PaulaWhen I was down in Texas for a while a few months ago, I’d often visit the public library to peruse the new books, etc., coming home with a HUGE stack of books ranging from subjects such as bread machine baking recipes or a bio on CSN&Y (I’m a book scanner mostly. And I prefer non-fiction to fiction). I also decided to check out (literally–wow! So many unintentional puns!) almost the entire Parkdale branch selection of books on sketching and drawing. My interest in drawing more OFF the computer (and drawing for enjoyment and fun) was brewing and I was looking for inspiration. One of the books that exited me was this:
Drawing From Within: Unleashing Your Creative Potential, by Nick Meglin and Diane Meglin, Warner Books, 1999,
Meglin is (was?) the co-editor of MAD magazine and also taught at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. Diane, his daughter, is a psychiatric social worker. Putting those together produced a book (not surprisingly) about “removing obstacles in expressing creativity and allowing the artist within to emerge” (i.e., overcoming mental blocks in making art, in particular drawing).
I was excited when I picked up this book as I was looking for some sort of key or potion that might do the trick to rid me of the angst concerning my desire to try sketching (not to mention my over-all struggle with being hyper-critical of my artistic endevours), and this looked promising. Did it have the impact that I had hoped for? Well, it was really too much for me to expect Meglin’s book to erase years of bad thinking, but I felt the book was clearly dealing with where I needed work the most: in my thought process. I needed/need emotional encouragement and a constructive path to follow to break down the barriers I had erected. The Meglin’s book offered both. Meglin expounds chapter after chapter on how to think about making art (again, in this case, drawing), having us look at creativity from a slightly different and refreshing angle. “Draw for drawing’s sake” (“What, me worry?”) is his mantra. In each chapter he not only discourses on the matter (pound, pound, POUND!), but at the chapters end, he has an excercise for the reader so the principles can be applied. Think and do. Gotta like that.
Alas, the books wasn’t mine to keep and so back to the library it went. But lately I’ve been thinking about it (what with the discourse that has resulted in the comments area of a post I’d written), and I’m considering locating the book and adding it to my collection (I *should* wrap it around my head until it sinks in!). But there’s one thing that’s sticking in my craw; I also recall reading something in one of the latter chapters that suddenly had me thinking, “This books not for me.” (…!!!) Well, perhaps I shouldn’t even have said that (good book reviewer that I am–ha!) because, for the life of me, I can’t remember what it was! All I remember is that I had that reaction. Does that intrigue you? Well, it does me now, if for no other reason that to just go find the book and figure out what he said that made me think that! Anyway, this is my blog so I can endorse a book and then say something odd and off-putting like that which makes no sense at all! Hee!
Oh. And here’s an excerpt from a short interview of Meglin by Emily Hanlon, which she has posted on her writer’s blog:
“…I tell this to my students—I taught drawing for twelve years—if you don’t want to be told you’re a lousy artist by someone out there who doesn’t know what he’s talking about, don’t draw. Don’t fill a white page with lines, because once you do it, you’re at risk. But if you are going to do it, put everything you can on that page, everything you are or what you feel, what you think, your perception, you alone, not what you’ve seen, not what you think you’d like to do. React to that model, be at one. You’re the only artist in the world drawing that model tonight that way, in your way. No one else can do it.”
“Bet the whole roll and put yourself at risk. If not, you’ll never win. You may not lose, but you’ll never win. Go down swinging. Lose trying. But put yourself at risk. And that’s what creativity is.”
Thanks, Nick. : )
So, with that said, I’ll add some links so you can check the book out for yourselves, if you’re so inclined.
Meglins’ book on Amazon.com with reviews.
Chapter sample (chapter 1).
The Books (another source with a short summary).
An interview with Nick Meglin.
Drawing for drawings sake, that is the key. It’s drawing because you love to observe and to draw and without the thought in the back of your head that it has to be of a certain standard when it’s finished as it is for your pleasure.
To me drawing of this kind is about being loose and confident. It’s why I love pen and ink so much, once a line is down it’s down, no erasing, correcting or undo option. You can still correct and ammend but with lines that go over ‘wrong’ lines. No pencil undersketch, just straight in with ink which I think makes for a more organic drawing.
I think there are only 3 requirements for sketching and they dont include the ability to draw which I believe anyone can do if they follow Charlies 3 requirments, (ooh listen to him the know it all!!! lol):
Observation (it’s actually seeing what is there. Friends who say they can’t draw tend to ignore perspective, shadow etc because they don’t look, they see something and then draw their metal picture of that object, when if they ignored the mental picture that say a house is square and looked at it as a group of shapes, lines and lights and darks then they would see lines converging and not being square etc.
Confidence (to just make marks, no hesitation, no deep thought of is that the right line in the right place at the right angle, just get stuck in)
Artistic licence (if something goes wrong with an element then fudge it into something else that looks right but might not have been what was actually there)
Actually 4!
Have fun.
Wow! With your ability, I am amazed that you have the same fears as those of us with less ability!
I am 58 years old and have had a dream to draw since childhood. I did a blog entry this past week about this dream and the fact that I am only now beginning to seriously pursue it. Tried at 50 and had a heart-breaking setback when my father laughed at a portrait I had done of him at three stages in his life. It wasn’t great, but it was THAT bad either. I gave it up for a long time. A couple of months ago, I decided the dream is just too strong. I WANT TO SKETCH!!! The demon of self-doubt residing within fights me every step of the way, but I’m learning to turn a deaf ear. As long as I give it my very best, that’s all I have to give and should never have to “apologize” that there isn’t more to give. No one, including ME, is going to take this away from me again!!!
My abilities are so-so, but what’s so bad about being so-so!
Fantastic post Paula! I think I’ll try to find that book myself. We always need confidence. Have you read Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland? Wonderful book!
Also… how strange that you should write about the library in Corpus, I just was strolling down that memory lane on my blog entry for Illustration Friday – Summer. What an interesting coincidence that you should mention that exact same library! Shpooky!
Charlie: Superb comment! Thanks for sharing “Charlie’s Three Requirements For Sketching” (and I do count three : )). I think that about sums it up for what one needs to be thinking. Come back and share more, eh!
Shirley: I’m excited for you to take the bull by the horns and finally do something you’ve always wanted to do! I spent some time over at your sight late last week and like what you’re doing. You’ve got an interesting approach, what with leaning towards cartooning with the end goal to develop a particularly loose style (am I right? I think that’s what I got from reading your posts). I’ll keep checking out your blog to see how you’re doing.
Jenny: I had read your post about going to the library. It didn’t dawn on me that you were referring to Parkdale! Well, it’s still alive and kicking. You recall it being round and having the bridge that spans the lengthy ditch? It’s still a nice little branch, though I like going down to the main branch (which has new digs since you left town).
Oh, and, no, I’ve not read the Bayles/Orland book, but did googling on it after I read your comment. Thanks for adding that one to the list. It looked like another good book for me get my hands on.
I’d like commend Nick Meglin on a fantastic book “Drawing from within: Unleashing your creative potential”!! I’ve just finished reading it from cover to cover and I’m so glad I did. I’ve been going to drawing classess for 3½ years now and those seemingly boring early exercises that our teacher used to get us to do during classes have been explained fully in this book. I now know why she got us to do them because they were laying down the foundations of the learning process to drawing when all I wanted to do was to get right down to learn the real thing. The problem I had caused for myself is that I had already taught myself how to draw 3D style drawing from a book from my local library before this class even existed. This meant that I already had some experience and was also striving for a perfect drawing and found it hard to grasp quick sketch which we did so much of. This book has been very hard to put down and will always hold a place on the shelf in my craft room because it has taught me a valuable lesson, that those once thought of boring exercises were actually necessary to get me to where I am today. Now, I have found my forte in 3D, realism and photo realistic style portraits (all done in lead pencil). Soon though I’ll try it in colour. I’m also getting offers from people to do portraits for them with payment. I’ll never stop trying to expand my skills though as there’s always potential to try it in a new way and see what happens. It’s just trial and error and having the courage and desire to give it a go.
Thanks for taking the time to comment on this posting, Michelle! You’ve reminded me that I, too, would like to add Meglin’s book to my collection of art-related books. It was well-worth the read.
My only artistic outlet is playing music (guitar), I have no drawing skills, but I cannot refrain from commenting on N. Meglin’s passage. I obstensibly agree with the ‘no guts, no glory’ opening statements, but I see honest artistic effort as a an operationally defined ‘no lose’ proposition. Sure, we may not win all the time (or ever?), but I’m not sure ‘winning’ is the point.
To satisfy oneself or maybe more importantly the audience is my final arbiter/gold standard. Some of my best efforts have gone unnoticed, while seemingly off-hand/casual works have been lauded. It’s not just how I feel, but how everyone else is doing?
The Great Unsigned