| Most children feel that they can draw wonderful | | | | Everything in nature consists of geometric forms |
| pencil drawings and most adults think they | | | | and lines, in infinite combinations and formations. |
| don’t know how to draw at all. Or an adult | | | | You were born with the ability to mimic these |
| will say, “I used to draw great when I was | | | | forms, so it’s just a matter of practice to |
| a kid, but I couldn’t make good pencil | | | | be able to reproduce and control them. |
| drawings when I got older.” | | | | You are drawing for yourself alone. Drawing is an |
| We all used lead pencils, colored pencils, chalk, and | | | | educational process, like reading, writing, or |
| crayon when we were small children, but | | | | studying history. It’s a tool of discovery |
| somehow most of us left them behind around the | | | | that every thinking person should strive for |
| time we received our first pen. | | | | competency in. |
| Did you ever consider that perhaps you think you | | | | You are ready to open your mind. See things like |
| can’t draw simply because you | | | | a child sees them for the first time. Admit to |
| haven’t used a pencil in years and are out | | | | yourself that you’ve forgotten how to |
| of practice? Or maybe you’ve lost that | | | | look and open your mind to seeing what’s |
| child’s ability to draw what you actually see | | | | really there and not what your brain has |
| rather than what you expect to see? | | | | conditioned you to see. |
| It’s true that naturally artistically talented | | | | You will suspend criticism and judgment of |
| individuals will excel in pencil art as well as in | | | | yourself. Be ready to loosen up, make messes, |
| watercolor, pastels, acrylic, or oil, but it is also true | | | | experiment with drawing materials and get your |
| that anyone can become competent enough to | | | | hands dirty. Forget the terms |
| produce an accurate pencil portrait. | | | | “artistic”, “good”, |
| Most of us had some training as children in the art | | | | “bad”, “talent”. |
| of drawing. Unless you showed exceptional artistic | | | | You are ready to take instruction. The art of |
| talent as a child and pursued an education in art, | | | | drawing is ancient and there are elementary |
| your instruction in drawing probably ended by | | | | techniques and principles which are easy to learn. |
| secondary school. What if your literature training | | | | Be open to training and be ready for lots of |
| had stopped at children’s rhymes, history | | | | practice. Learn from books, drawing classes, or |
| at the Industrial Revolution, or geography lessons | | | | take private lessons. |
| were suspended just when the New World was | | | | Mastering the skills to produce competent pencil |
| discovered? | | | | sketches and pencil portraits will give you a fresh |
| The good news is it’s never too late to | | | | appreciation of the pencil art of the masters. Visit |
| restart your drawing education. All it takes is five | | | | a museum or gallery, or study the pencil drawings |
| simple assumptions: | | | | of famous artists in art books. Frame a few |
| You can draw. You can make a dot, a square, a | | | | reproductions and surround yourself and your |
| circle, a triangle, a straight line, a curved line. | | | | family with these inspirations. |