Drawing is one of those things I’ve always wished I could do well. For most of my life, though, I assumed I simply didn’t have the talent to be any good at it. As a kid I enjoyed drawing for pleasure like lots of other kids. I took a few art classes here and there just for fun, but drawing never felt like more than a pastime or hobby. Since I didn’t think I had the potential to get really good, it never felt worth putting in the difficult, sustained effort that real learning and improvement requires. Even as a kid I somehow knew that getting really good at something meant “embracing the suck” and dealing with being absolute shit for a long time. The only way you can put yourself through that is if you think you have what it takes for your efforts to be rewarded. I didn’t.
Looking back now, I also realize something else: nobody ever really taught me how to practice drawing. The focus was almost always on results—producing a finished piece—rather than on developing the underlying skills. I say this without blame, by the way, just as an observation.
Anyway, my drawing “practice,” such as it was, mostly meant drawing whatever I felt like, whenever I felt like it. That usually involved copying photos or other people’s artwork. I drew a lot of horses, a lot of cats, and a lot of eyes floating in space. The goal was always the same: try to make a good finished drawing.
But systematically working on fundamentals? Doing the repetitive, often boring exercises that actually build skill? I have zero memories of ever doing anything like that.
Now, at age 55, I find myself wishing I had actually applied myself and made more of an effort when I was younger.
But I find myself wondering if it’s actually too late. Am I really too old to develop my drawing skill? Can consistent, focused work overcome a lifetime of assuming I lacked the talent?
That seems like a good basis for an informal experiment.
My plan is simple: draw consistently—ideally every day—for a year. At the end of that year, I’ll see how much I’ve improved.
This time I want to approach things differently. Rather than drawing randomly whenever inspiration strikes, I’ll try to follow the principles of deliberate practice: structured exercises aimed specifically at building fundamental skills. Deliberate practice is, by definition, difficult. The real challenge will probably be resisting the temptation to stop, or to jump to a different program, whenever things start to feel frustrating.
My goal is to practice for at least 30 minutes every single day, and to not worry about producing “finished” drawings.
Since enjoyment is key as well, I’m giving myself the freedom to experiment with different types of drawing to find out what appeals to me most. For example, I don’t feel compelled to draw highly detailed machinery, or super technical drawings involving architecture and crazy perspective. In photography I’m clearly drawn to portraiture, so I can imagine that I’ll gravitate to something like drawing the human figure.
As the year goes on, I plan to evaluate my progress each week and reflect on what I’m learning along the way. How much of this will be public is hard to say at this point.
For now, this first post is simply me stating my intention publicly—for the two people who might actually read this—as a small form of accountability.
Hey ho, let’s go!