In an earlier post, I wrote that the greatest hindrance to learning to draw is one’s resistance to the process itself. Resistance occurs when one knows & understands the good drawing habits, but fails to apply & practice them. Resistance can be partial: “OK, I can see how drawing the big shapes first is helpful, but when something is wrong with my drawing, I absolutely have to erase all of those confusing lines before I can figure out what to do next.” Or it can be complete: “These rules are just too hard/boring/time-consuming to follow & they probably won’t work anyway.”
In the presence of an authentic desire to learn to draw, resistance stems from fear rather than, say, obstinacy or laziness. This can be fear that somehow the good drawing habits just won’t work. Or this can be fear that while the good drawing habits may work for others, they won’t work for you &, therefore, even if you practice them assiduously, you will never learn to draw. Perhaps in some instances, the fear may even be the reverse: The good drawing habits will work & therefore, you can learn to draw.
How does one overcome resistance? First of all, simply make a commitment to suspend all doubts about the effectiveness of the good drawing habits. Accept that they work! Tip for diehards: When all else fails, just act as though you believe they will work. Sooner or later, you will see for yourself that they do work.
Next, make a list of the good drawing habits & put copies wherever you can spare a moment for a quick review. The refrigerator door, nightstand, computer desk, & coffee table all come to mind. The goal is to thoroughly assimilate this information so that when you are drawing, the good drawing habits become automatic responses to any situation you encounter. And by all means, keep a copy wherever you draw. If confusion sets in, you can immediately refer to it.
Finally, when drawing, be scrupulously honest about applying the good drawing habits. Make it a point of honor to use them each & every time you draw. If you observe yourself on occasion not using them, try to identify the specific reason for this. Sometimes it can be as simple as needing to take a short break. Just as our form can get sloppy when exercising as we become more & more fatigued, so too the good drawing habits can suddenly seem to require too much effort as we tire at the drawing bench.
An exploration of resistance to the drawing process would not be complete without a discussion of perfectionism & the concomitant fear of failure. This will be the subject of a future blog.