The Straight Line!
"I can't draw a straight line!" This plaint is often heard when excuses are being made for not attempting to draw or to paint. Actually, it is not necessary to be able to draw a straight line, freehand - it is permissible to use a ruler. There are other matters to consider.
From a piece written after pondering what it takes to be a creative artist, here are some thoughts. In order to be a successful artist, one must resist outside influences and trends, past and current. Be stubborn, repeating to oneself, "This is the way I see it, the way I imagine it, the way I will do it." This is not to say one can, or should, reject technique. Technique is essential - proven technique, that is, or technique which has been proven effective by experiment and usage. What is technique? It is the tool which permits the artist to express originality successfully.
One thinks of Da Vinci's failed experiments in painting media - what masterworks were lost or flawed because of incorrect guessing about what works with pigments: chemical changes that were ruinous. Experimentation is good, confined to the equivalent of sketching; only after the experiment is proven to be successful and enduring should it be applied in one's major works.
Appreciate, but do not copy, what is seen of another's oeuvre. Say "I see how that works" and then store that knowledge, bringing it out and using it when it is relevant to an original work or design.
You can draw a straight line: Go for it!
From a piece written after pondering what it takes to be a creative artist, here are some thoughts. In order to be a successful artist, one must resist outside influences and trends, past and current. Be stubborn, repeating to oneself, "This is the way I see it, the way I imagine it, the way I will do it." This is not to say one can, or should, reject technique. Technique is essential - proven technique, that is, or technique which has been proven effective by experiment and usage. What is technique? It is the tool which permits the artist to express originality successfully.
One thinks of Da Vinci's failed experiments in painting media - what masterworks were lost or flawed because of incorrect guessing about what works with pigments: chemical changes that were ruinous. Experimentation is good, confined to the equivalent of sketching; only after the experiment is proven to be successful and enduring should it be applied in one's major works.
Appreciate, but do not copy, what is seen of another's oeuvre. Say "I see how that works" and then store that knowledge, bringing it out and using it when it is relevant to an original work or design.
You can draw a straight line: Go for it!
posted by marguerite louise at
3:55 PM
5 Comments:
Good essay and good advice. But what if I don't know what my "style" is yet? As you know well from seeing the examples of my work, it changes from one painting to another. After all these years, shouldn't I have developed at least some identifiable style?
By
Anonymous, at 12/15/2005 9:46 PM
I'm not afraid to use a ruler, so I've always been able to draw a straight line. It's all the rest of the stuff that fails me.
By
Marguerite, at 12/15/2005 10:09 PM
To Sharon: I believe you have a "style". It is good that your artwork changes from one painting to another - that is what it means to be a creative artist. Please continue to take joy in your art; style follows naturally.
To Marguerite: You have gone far beyond being a craftsman in your knitting. You have used yarn and knitting needles to create unique designs. Your blog "Stitches of Violet" demonstrates your ability.
By
marguerite louise, at 12/16/2005 9:19 PM
All right. I'll give it a try.
________________/
Oops. Darn. All right. Another try.
-------------^---------^
Hmm. This isn't going well. Does anyone have a digital cyber ruler?
(Sorry. Couldn't resist. I'm in a rather goofy mood today.)
By
Tah, at 12/17/2005 1:39 AM
Try this, John: I am one with the ruler. Like a mantra.
Actually, that's the way Picasso drew 'em. :)
By
Anonymous, at 12/17/2005 10:31 AM
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