Everyone Has Their Own Pace

My dad, Frans Koene is an artist. Before his retirement, he was a photographer all of his working life. He didn't draw, apart from making little sketches for his photography productions, and he would make fun drawings of animals and flowers and clowns for me and my brother when we were little.

But Frans is very visually oriented, so when I launched my very first online course called "Just Draw It" in 2012, he was quite interested. He figured it might be fun to join my online course - mostly because he wanted to support me, but also out of curiosity. Once the 6-week online course was running, some time in week 2 or 3, he told me that he was pleasantly surprised by how much he was learning and how fast his skills were growing. The course "Just Draw It" has been archived quite a few years ago, but Frans hasn't stopped drawing! For almost 10 years, he has been carrying a sketchbook and a pen with him. He also still photographs things, but he very much enjoys doing his "scribbles" as he calls his art. He goes for daily walks and always brings a sketchbook and a pen. Often, he'll sit down or stands to draw something that catches his eye. He may not always have the resources or the patience to add color on the spot, but when the drawing needs that, he'll do it later, when he's back home.

A few weeks ago, Frans and I went for a "walk & draw" in his neighborhood. We walked and talked and when we found an interesting spot to draw, we did. He gave us the cue to draw 5 minutes. I can draw pretty quick, usually when I draw, I sort of forget about time. I just enjoy the feeling of pen on paper. Sometimes it does takes just about 5 minutes, (when I draw to kill time while waiting for the train or in the doctor's office for example), but more often a drawing takes me at least 15 minutes to half an hour.

I like a little challenge every so often, so I agreed wholeheartedly on the five minutes limit, and decided to quickly I draw him. When the five minutes were over, we both weren't quite done, so we added just a few more minutes. Hurray for the artistic license to break the rules you made up!

I could have sat there on that bench for much longer. I could have added shading, taken out my watercolors to add some color and texture. That's what I would have done when I was on my own, but I was interested to adjust to his pace.

It's interesting how every artist prefers a different rythm or speed of working. My drawing speed is different than his. I can draw quick, but he captures a lot more in the same amount of time. You can see his drawing below, with quick strokes, done with a brushpen. I like staying in that moment for a bit longer, soaking in everything around my subject and around the moment. It's more like filling a journal page. And doing that one drawing with all my attention, gives me a sense of accomplishment. When Frans goes out drawing, he kind of hunts to "snap pics", like the true photographer he is. Interesting drawing opportunities are everywhere. His eye catches a repeating color, an interesting architectural shape or perspective, and he just starts drawing to record it. If he wants, he’ll add color later, with watercolors, or in this case, in Procreate on the iPad.

I know artists who work on one drawing for hours. I also know artists who do 10 drawings in the same time I would do one. There are no rules for this, and one way is not better than the other.

Once, I sat side by side with Veronica Lawlor to draw together. We chatted, and while I was still selecting the pen I wanted to draw with, she was already halfway her first drawing. I exclaimed: "whaaaat, I haven't even started yet!", and to be frank, I felt a bit intimidated. She reassured me: "everyone has their own pace", and that has stuck to me since. There is no need to compare yourself, your art, or your drawing speed to that of others. It's OK to be "slow", it's OK to "just do a quick scribble". As long you feel happy doing what you're doing, you are doing it right!