The "How to Draw" Series, Part Three: The Inner Critic and Blind Contour Drawings

 

(The images above are from my book, How to Make Art.)

The Inner Critic

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You have to acknowledge your fear of your inner critic, or, that little voice that tells you that you can't/shouldn't make art or do anything creative.  That’s the first step.

Yes, the artwork could turn out badly.  Yes, it could disappoint you.  Yes, other people might not like what you make.  Yes, it could discourage you from making more.

Yes, yes, yes, yes.  I know, I know, I know, I know… 

Then, you go and you begin making something despite those fears: you pick up the pencil, the paintbrush, the guitar, or the camera, and you just do your best.

You just get it done. 

Because you want to, because you need to, because something inside of you is telling you you have to…

So you let go, let loose, let yourself dive into your creativity fully…

And you realize this: no one can create something quite like you can. 

It’s really true.  Your voice is unique and beautiful and fully your own, and there are so many ways to express yourself.

It’s time.

 Experiment: Blind Contour Drawings

Remember those continuous line contour drawings from last week?  We are doing them again, but this time we aren't allowed to look at our paper while we draw!  Wait, what?  That's right, no peeking!  Do the same continuous line contour drawings without looking at your paper to see how it's going.  If you're having trouble not looking, tape a big piece of paper over your hands so there's no chance of peeking.  This is a common exercise in art school that teaches your eyes and your hands to work together.  You'll be surprised: a lot of these drawings turn out really cool, and you learn a lot by doing them.  Below, you'll find an example of one I did a little while back in my sketchbook.  I did the portrait blind then added the gold leaf and black paint later.  Portraits are so fun to do as blind contours!

These drawings are great, because your "inner critic" won't judge you so harshly - I mean, you weren't even looking while you were drawing! I hope you enjoyed this mini lesson. Again, these are just experiments, drawing exercises, and they shouldn't look like perfect finished drawings - it's just practice.  I hope it will be fun for you!

Finally...

Keep following the blog -  next Friday, there will be another drawing lesson.  The lessons will become a bit more in depth each time.  These lessons are totally free, but if you enjoy the lessons and plan to follow them, I would really LOVE it if you would follow the blog and/or add a comment below to say hello...  I love reading and responding to comments, and they totally motivate me to keep posting!  

Thanks so much for joining me!