Drawing Epiphany!

[errantember]

I used to draw quite a bit as a teenager, mainly:

1) Nude women
2) Robots
3) Weapons

...or some combination of the three.

Since doing artistic things isn't allowed at Texas A&M University, I quit pretty much all of my artistic pursuits while I was there, although I did sometimes doodle in my notes.

I've remained mentally focused on visual artwork and drawing for years, have studied various techniques and artists, and have generally done a lot of drawing-related things, without much actual *drawing*.

However, after once again being inspired by Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud and That Yellow Bastard by Frank Miller, I decided it was once again time.

So much has changed about me in all those intervening years, and one of those things is a deep understanding of how my tendency to do left-brained nit-picking and mechanical cogitation over how I *think* things *aught* to look has sabotaged my efforts in the past. This time, I *insisted* that I do the Michelangelo thing of *seeing* the image I wanted to draw *before* I touched the pencil to the paper, and simply sketching around a figure that was *already* *there*. My left brain kept trying to take over and *think* about the process, but I kept kicking it out and simply stayed focused on what the final image I wanted *looked* like, to the exclusion of all else. And I'm happy to report, I did it! This is the very first time in my life that I've *ever* been able to pre-see the image before I drew it, and it rocks!

I think this is the start of something big. It's also a good example of how it's possible to get better at certain things without actually having to *do* them, as long as you keep part of your brain in that headspace.

The character I drew is called the Chickeneer, a Rocketeer ripoff for a Permaculture comic I'm thinking of doing. I'll post a picture to it here once I get it finished. Instead of a rocket pack, he holds onto the legs of two chickens, who fly him around. Instead of the art nouveau helmet, all three will have matching Mexican wrestler masks!

Comments

[edheldim.livejournal.com]

That reminds me of skygoesgrey's method of learning cheers for Queertastiks: she dreams about them and practices in her sleep! And it's surprisingly effective.

[jslorentz.livejournal.com]

I didn't know you were a fellow illustrator. I've also never thought about separating my right-brain and left-brain drawing, but then for me it's mostly meditative, so I empty my head of other things.

Good luck and enjoy!