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Writer's pictureChina Jordan

I Can't Draw - Learn How To Draw With ArtistAnd


Every Artist Was First An Amateur - Edwin Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson


Drawing is one of the most accessible forms of creativity out there and belive us when we say - everyone can draw! You just need two things - a pencil and a piece of paper. These are pretty easy to source and the chances are, you’ll already have them lying around at home. If you are struggling to find that lying around in your home, why not use the back of an envelope and grab a pen instead. Drawing can happen anywhere, anytime, any place. You can doodle during meetings, take visual minutes instead of notes, and you can even set aside some time to fill in that adult colouring book you’ve been eyeing up for a while. You can join a group drawing class, hire private tutors, or even go on holiday for a creative retreat. The possibilities to get creative are endless and if you want to focus on anything other than your thoughts, drawing can help that.



I've been drawing for over 2 decades. It has been my best friend, my greatest achievement as well as a pain in the ass at times. I have learnt a lot about myself, my ability to develop patience, and my difficult need for perfection in my work. If any of you reading this are perfectionists, then you will know exactly what I mean. Above all of this, drawing has been my companion throughout my life and as a little girl, it has always been a part of me.



ArtistAnd - Portrait Drawing
ArtistAnd - Portrait Drawing

Everyday people ask me _ do you think anyone can learn to draw? My response is always - yes! Some people tell me - you must have been born with the talent but my response is - I don't think so. If I were then I would have been famous from age 3 due to my immense talent in drawing the queen accurately. Don’t get me wrong, I was probably better than my peers, but I worked hard to get to my skill level and after 20 years of drawing, if I can’t draw good now, then I should probably think about switching careers.


Drawing is for everyone.


It doesn't matter how old you are, you should be able to pick up a pencil and begin your artistic career at any stage in your life. You don't need to be good, you just need to start! Everyone's journey is different. You will find there are things you like and there are things that you hate. your individual creative career is personal to you. Perhaps you pick it up quickly, or maybe it will take you a little longer to uncover the right style for you. Whatever the case your journey is unique and personal. Never compare yourself to others. Only aspire to enjoy the process.


What type of drawing do I like?


There are so many styles out there! Where do you begin to choose what is right for you? Well call us biased but we are strong believers in the fact that everyone should have the basic skills and understanding before they branch out into the unknown. Not only does it give you a great framework to experiment, but it also gives you a bit more confidence to try new things knowing that you have a fundamental background behind you. We need to learn to walk before we can run, practise our scales before we can play music, and learn the difference between nouns and adjectives if we are to learn a new language. Having these skills behind us helps us get to our end goal quicker and allows us to break it down.


Let's look at a few styles and examples.


Realistic drawing - Shading.


I had to start here with our beloved favourite style, realism.


This method is the big OG (original) way to render nature. Soft shading, delicate lines, accurate proportions. For us, it is the most beautiful however be it the most challenging. You have that innate pressure for the drawing to be perfect and if a small line is out of place, or the scale isn’t quite right, we become our own worst enemies and sometimes we cannot figure out what the problem is. On the plus side, the results of the drawings are just beautiful. You can agree that the finished product is mesmerising and almost unreal on how realistic it can look!


Bargue Drawing - China Jordan
Bargue Drawing - China Jordan

Cross Hatching.


Cross hatching is a very interesting way to produce shading and often it is very effective. By removing your pencil each time you make a mark, you are consciously deciding where to put the lines back on your paper and build up the idea of form through straight lines, angular lines, and form hugging lines. If you have any English notes in your wallet, have a look at the queen and see if you can see how she was created.




Line Drawing

Line drawing is simple, elegant and clean-cut. Not everyone likes to fill their drawings with too much detail and sometimes, less is more. Look at the example below and celebrate the fact that our brains can understand what the image is trying to read, without any presentation of shade and depth.




Geometric Drawing

Slightly more on the expressive side, geometric drawing is a therapeutic and expressive outlet. You can integrate repeat patterns, triangles, squares, zigzags, and any angular form. You can use this to draw from nature or create intricate patterns just for the hell of it. This style of drawing is modern, fun and highly satisfying.




Allison Kunath Geometric Portraits
Allison Kunath Geometric Portraits


If you are not quite sure where to start with your materials, you can get everything you need from our online store to purchase your drawing kit. This kit contains a gorgeous hardcover sketchbook, 4 varieties of pencils and a putty rubber in a protective case.


So there is no excuse. What are you waiting for?

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