Is Learning to Draw A Necessary Skill for Artists?

It’s a great question: How important are drawing skills anyway?

Many artists new to painting can find enjoyment in mixing colors, art journaling, experimenting with different mediums, and splashing around a canvas with a bit of color without learning how to draw. There are many ways to get your image onto the canvas first before starting a painting without drawing, so why should artists bother to learn to draw?

Benefits of learning to draw

My opinion is that yes, drawing is definitely a valuable skill for artists no matter what type of art they prefer to do. Drawing helps with so many of the important aspects of art such as form, detail, light and shadow, composition, perspective, and more. I think working with as many mediums as possible can only help improve art skills in all areas and across all mediums.

Resources for learning to draw

This is something I missed in school. Being involved in band forced me to make a choice about electives and art simply would not fit in, but all through school I was drawn to it. That pun was not on purpose, but I’ll leave it be. My option instead was to learn to draw as an adult. There are so many books on how to draw filling the shelves of bookstores and I have invested in many of them as well as participated in community workshops and followed along on youtube videos on how to draw.

Can I save you some time? The best online course for the money I have found so far is Draw Awesome by Phil Davies. The course is a comprehensive drawing curriculum that builds on your skills as you go and covers multiple drawing mediums and styles. One of the best books on drawing does not tell you how to draw, it shows you. It’s called Noah’s Ark by Rien Poortvliet and I still refer to it often. A great resource to inspire you if you feel blocked as an artist is a book called The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. I’d love to hear more in the comments if you know of super good resources as well.

Drawing with Graphite

The drawings below were done with graphite pencils as part of the Draw Awesome course mentioned above.

Drawing with Charcoal

These are some examples of charcoal drawings from the coarse as well. It is a dreamy medium and very easy to correct mistakes so I highly recommend this at the beginning.

Drawing with Ink

These were done with Sakura Pigma Micron pens sizes 005 through 08 and were alao part of the Draw Awesome course.

Drawing with Pastels

The pastels I used for these were Pitt Pastel Pencils from Faber-Castell.

Drawing is a process to be enjoyed

I have experienced such relaxation and calm while drawing by embracing it as a process to be enjoyed instead of focusing on ending up with a perfect result. Expectations are pre meditated disapointments, so let’s just leave those at the door when you sit down to create. Viewing each drawing session as a learning opportunity leaves room for growth and gradual improvement. I know I am not done learning how to draw, but that is a reason to keep drawing, not a reason to give up. Ever notice how many children enjoy art but how few adults do? I think one reason this is true is that the creativity in humans is there when we are born, but it has to be fed, nurtured and encouraged. Whenever I meet a child who tells me they love art or love to draw, my advice to them is to never stop doing it no matter how old they get.

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.

Pablo Picaso

The power of having a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset makes all the difference between an adult who thinks they are not capable of drawing and an adult who will keep trying until they can. Instead of believing only some people can draw, I choose to believe everybody could draw if given the right materials, instruction and time to practice. By believing that, I am part of those with the potential. If you have read this far, maybe you want to believe that too or are at least a bit curious.

People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at huge waves of the sea, at the long course of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars… and they pass by themselves without wondering.

St. Augustine, Confessions

I say, embrace that curiosity and see where it leads you. For more inspiration check out my post about Creating Something New.