Thoughts… or the ramblings of a fool

“If we want to end a disturbing condition in our business affairs, we study that condition. If we wish to correct a mistake in directions, while traveling on vacation, we study a map. That is what we must do with suffering. We must study them just as carefully as any other condition we wish to correct.”

Drawing is easy, what makes it difficult is the unnecessary stress the student unknowingly adds to his process. Awareness of the presence and analysis of the function of these tensions in the process of drawing is vital to draw with ease and relaxation. Not to say that some drawing ‘expresses’ tension, but a drawing ‘drawn’ with tension is different. The latter produces unwanted result.

There are two sources of tension a student experiences in drawing, psychological and physical tension. Psychological tension, for example, is being anxious in producing a drawing as good as an artist he idolizes. This state of mind causes physical tension on the student in an attempt to produce art which his hand hasn’t otherwise learned the skill for. Frustration is also a form of psychological tension, the effect of which renders a student incapable of drawing, or in an attempt to correct his mistake, creates physical tension as to forcibly produce the result he wants, adding more tension to his drawing. There are myriads of forms of tension both physical and psychological. These tensions are barriers in the development of skills in drawing. The student must learn to stop and analyze these tensions and bring them to a level of full understanding why these tensions occur. With a little thinking a student can free themselves of these debilitating habits and learn to proceed with ease.

Drawing is a physical activity, and any activity done with a lot of stress produces unwanted result, or can cause physical damage to the body. A student who learns to draw with a lot of tension will have grown with the habit and might see his tension as normal. This reduces his capable drawing time and can also lead to numerous known hand ailments. The student must be aware of his body while drawing and learn to release tension where it is not necessary. Most focus on the hand for it is the primary tool for drawing, but one must not neglect other parts to provide complete ease in drawing. The eye, for example, a tool for viewing and reviewing your works, must be provided with ample light and easy angle for viewing. A flat table will be sufficient for drawing but an angled drawing table will save you time and energy in checking the perspective. The lower body supports the weight of the upper body that supports the arm; here the student belittles this area. A proper balanced comfortable chair with a good height ratio with respect to the drawing table will support the body properly; setting the body proper will not cause you to unconsciously shift yourself from time to time, leaving the arm and hand free to do its work. Most importantly, the hand; it need not apply excess pressure to the drawing, let the pencil be responsible for how light or dark the drawing is by choosing the proper softness and hardness of the lead. A good practice for hand tension is to choose a light paper for drawing and making sure not to tear the paper while drawing. Learning a little in ergonomics goes a long way, big companies spend lots of time and money on this and so should a student whose pursuit is excellence.

Now, tackling the psychological stress involved in drawing is quite tricky. This requires full honesty from oneself. One must realize for himself the truth in him and the truth around him. If a student possesses a tension related to anxiety in skill excellence, he must accept the fact that skill is a matter of physicality and must be learned through time, not at the moment he wants it. Awareness of the fact that drawing a particular aspect needs a skill at a certain level, and that he is below that level, will automatically spur the student to practice, rather than forcing himself to draw at that level and getting frustrated in the end. A student must realize that a good artist draw using muscle memory acquired through years of practice, and expecting the laws of the body to be non-existent for him is quite ridiculous. Psychological tension, or pressures, on ourselves must be exposed for what they are; illusions of the mind which does not reflect reality. Another example is from one our readers who comments “I’m too old to start practicing and pursuing drawing again,” this is just a tension that in all reality limits the person to start drawing, but in fact the person wants to, and all he is left with is the feeling of missing out. A student must realize how he cheats himself psychologically, unaware that it is not necessary for improvement. If you are 40 years old and draw like a 9 year old doesn’t mean “you suck”, it actually means you need to practice. See how the mind create judgmental attitude that automatically hinders growth rather than a truthful analogy of what must be done. The idea of practice also creates psychological tension. Practicing is “the improvement of skills” like doing your doodles, curves, lines, strokes. Drawing is the “application of skills.” Practicing is different from drawing; a student who draws entertains himself by his expression, while a student who practices improves his skill for better expression. Practicing produces tension because drawing can instantly give gratifying result. The truth of the matter is a student can draw with his existing skills, but drawing with the same set of skills only produces more drawings. Practicing on elevating a skill however, adds to the skill and the student’s work will show its improvement. If the student realizes this truth he would practice more than drawing more. There is also psychological tension, in finishing a drawing fast. The practitioner wants result fast and easy, while attention to detail is recognized the world over; the anxiety of instant gratification got the better of the artist, and lost a work of art for all the people to appreciate.

With all being said, the reader might ask “how did this make drawing easier?” The writer would not expect a student in just one reading of this article to have this frame of mind. As always in life it is a work in progress. The author assumes though, that every step taken towards this goal makes the act of drawing a little easier for the student, that every step inspires him to take a few more. One can imagine a person drawing, void of these physical and psychological tensions and how easy it is for that person.