Drawing is the basic activity of art, because it is the recording of things that you see, imagine and remember. It is a way of communicating to others the ideas and thoughts, sights and experiences that are important to you. Drawing is a way of seeing and keeping a record of things you have seen and it can be careful and studied or quick and sketchy of something to be remembered. Young children love to draw and the art activity of professional artists and designers.
All through history people have drawn. Drawings have been recorded on cave walls, animal skins, papyrus, wood, paper, ceramic panels and canvas. Drawings have been made with charcoal, lead, and sticks dipped in paint. Drawings have also been made with pens, brushes, reeds, quills, and even fingers. After many centuries of art activities, drawing is still one of the basic skills of artists today. Artists used drawing every day in the planning and producing of artwork. Drawing is a very personal way of expressing ourselves. Artists like Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, Leonardo da Vinci and Auguste Renoir are all great names in the art world who lived a long time ago and each artist had a style in their artwork that set them apart from other fellow artists. Style just happens. It develops out of all of your experiences. Everything you look at, every experience you have, and every drawing you make helps produce your style. Your drawings become personal like your handwriting and your voice.
Begin now to sketch, keep a small notebook to sketch things you see as you travel around to different places. Over the years I have dozens of small notebooks with sketches and words that I have written down about something I saw and wanted to remember.
Get started today.
For more information, contact Jaylene Armstrong, retired art educator from Madison Wisconsin, at 661-255-3050.