Monday, January 23, 2012

Is art like brushing your teeth or more like body building?

so here are my sketchies from today:







Because of winter, I haven't zoo sketched in a while. I was a bit nervous that I would publicly suck. but that feeling went away because even though I haven't drawn animals in a while, I feel like I just picked up where I left off. It makes me wonder how necessary it is to be obsessive about drawing daily to be good at it. Is it possible that it's like body-building, where rest is as important as doing the lifting itself?
Or is it like brushing your teeth - do it everyday or your teeth will rot? (Teeth being analogous to skill.)
I really don't know. I'm just rambling. All I know is, it was 80 degrees out and I had a day off, and life doesn't get any better than sketching all day at the zoo :)

ps. drawing pigs are my favorite. just a bunch of circles put together :D I like circles.

9 comments:

Mauricio Abril said...

These are cool, especially the confidence in them. Your lions have a really nice structure to them, especially with so few marks.

I've wondered the same about drawing too, though I think it's more the teeth thing than the body building thing. trust me, i've been body building since i was 6, so i would know. But truthfully, I think sometimes a break is needed only for psychological rejuvenation so you can come back to it with as much vigor as when you started. Unless you're one of those art demons who never tire and only live to draw.

John Voss said...

Interesting question... Perhaps it's neither... and both. I don't know that we require breaks between illustrations. But I also think that stepping away from drawing for an elongated period of time is not going to make our teeth rot out. I believe that we [can] become more proficient and adept at anything we do on a consistent basis. However, if we're also comparing skill to muscle: Muscle has memory. And for someone who has spent time developing that muscle, it's easier to build back to previous levels of size and strength after an extended break. Me thinks skill is much the same. But let's not overlook this angle: As with writing, it is often advisable to step away from a particular project for a time. No drawing. No painting. No peeking. Just leave it alone. It's amazing what's revealed when we do finally come back. Still... it might be worth asking how long it actually takes for someone's teeth to rot out of their skull. I suppose if we compare similar time frames, maybe a person's ability to draw would have significantly diminished. I, for one, am not interested in testing either on myself. Any volunteers?

Anonymous said...

I say it's more like body building :) The more you lift weights the stronger you become. Just like the more you draw the stronger your skills become....I so far...am failing at both these things for the new year XD

Thanks for reminding me to get movin' These sketches are lovely <3

"TORI CAT" said...

Oooo, these are wonderful!
Drawing animals from life Is one of favourite things to do. (I actually feel more comfortable drawing animals, than i do people). Their different shapes and fur and textures gives u lots of chance to experiment with different mark making and using different materials. I find I always learn new things wheb drawing animals, especially if I'm at the zoo and I get the chance to draw lots of very different animals in one day. From fluffy, to hairy, to scales, wrinkles and feathers. So many different textures and different anatomies to tackle. If I'm having a bad day with the wrinkly ones, I try and move on to some creature comePletely different :)
I really like your fluid lines and simple mark making.
I can tell u really had fun drawing the piggies :D
Like u say lots of circles. These would look great with a light wash of colour over them. Maybe crack open the water colours?
Keep up the awesome work!
All the best for a happy and creative year ahead :)
Best wishes
Tcat

Danny said...

sooo awesome, these remind me of walt stanchfield sketches

theartofpuro said...

Great sketches:)

wren said...

Maybe you can give me some pointers on drawing pigs - you know I'm into that sort of thing lately.

Your animals are so great.

Ted Blackman said...

I like the goat the best. That's some serious perspective.

tiffannysketchbook said...

Dear Everyone,
thanks for the comments!!

Maurico - yeah, I think psychological rejuvenation helps. Sometimes you just need to come up for air! So body building since you were 6 huh? I love weightlifting myself but I hate cardio. :) Cardio feels like death.

John - Yeah, fresh eyes help. When I'm drawing at rapid-fire pace for my job, I forget stupid things!! Most embarrassingly, I drew a tanuki without ears... just plain FORGOT to draw ears. My boss had to point it out later. I was red-faced. :)

Dawn - Thanks for being a consistent commentor :) I like that I have repeat visitors :) Makes me feel like... wow someone is actually interested! Thanks for weighing in!

Danny - Thanks :) Hope you're doing well. Hope they're treating you well at JP :)

Puro - thanks :)

Wren - You can school me on pig drawings! Yours are amazing!

Ted - Goats are my enemy. They're soooo hard to draw, so that means a ton that you like the goat drawing. :) Thanks for visiting, my friend!