If anybody out there in the blogosphere can help me overcome my artist's block, I would be most grateful; just asking for this help gives me a bit of the queasies. About 13 years ago I decided to take a break from the frustration of learning Hebrew and do something non-verbal. I found a
great art teacher and starting to learn to draw. Even though she was rather terrifying, I attended her studio classes once a week for about three years, and got better.
But after one or two attempts to draw at home alone, I got so scared that I never did it again. Now the teacher has retired and I'm ready to examine this unreasonable fear of drawing alone. I feel sure I will disappear into my drawing and never emerge without someone there to pull me out. Do you know what I'm talking about?
7 comments:
This is lovely, I loved it! Am so envious, i cannot draw at all. I'd love to help but i don't really know what you mean. I've always written - that's really my medium - and I always will, I can't do anything abt it. But dahling S., please do go on doing it and posting it, very very pretty.
Thanks so much for your encouraging words. I know I must continue, but I simply don't know how.
Dear Lioness: before you conclude forever that you cannot draw, be sure to go through ALL the chapters of the wonderful book Drawing on the Right Side of Your Brain by Betty Edwards. I've used this book to introduce one former lawyer to his unrealized drawing talent, and he is now seriously considering a major career-switch!
Alright, will give it a try! ;)
The fear of the blank page is well-known and very common, it's the artists' form of writer's block. My solution to it (when I was an architecture student) was to keep a stack of loose pages to sketch on, shifting between them at irregular intervals. The point for me was to reduce the value of the physical object, so that I didn't do the deer-in-the-headlights thing.
Keep on drawing, the rewards are well worth the pain and frustration. May 2005 be happy and peaceful - and artistically rewarding.
Thanks, Anna. It helps that you understand. I'll let you know if I come up with a way to paint/draw through the terror.
Dorothy - I finally am able to see your drawing which is wonderful. If you ever feel "uptight" about drawing the model or whatever -try an exercise in "blind drawing"or looking at model and drawing upside-down. These are just ways to loosen up. If you want me to explain, let me know.
Keep in touch and keep drawing. - All best, Elaine Galen
The only thing I can think of is to figure out how to draw far, far too often. That way it becomes an addiction and it's hard as hell to stop. Schedule at least a day to do as many non-stop drawings as possible.
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