As an illustration student and then a printmaker, I’ve almost always been surrounded by good draughts-people, and some that are frankly amazing at drawing. It can be intimidating.
The received wisdom during my student years (and beyond) was that drawing was the foundation of all that was good in the art world and that it must be practiced regularly (I’m talking what might be called ‘fine art’ here, rather than the YBA school of contemporary art- obviously that world has eschewed drawing for quite a while now- bar Tracey Emin, who’s actually become one of my heroes now- never thought I’d say that!)
For years I struggled with my resistance to drawing, resistance to creating fat sketchbooks full of lines and skulked and hid whenever anyone said ‘You’re an artist, so you can draw’. I sometimes wonder whether it’s what led me to printmaking initially- if the process is too difficult to draw realistically within (etching aside), then you have to deal in tone, colour and form instead. More design than art.
I can actually make a passable drawing, if I try, and having had an art education, I’ve been to more life drawing classes than I care to remember, but I lack motivation. Definitely room for improvement.
The thing that changed my thinking and led me to acceptance, was learning that Monet- the Great- did not draw or use sketchbooks. He said he ‘drew’ by painting, again and again. Iterating, thinking and painting. It finally dawned on me that drawing is essentially visual thinking- and you can do that in any number of ways.
In fact, I’d been ‘drawing’ all along when I’d been printmaking. Making forms, placing them together, making colour choices, deciding on composition, format, scale. And, I was fairly prolific (still am) which was really me iterating ideas- doing in order to think, acting in order to learn. I just happened not to put it in a sketchbook and call it drawing.
So now, I accept my visual thinking for what it is. I do make very simple compositional plans (we’re talking felt tip pen or biro line drawings here) which I recommend to anyone before starting a print. And though they’re not pretty, they are my decision making and problem solving process (one of my theories on art – I have quite a few- is that it is essentially a series of visual problems to solve. Of course, us all being unique, means the problems and solutions are uniquely ours).
Occasionally I will ‘sketch’, sometimes in front of a view, sometimes from a photo, as a way of paying due attention. What I don’t do, is spend time worrying about my drawing ability, or lack thereof, or my thin, sparse sketchbooks.
I know from teaching that many people also feel this fear, embarassment and lack of skill around drawing. One way through this is via the processes of printmaking. It allows for visual thinking and modes of drawing, by stealth rather than approached directly.
So, in my book, if you’re making art, you’re acting, thinking, and paying attention. You’re drawing. And that is quite enough.