One Subject, Many Outcomes

Everything is interesting when you draw it.

If you feel the itch to draw, scratch it. Finding a meaningful subject is unnecessary, it costs precious drawing time (and energy), and basically, it's a form of procrastination.

When you decide to take a 15-minute drawing break at lunch, your inner critic will tell you: "why are you drawing this boring plate with some crumbs on it? It's mundane and why would you even waste your time?" Hopefully, your answer will be something like: "I am enjoying my time to draw, and actually, the shapes of those crumbs on that plate are very interesting. drawing them, and looking at the shadows of the white plate, gives me a feeling of mindfulness. There is enough challenge, to paint a white plate. On top of that, I am now extending the moment of taking a break on a busy day, and capturing it too!"

Your inner critic will probably also object on drawing the same thing again and again. With your approach, knowing that everything is interesting when you draw it, you know so well, that even when you have drawn that same coffee mug or corner of the living room many times, the result (and more importantly, the process!), is completely different every time.

Repetition

You might remember that in May, I published a series of videos in which I kept returning to the same subject, approaching it differently each time.

Below, you’ll find all four videos to watch, in case you missed it.

Breaking habits

I often start a drawing with line, then I add color. By breaking a habit like that, you can challenge yourself in a simple way. Paint first, then draw the line, for example.
If you attended my online drawing session on June 12, you'll have experienced yourself drawing the same plant twice, with two almost opposite approaches.

On location, there are many approaches to draw a subject too.

Earlier this year, I published a series about this on YouTube.

You can use the foreground to frame your drawing and create a lot of landmarks to draw your subject in proportion. Rewatch the video:

The "spiralling technique"; starting at a shape in the center, and from there, drawing the shape next to it, then next to that, and so on, until your drawing grows into a whole. Rewatch the video:

Painting first, then adding line. It's a quick and dynamic way of finding your bearings and to understand what should go where. Rewatch the video:

Bird's eye, worm's eye

Change your angle and everything changes! It's very exciting and a very simple assignment to give yourself. I love doing this. Usually, you draw things from a 'normal' point of view, sitting an a chair. Standing tall over a subject to draw it, then lowering onto the floor, to draw it again, will give you dramatic views and interesting perspective.

You can watch an excerpt of the online drawing session, in which I demo this technique: