That was a big problem for me when I was six, in first grade. My best friend, Jimmy Brookhouser, never had a problem. I still remember his picture of a couch with a cat on it. He was good.
My mind was always a blank, so I started trying to remember what he had drawn last and tried to draw my version. Mostly my versions sucked, but at least it was something. Except when he drew a picture of a horse’s head. I was excited, I could do that! And I liked my version. Until the teacher teased me and asked if it was a giraffe. Apparently she thought the neck was too long, but I didn’t have a good mental picture of a horse in my head, so there was no way I could tell.
Fortunately after I went to a wedding I decided to draw a bride. It was more simple-minded than this picture,
I remember the circle for the head and most of a triangle for the body. I added something for the veil and had her arms sticking out with some flowers.
For some reason the teacher loved it. I didn’t understand why, but it solved my problem. From then on if she wanted a picture, that’s the one she got. Apparently she told my mother that I must have really been impressed by that wedding. I loved the teacher, but she never figured out I was just trying to avoid being humiliated.
Nowadays, of course, we’re not expected to draw from images in our heads. We can look at as many images as we want to find some we like and that might be suitable for our abilities. Did I ever say I love the internet?
October 23, 2024
I can draw stick men and women.
God bless.
That’s still worth a lot.
…I don’t even try!
Photography is art too.
Some horses have very long necks! I used to draw, I think life just got too busy.
There’s not time for everything. I was trying to do a little bit each day until I started learning Spanish via Duolingo. Then that took a lot of time for a while. Now I’m not drawing even a little bit each day. Other things have higher priority.
Your bride is so cute! I remember my first serious attempt. Now that I think about it, I may post it. I was in grade school, and a classmate drew a hound dog sitting in a bubble bath (pausing for your guffaws). It is the dumbest image! I am going to draw and post it maybe this week.
That sounds like my kind of image, please don’t knock it! Traditional books about how to draw don’t work for me because they’re too serious. I like silly images. Those are the kind of pictures I’m looking at for inspiration.
Set up a still-life if you’re trying to teach yourself how to draw. The way the light effects the roundness of fruit teaches you the shaping and shading you need to make figures and animals come to life.
Your bride has a look of pure happiness on her face and they way she’s hiding that behind her flowers is typical of a lot of brides.
I don’t want to draw realistic things. I want to draw silly things that make me laugh.
Back in the day I don’t recall drawing anything but horses. Horse-crazy I was!
I’ve never had any aptitude, but you make me want to try!
It’s not about aptitude/talent, it’s about having fun, feeding our souls. That’s why Vonnegut told the kids not to show their work to anyone. We don’t have to do that as long as we don’t get into the judgmental mindset.
The first thing I tried to seriously draw was when I was around 9 or 10. I loved trying to freehand copy the comics in the Sunday paper. I used to wait for those funny pages on Sunday, lay on the living room floor with typing paper and a pencil and copy the various comic strip characters as best I could…for hours.
Good for you! I got interested because of Hobbes. (Calvin and Hobbes.). I love the expressions on his face and tried to draw them. This was years ago.
Cute drawing!
🙂
I have no ability whatsoever to draw. But when I was in grade school and it was the day for art class, we were supposed to bring a page from a coloring book to copy. Sadly my production never came close to resembling the original:(. But if she would have let me color the coloring page, I would have produced a masterpiece. I love to color.
That’s the thing about drawing. It doesn’t take talent, it does mean a non-wobbly hand, which not everyone has. If we don’t have talent, and we want to draw, we need patience and a willingness to take time to see and try things. Danny Gregory wrote a book, How to Draw without Talent, and there are plenty of other books that say the same thing. The main thing is wanting to do it and enjoying the process rather than worrying about producing a finished product. Your assignment reminds me of a book I just bought, How To Draw Cute Animals, Woodland and Forest Animals, Drawing Book For Kids & Adults So far I’ve only done the moose.
Sometimes a comment can really hurt, evenbif it was not intended.
She was a warm, loving teacher, but that wasn’t her finest moment. 🙂
the large part of the stress from the three hurricanes was LOSS OF INTERNET. I had withdrawals symptoms, and still do because I have so much to do I can’t PLAY but I do have time to read and comment once in a while. my writing creativeness and humor is MIA and don’t know when it will return.
I like your bride too.
You’ve been though a lot, and aren’t done yet. Please try to take care of yourself as best you can.
When I was young and I had to come up with ideas on my own, I struggled. I don’t think I was very creative or imaginative back then. Or maybe I was but froze when asked to come up with something. I’m with you, I love the internet too
It’s neat being an adult and getting to figure out what we need to stimulate our creativity. That’s why I like independent learning rather than formal classes.
I can’t draw anything. My brother got all the talent in our family. He played the organ, he became and actor, along with being a director in local theaters. I think your teacher was a little hard on you. They should always be supportive. I like the internet too!
She was a loving teacher, and I still remember her with fondness. She was just clueless about how I would react to her teasing. It must have been hard to have a brother like that.
I can see the image in my head but my hand disability doesn’t follow through
I create art in a different format and I like doing it that way
Recently I’ve been introduced to tearing up glossy magazines, quite fun
I’m so glad your hand disability hasn’t stopped you!