies) :}

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  3. New follower! You can check out and follow my blog if you wish at www.rollerbladesandvintage.blogspot.com Tata, Leah :)

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    1. Hello there! And guess what - you're my fiftieth follower! Thank you very much! :D

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  4. Hm... I wish I could still draw. I want to pint pictures like what you see in the D&D books - the Fantasy art.

    I was decent at it in high school (Years 10 - 13), but I'm sorely out of practice now. decent enough that my mom has a few hanging in her house and I have a few (one even framed properly) for hanging.

    Still they weren't Fantasy art..

    Ahh if only I had the time to devote to all the creative hobbies I love. (And the only way to do that would be to make a good living at doing so.) :}

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    1. Hehe, that is the wish of us all, to curl up in our hidey holes and immerse ourselves in the things we love. Alas real life gets in the way.

      Still, a little practice should get you back to normal. I have to start from scratch xD

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    2. When it comes to drawing people. I feel as though I"m starting from scratch. Maps arn't nearly as hard. :}

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    3. Hehe, well, at least you have a starting point ... though I suppose people and maps don't often look much alike xD

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    4. Don't tempt me... That could make for an interesting map *giggles*

      You could be telling the story of the bed bug... ro something slightly less disgusting... maybe a skin cell? *grins*

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  5. YOU CAN DO IT!

    I've always wanted to dance and be able to do it well. I'm not the most graceful person, but I love to move. I'm hoping this year as I ramp up my fitness routine that I can actually get to the point in dancing where I'm good enough to be able to let go and enjoy it. :)

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    1. Good luck! I've never been a dancer, but thankfully it's never appealed that much to me. Probably a good thing, as I might wound someone terribly if I tried anything more ambitious than the macarena, haha!

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    2. I don't know, the macarena is a pretty dangerous dance. All those arms flying everywhere,,, :)

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