It Starts With A Pencil

There are two different kinds of artists, those of who are born with the talent, and those who have the interest. The people who are born with talent are later to find their need of creating joined by a set of artistic skills. Then there are the people who have an interest but aren’t as good as the ones with talent. They then come upon the question they want an answer to: How do I get good at drawing?, Why am I bad at drawing?. Every time someone asks this, I give them a very simple answer. I always say, “Start with a pencil.” But in these simple words, there is much meaning to what I say, a meaning many don’t hear.

These four simple words mean to draw with all your emotion, it doesn’t matter whether you’re sad, mad, happy, just draw. Creative or not, it’s fine as long as you don’t stop. No need to do it every day, just draw with all you have from time to time, that was my method in my times of improving. From stickmen to realism, that is the start.

You don’t need anything expensive, a pencil is everything you’ll need for the progress you’ll make. Artists say, “Practice makes perfect.” Don’t believe in that lie, this “Perfect” we hear of is just a way to make art just like everyone else’s, what I want is to have your own style. It may not be the best, it may not be liked, but it’s yours, meaning you don’t care what others think of it: only you can correct what is wrong. Though, do keep in mind that criticism is helpful.

But what is most important, is to enjoy your time. What’s the point in doing all this if you don’t even enjoy it? Without the enjoyment, you’ll know you finished without emotion, it may look nice, but it’s better to enjoy than to waste time.

But in the end, it doesn’t matter what I say or tell you what to do, because that was my way. You can only improve if you do it your way, why? Because only you can understand yourself, and it’s only you who can improve by doing things you know you’re capable of. A pleasurable feeling is what you earn when finished and proud with what you’ve done.

When a goal like that is met, people commonly get the feeling of wanting to do more, use that feeling as an advantage and draw a little longer, focus a little harder, be more creative.

There are times you’ll think you aren’t talented, avoid the thought and keep in mind that you can create talent. You may not be as good as many others, but just knowing you worked hard for what we love is more than enough. If anything, that’s what I consider a person’s true talent. Once you think you’re done, always remember how you started, and don’t forget that there’s much more you can do then what you’re capable of now.