The Drawing Club

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110 The Drawing Club

(Text)

ExErcisE:

Do the opposite: Examples of big and small

drawings

One thing hasn’t changed in the twenty-five years I’ve been

teaching: I still see people run into the same basic problems

when they are learning to draw. One of the most common

problems occurs when someone gets used to making all of their

drawings the same size. When you are learning, this can lead to

overly defining your drawings based on habit or systems. If you

are not careful, you approach every drawing the same way and

don’t consider the uniqueness of the pose or how special the

character is in the moment.

The solution is simple: Keep changing the size of your draw-

ings throughout the session. This will keep you from feeling

too comfortable with the marks you make when you draw. The

drawings will emphasize different things as well. For example,

drawing large will allow you to see and draw more detail. Draw-

ing small will help you see the silhouette of the entire character

and understand the overall gesture and design of that character.

If you want to get good at anything, practice is the key. Do

you think you can be as motivated and dedicated as Ron Hus-

band? Perhaps it can be as simple as drawing every day in your

sketchbook. It doesn’t matter how much experience you have.

This is how you get experience. It doesn’t matter if you don’t

think you can draw very well. This is how you get better

at drawing.

Don’t put a limit on your potential. This exercise is about

dedication. Can you stay motivated enough to draw every day?

Remember: Try drawing for at least ten minutes a day—make it

a habit. This is a test of your motivation. Impress yourself and

see if you can keep this up for a month, then two, then three,

etc. Maybe you will be like Ron and draw everyday for years.

ExErcisE:

Try to draw consistenly every day.

Some years ago, I was running a drawing workshop at Walt

Disney Feature Animation. Ron Husband, one of their animators,

took the time to draw with us that day. After the workshop, Ron

wanted to show me something he was working on in his office.

As I walked into his office, I noticed tall bookcases filled with

what looked like copies of the same book. I must have looked

puzzled because before I could ask him, he told me they were

all sketchbooks—and that he has drawn religiously in his

sketchbook every day since he was eighteen. Basically, I was

looking at more than thirty years of practice on those shelves

that day.

Bonnie and Clyde, colored pencil on paper, Will Martinez

12-inch (30.5 cm) figure

Hollywood Starlet, gouache on chit board, Will Martinez

2-inch (5 cm) figures

Jazz Guitar Player, pen on paper, Ron Husband

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111

(Text)

ExErcisE:

Do the opposite: Examples of big and small

drawings

One thing hasn’t changed in the twenty-five years I’ve been

teaching: I still see people run into the same basic problems

when they are learning to draw. One of the most common

problems occurs when someone gets used to making all of their

drawings the same size. When you are learning, this can lead to

overly defining your drawings based on habit or systems. If you

are not careful, you approach every drawing the same way and

don’t consider the uniqueness of the pose or how special the

character is in the moment.

The solution is simple: Keep changing the size of your draw-

ings throughout the session. This will keep you from feeling

too comfortable with the marks you make when you draw. The

drawings will emphasize different things as well. For example,

drawing large will allow you to see and draw more detail. Draw-

ing small will help you see the silhouette of the entire character

and understand the overall gesture and design of that character.

If you want to get good at anything, practice is the key. Do

you think you can be as motivated and dedicated as Ron Hus-

band? Perhaps it can be as simple as drawing every day in your

sketchbook. It doesn’t matter how much experience you have.

This is how you get experience. It doesn’t matter if you don’t

think you can draw very well. This is how you get better

at drawing.

Don’t put a limit on your potential. This exercise is about

dedication. Can you stay motivated enough to draw every day?

Remember: Try drawing for at least ten minutes a day—make it

a habit. This is a test of your motivation. Impress yourself and

see if you can keep this up for a month, then two, then three,

etc. Maybe you will be like Ron and draw everyday for years.

Chapter 8: Mileage

Bonnie and Clyde, colored pencil on paper, Will Martinez

12-inch (30.5 cm) figure

Hollywood Starlet, gouache on chit board, Will Martinez

2-inch (5 cm) figures

(Fogra 29) Job:11-41057 Title:Drawing club Handbook

05-C70789 #175 Dtp:204 Page:111

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