An intuitive drawing is made when you let your hand draw and let your mind rest.
The whole idea of a sketchbook as a playground came to me too late in life.
Just recently I read someone post a comment about how they use their sketchbook as a playground. Apparently other artists have known about this concept a long time.
In the past my sketchbooks have received some harsh reviews…or it could be that I am just missing two layers of skin. Either way I have become timid. The idea of having a place to just enjoy myself with no pressure to make anything fabulous is a wonderfully useful idea.
Embrace Mistakes
The concept goes along with using mistakes to design something wonderful. Fear of mistakes has hindered me. Don’t be like me. Look forward to mistakes.
Since I have changed my focus wonderful things are happening. The sketchbook has shifted from a possible showcase or impromptu portfolio into a place to relax, learn and see what happens.
Now I just entertain myself. Getting a membership to look firsthand into the pages of my sketchbook will be more exclusive. One of the gifts of the internet is a place to showcase my best work 24 hours a day all across the globe. No-one has to ever see my sketchbook.
New rules. To get a pass to flip the pages of my sketchbook, you need a sketchbook of your own that I can see while you’re looking at mine. I hope to increase the number of people in my life that I would invite to see inside my sketchbook and maybe even one person that I would invite to draw in mine like Andy Warhol and Jean Michel Basquiat reportedly did.
The Death of the Sketchbook Meetup
For a time I was recruiting potential members and having regular Saturday meetups in Atlanta. It was mildly successful. First let me say it has been a wonderful break to have had dozens of Saturdays without having to deal with the hassles of hosting a meetup. But I did learn some very good ideas, and I was exposed to different artistic thinking. After I rest for a while more, I might think about starting a new meetup.
Not to say that I won’t be sharing what happens in my sketchbook anymore. I will selectively choose the stuff that works and I am proud of. Maybe when I become a more mature artist, I will expose my thinking process and endeavor to encourage people to devote time to the development of their art. To teach a secret technique I especially liked is easier than to reveal a drawing that I find to be ugly. I will keep working on this ego flaw. Everyone sees and prefers differently. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Andy Warhol said that it was important not to take time to judge the work and just keep working.
“Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” – Andy Warhol
About the Intuitive Drawings in This Post:
These drawings are decades old and there are no notes about what kind of pen I used. I would bet money that it’s a dip pen. After all these years, these drawings are still favorites. They are intuitive drawings and I am inspired at this moment to make more. It’s true that I have created intuitive drawings that didn’t please me, but I suppose the odds of getting a nice result is 1 out of 10 or 20. Which is a good reason to create in bulk.
Do you think these drawings would make good t-shirts? Please let me know in the comments section.
What a great idea! I am much like you in that I am afraid to show my work online unless I think it’s good enough. So I’m very slow about doing my work, always second guessing myself. It has affected my artistic growth for years now. A sketchbook playground that is only for you would be perfect for me! I can do whatever I want and not worry!
Yassss! Let’s go buck wild in our sketchbooks together! If something great happens, then we’ll post it online. Thank you for your comment Christina and for your enthusiasm!
Hope to see more posts from you!
Thank you for that encouragement! It might be exactly what I need. Happy Easter to you!