• An email, from Devina in Indonesia, has got me thinking about drawing this week. Devina has just realised that drawings don’t have to look realistic. It’s a a mind-set that is hard to break out of and is the reason most people give up drawing. They think drawings have to look “proper”, preferably like a photograph. We have cameras that make “proper” images these days.

    The joy of drawing is that you can draw in any way you like and put your own personality into the drawing. Drawing is about understanding the physical world around us. We are bombarded by other people’s images of the world all day. Drawing allows you the time to see, look and understand in your own way and express your personal view.

    Drawing is how we learn and understand. Drawing is not Art – with a capital “A”.

    It can become Art when you decide to make a piece of art, or it may become Art when others decide that’s what you’ve done.

    Mostly, Drawing is the planning and learning stage. Not just of Art but of Fashion, Design, Production, Science, Technology, Moon Missions, Battle Manoeuvres – almost any physical undertaking.

    Drawing should is like writing, because writing is just a formalised method of drawing. If we put the same amount of effort into drawing as we do writing, there would be much more interesting communication in the world – and much better writing.

    On the Show we also have the Rhino Drawings you uploaded to the http://thewednesdaydrawingshow.com/youruploads from last week’s task, and if you wait to the end, you can see all the other drawings that were posted too.

    Also a bit of advice about sketchbooks. Don’t rip out the bad work and don’t feel it’s a waste of paper. If you are worried about the cost, get a cheaper sketchbook or use the backs of envelopes. But keep all the sketches bound together so you can see your progress – also so that you can return to previous ideas when you are ready to build on them and create something new.


  • I’ve seen other people do amazing things with a biro and thought I’d have a go myself as there’s nothing quite like trying something new.

    I’m drawing this Rhino from memory. It’s meant to be Albrecht Durer’s famous Rhinoceros print, which I chose to demonstrate something in the Wednesday Drawing Show a couple of weeks ago.

    I came across the work of Pittsburgh artist Don Moyer. He had traced the Durer image onto a Trade Show Booth more than forty years before, but the image was left ingrained in his memory. He done quite a few versions of the Rhinoceros from memory that quite captivated me. and inspired me to have a go at drawing it from memory too.

    Don’s amazing sketchbook Blog is at this link http://moyersketchbook.blogspot.co.uk/2012_02_01_archive.html

    This is a larger drawing than I’d normally do – it’s A3 and took me about three and a half hours to complete but I think it’s worth upping the scale to benefit from the texture of the ink.

    I’m also doing a patterned version on the http://www.youtube.com/shoobeedoodling channel


  • On The Wednesday Drawing Show this week, I’d like you to see the work of highly talented artist, Don Moyer, from Pittsburgh USA. He has done several drawings of Albrect Durer’s Rhinoceros – that I showed you last time – from memory. He had to trace it for a trade show stand more that 40 years ago and it is still in his memory! This adds to my theories about tracing being a great way to learn. See Don’s wonderful sketchbook blog here.

    Don has done a few other famous pictures from memory with friends of his on the “Art From Memory Flickr Group” see them all here

    I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and planning about the Wednesday Drawing Show over the holiday period. Firstly, I’ve set up this new website where you will be able to keep up with the show easily and also you can upload your drawings for all of us to share.

    I need your help! The Wednesday Drawing Show is a lot of hard work. I don’t think it should all be about me! So I would like your ideas and if you are able to make movies, maybe you would like to suggest a movie you could make for the show and be on it!? I need reviews, hints, tips, and opinions. I can’t pay, but I’m sure that putting links back to your channel will bring you new subscribers and kudos.

    To make it worth my while doing the Wednesday Drawing Show, I’m going to need a lot more viewers, so I need your help as my marketers and advertisers – please tell your friends about the Wednesday Drawing Show and tweet and tumble and facebook and digg and stumbleupon or mention it on anything you do online. my Big task for you this week is to double the number of viewers from last week to 10,000 views this next week! Can we do it? I think you can help!

    Lastly I have a drawing task for you – actually it should be fun, not a task. Get a piece of paper and a pencil or pen and draw a rhinoceros from memory – just like Don Moyer did. Then upload it to this website and we’ll see how you all did next week. Remember to add your name!

    I’ve also set up a dedicated Wednesday Drawing Show website where you can upload and share your drawings.