Beginning artists say, "I can't draw a straight line" and such things. They think that their aptitude for art is indicated by their ability to draw (or lack of it). This wrong belief discourages many beginners so I'd like to set this notion straight. Drawing is not art. Drawing is a mechanical skill that anyone with ordinary hand-eye coordination can master. The ability to write a paragraph of text on an unruled sheet of paper takes far more hand-eye coordination than drawing does. So if you can write a paragraph you can learn to draw.

If you write something that moves people - that is art. Not the writing, but the content of what is written. Similarly, if you draw something that moves some people in some way then you are an artist. But drawing itself is just a mechanical skill. In the old days if you came out west on a wagon train and wanted to write folks back home about a barn raising or a newborn calf you had to illustrate the letter yourself. The reason you can write a paragraph is that someone made you do it over and over until you got it right. They used to teach drawing the same way and all of the school children learned basic drawing skills.

So don't get down on yourself if you have trouble drawing. You can do it. It just takes patience and being pointed in the right direction. Stay tuned and we'll discuss what drawing is all about.