sketches from the soul

In Catholic school art class I would always be scolded for drawing. Our teachers assigned projects that were more suited for factories or souvenir shops than art galleries: a lamp, a figure made of seashells, a crochet scrapbook, a bound journal that we were not allowed to draw in. Everything had to be constructed the same way; everything had to look uniform.

Of course when actually making art we're encouraged to do the opposite, but I think that being taught and critiqued so often, whether by a professional artist or not, makes us hesitant to experiment. We stick to technique, to reference, to rules. We're afraid to make bad art. 

Release yourself from judgement! Feel your way to the art you want to make. Watch videos and do exercises; this one about automatic drawing is very inspiring.

It's okay to draw wonky faces because you messed up the proportions; draw more and you'll get faces that you like.

Draw your own face too! Learn to draw yourself in many states. Don't be afraid to show a little truth about your inner life.

You will have good days and bad days. Don't throw away the work you did on bad days; you might learn something, or at least see the progress you've made.

It's great to use references to practice technique, but you can make stuff up, too. Draw from your imagination without worrying if things look 'correct', just try to pin down your idea. You'll learn to draw it with practice.

Even with a reference you can get things wrong. Keep going.

Play with your materials: brush pens, ballpoint, messy inks and crayons. Use an unexpected colour: pink instead of green, for example.

Draw from life, draw from pictures, or draw from your own head. Let your tension and anxiety disappear in the mindset of a happy child playing with a new set of markers. Drawing is fun, using your tools to make lines and shapes is what's fun, not having an Instagram-worthy artwork at the end.

Kick out the critic that lives in your mind! We wish you the best and happiest time discovering your art.