The Primacy of Drawing, or, How To get Your Mo-Jo Back

Posted by Roberto Torres-Torres

Many people are under the impression that drawing is a gift reserved for the very few.  They seem to think that it takes a specific amount of innate talent to draw.  This is simply not the case.  Anyone can draw.  Anyone can learn to draw.  It is a skill, much like writing, or reading, or bicycle-riding, and for many artists, it is the primary source of their Art.

If drawing from a subject, the act of drawing becomes a direct conversation between one's hand and one's eye.  If one is drawing from memory, the conversation occurs between one's hand and one's mind.  In the former, the eye explores the subject, while the hand makes marks on a surface, to render the subject being analyzed.  Through this the artist reaches a closeness with his/her subject that is much deeper than if the artists had just looked, and not drawn.  It can be time-consuming and rigorous or it can be spontaneous and free.  For example, the drawing below was done in less than 3 minutes while looking at our old dog, Chiquita.  It is rough, and loose, but it captures her mood perfectly. (click to enlarge)

In the latter, the hand directly communicates what the mind, both conscious and subconscious, is thinking.  This allows for endless surprise and thematic complexity, since the human mind is at all times frothing with imagery, thought, and context.  If one is lucky and dedicated, this will be evident in the final artwork.   Through countless drawings, the artist can develop a conduit from his/her subconscious, allowing exploration of the inner-space of our lives.  The image below is a drawing done with India Ink and bamboo brushes.  There is no under-drawing, no sketching, just the ink and the page. (click image to enlarge)

Drawings are so fulfilling because they are immediate.  They take shape quickly before our eyes.  Sometimes it seems that new artists are taught primarily how to come up with conceptual ideas instead of being taught how to draw what they see, both in the world and in their mind's eye.  This is not fair to an up-and-coming artist.  A strong basis in drawing greatly affects how one's work looks, whether it is sculpture, printmaking, painting, architecture, etc.  It is the true source of Art for humanity.  The very first art was likely a series of scratches made in dirt with a sharp stick.  This is Drawing.  It is never too late to join up in the continuum from the earliest hominid artist to the current crop of image-makers.

What do you think?  How does Drawing affect your work?  If you already draw regularly, good for you.  If you do not, ask yourself "Why?"  It is easy, fun, and nearly FREE!  It can only improve your "eye," and it can only improve your Art.  It may also aid you in exploring your own Mind.  Is that not the greatest source of material for any artist?  How do you know what is in there if you do not explore it?

-RXTT-