Five Good Reasons Why You Should Try Drawing (Never Mind If Everyone Tells You That You Can't)
By: Bean Jones
As a kid, I always wanted to take drawing lessons. Sadly, my fifth grade buddy Winston told me, "You have to have art in your blood. Like even when you're still a baby you're already painting or something." Now, I don't know where he got his outlandish pronouncements, but I was dismayed after hearing it. (Yes, Winston and I were proud young nerds.) I even went as far as to ask my mother if being "artistic" ran in the family. "I don't think we're related to anybody artistic," she said. And that was the end of my "art craze."
But, when I came across the latest offering in Simpleology's Great Teachers Series, "Jacque Fresco Teaches Drawing," I wanted to get on a time machine and tell Winston, "I don't believe you." The things that I found out from the course were nothing short of astounding:
1. You don't need to be born with an artistic gene. Anyone from age 9 to 90 can learn how to draw. It doesn't matter if you have an artistic gene or not. It helps if you have an art teacher like Fresco who can simplify things for you.
2. You don't have to undergo years of training. You can learn how to draw in a matter of minutes. You don't need to spend years getting an art degree just so you can draw.
3. You're not required to have a lot of "stuff." You don't have to buy a whole arsenal of drawing materials. Even if you just have a few pencils and a piece of paper, you can create a work of art. Fresco reveals the techniques you can use in holding your pencil in order for you to come up with varying shades.
4. You won't get bogged down with complicated techniques. Drawing is not rocket science. When it comes to drawing particular objects, Fresco uses everyday things as points of reference. You won't feel a single moment of frustration as you draw, say, a bird's eye view picture of the city you live in.
5. You don't have to spend a lot of money to learn how to draw. You can learn the basics of drawing all on your own. It's just a matter of knowing where you can get the right sort of instruction. It'd be a good idea for you to try out the first five lessons of the "Jacque Fresco Teaches Drawing" course for free. Who knows? Those lessons may be all you--and I--need to become this generation's Michelangelo. (I hope you're reading this, Winston.)
