This week let’s talk about the roller-coaster ride known as ‘the Learning Curve’.
Whenever I try to learn something new, and the process becomes a bit difficult I sometimes become what I call ‘a squealing prawn’… but I’m fine with that because its perfectly normal to be a squealing prawn sometimes.
You might even become a squealing prawn too when you are learning a new drawing skill, but that’s okay. You are absolutely fine too! It’s to be expected.
You are probably now wondering why I am comparing myself to some kind of noisy seafood. 🙂
The Highs and the Lows
When we set out to learn a lovely new drawing skill we start with high hopes, filled with the expectation of quick success. After a short while though reality sets in, and we can soon dive into the depths of despair as things don’t go quite as planned… welcome to the LEARNING CURVE!
I’ve written a document about the process which you can download below…
Learning to Draw and the Learning Curve (PDF)
As ever, if you have some ‘squealing prawn’ and learning curve experiences of your own to share, then do post a comment, send me an email or post in the DrawPj forums. I’ll be happy to hear from you.
I had to come right away to respond after I got this email. That artwork you share in the pdf is SOOO appropriate for learning anything new.
I felt that way so many times while I was in college, grad school and especially when my son was diagnosed with autism 8 years ago. It’s so good to realize that it’s all part of the process of learning something new and that everyone goes through it.
Great to hear you can relate to the Learning Curve Nanci!
Hmmm…it seem to me that cruving something out of a drawing takes alot of knowledge and inspirational ideas out from your mind and will to create new sauce just like having a different kind of meal everyday~!
what must i do to gain the creativity back? In whatever i learn especially Drawing!? What is unexpected? And what will be the outcome of my design!? i’m really having a tough time thinking instead of just…Hey let’s do it! It’s really a fun thing to do and get motivated without the sense of thinking…Oh OH i screw up that pretty Drawing that was suppose to be this way or that way. what is it going to be? A cake without it’s cherry on top? :-/
Hi Fatty, the problem that you describe is something so many artists face on a regular basis. There is a balance that we have to create between sensible planning and over-planning. My advice is to do a lot of research – preliminary sketches and photographs to really get to know the subject before you even begin the actual artwork. Once you have an idea of your subject matter you will be relying heavily upon your composition skills. These are some very important things you need to learn in order to help you control the creative process at least to a degree. We don’t want to fully control the whole process but we do want to have an excellent idea of where we are going with the artwork before we begin and along the way. So my answer is research and planning. Create many thumbnail sketches to consider various positions of elements prior to beginning the artwork and even before you photograph and draw live sketches. Create alot of gesture drawings as well – that really helps; just scribbly the main action and energy in an object.