Adding Drama to your Drawings

Welcome to Draw Tip Tuesday!

I got a question from Francis, she asked "how to add drama to your drawings".

I am not entirely sure what Francis means by "drama", but I think that a drawing becomes more interesting when the artist has been courageous, playful and bold.

If you take fun and creative decisions, you keep challenging yourself, and you're telling an interesting visual story.

In my workshops, but also in the comments of my Draw Tip Tuesday videos, on Patreon, and my Instagram posts, people often tell me how they feel like they should draw in a particular way. That their drawing from observation should look accurate and realistic. That the drawing from imagination should be exactly like the image in their heads. The perspective should be right. The colors should be accurate... and so on. That's a lot of shoulds. And the only important one isn't in there: drawing should be fun. As artists, we are often imposing so many rules on ourselves.

Much of the point of drawing is to free our minds from the constraints of what we think we can do, or are “allowed” to do. Being free through drawing is a good way to explore that.

When you "mess up" the perspective but you then keep going, you embrace the wonkiness and enjoy the moment of drawing - then you'll probably end up with a much livelier and more expressive drawing, than when you would have followed the rules of vanishing points, and all that.

Embrace the wonkiness!

If you'd like to learn from me in person: check out my workshop schedule here.

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My book "life is better when you draw it" is now available for you to purchase online.
It's an illustrated book for people who love drawing and need inspiration. It's about how drawing can make you happy and mindful. In the book, I share ways to embrace the daily sketchbook habit, tips, and lots of drawings from my sketchbooks. I am so happy to finally share it with you!
If you want a copy - and I know you do - go here.