The Pleasure of Drawing

So, my thought immediately, was I must begin first by describing the pleasures involved, the challenges and that satisfaction will be found at every level thereafter.

You would normally start with a sense and reality of the white of the paper before you, a realisation of the elegance of this, with a pencil in your hand. The abundance of white and nothing else to see may be alarming, but then it begins. With the first mark you make, comes with an increase of emotions, and that rush of excitement will soon be felt. You may hear the first crackle the pencil makes across the texture and surface of the white paper. Then your series of movements follow; like starting on skies down a slope of snow, or maybe going suddenly upwards instead, just travelling onwards. From nearby perhaps, comes the passing scent of a forest; or those sounds of swish, gurgle and the splashing's of moving water; or the sounds of animals nearby; or the sight and flight of a bird overhead; the glory of seeing a flower in bloom; or the softness of the flesh in a face, and the wonder of a smile. It all depends on where you are.

So, you continue making marks or lines upon your page and the first check occurs: You ask, "Is it the right size? Is it that big? Is it in the right place within the page?" Out comes the Rubber! And the enthusiasm with which you rub out, drives you onwards. After this first seen and understood mistake, a positive change happens. A new freedom will occur for you afterwards, for you are allowed to make mistakes, nobody minds. A mistake may often create some sense of blame, but not in drawing, where each new change is a step forward to realising your aim. You discover the joy of engagement, with an intensity of concentration now, as you pass the next checks. This time they will likely be about proportions and the relationships between then in space. While you think, how nice it is to make a true relationship within your page.