Redraw it!

The great Chris Oatley recently did a small article on this in his newsletter and I wanted to expand upon it and throw my 2 cents in: Time and time again you hear artists asking others about how to improve, or break out of a rut, etc, etc. For me the answer is simple and one I've certainly stated in other posts. Don't shy away from drawing, or redrawing! It's amazing how many or our commonly used digital tools and tricks are all aimed at avoiding drawing. Drawing is the foundation of great artwork and the #1 vehicle for improving upon the artwork we produced yesterday. If your drawing skills are not improving then neither is your artwork as a whole. It really is the key to great painting. Lately I find myself gravitating more and more towards simpler drawing programs that do not rely on tools for tweaking of transforming my drawings that indeed force me to redraw something if it is wrong. In this way I force myself to improve my draftsmanship and refine my hand/eye coordination at the same time resulting over time in a better understanding of ways to indicates various subjects within my own artwork. I know the free transform tools, warp, etc are very useful but they don'y help you improve much or help you improve upon basic skills. They are fast but they over time can become a crutch in the name of speed. I find that when I slow down a bit I'm much happier in my work and in the end more satisfied with the outcome of the finished pieces. Not preaching just expousing the virtues of drawing and redrawing for me as they relate to my own evolution as an artist and designer. Drawing either with a tablet, or a pencil for me is simply the foundation of what I do as an artist and relates to my entire process, start to finish. It is also the best way I find to really avoid pitfalls and big mistakes later on within your process. Like building a house. You work out the design on paper first and hence work out many of the inherent problems of your design up front and after that is done, you build your house with a clear understanding of the process you will use. Shortcuts on the initial steps might save you some time up front, but they will generally haunt you all the way through the project. Point? Don't shortcut on your drawing skills. Get really good at it and you'll find that you get really good at painting in general digital or traditional. All the best, and as Bob Ross would say....Happy Painting.... IIId