I'm going to China for two weeks for my grandma's 80th birthday, so I won't be writing much. While I'm gone, I'd like to challenge you to learn to draw.
This morning I came across this video on TED.com. Matt Cutts, a Google engineer, urged people to pursue something they've always wanted to try-- for 30 days. He says it takes about 30 days to make or break a habit.
Now here's my challenge to you. Go pick up a book, go find a good website, and for 30 days, just practice. You set the time. It can be 15 minutes a day, though I would recommend 30 minutes. If you're into multi-tasking put on an audio book or the radio. You'll be surprised at how proficient you can become in a few days, much less 30 days. Below are a few tips to get you started:
The biggest hurdle is learning how to see your reference. In elementary school we learned how to draw a stereotypical apple. But if you really look at an apple, it has different values--lighter where the light hits it and darker in recession. With modern photographs, pictures are so crisp and sharp that people's features seem to have lines--edges, when in reality, they're soft. So the next time you draw an apple, don't think about drawing an apple. Identify shapes and light.
Think. Where is the light coming from? How would that light affect your perception of the object? What is the object made up of? How would that affect your perception?
Hold your pencil at an angle. Quickly outline / sketch your reference to lay out everything. When working with pencil you draw light to dark but play around and see what works for you.
I used this book to learn to draw back in high school. Really it taught me how to see:
I'll try and check my email (christelle.t.xu@gmail.com) periodically if you have any questions, or comment below, I'll respond as soon as I get back to the states. Good luck!
Love \\ Christelle
