I am an experienced architectural and landscape draftsman. For anyone who wants to learn practical drawing, I strongly recommend Thinking with a Pencil. The author was a stage and set designer who frequently needed to make quick drawings to clarify and communicate his ideas and expanded from there.
Does this book include instruction in the physical movement skills needed for drawing? I was never formally taught how to hold a pencil, so I grew up using a strange and painful grip. I hated handwriting because it would leave my hand red and numb. No teachers noticed, and it wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized I was doing it wrong. (I’d assumed that holding a pencil was supposed to be painful, and making us write was just another cruel thing adults did for their amusement).
Aged about 25 I taught myself regular pencil grip, and after about 6 months it began to feel natural. I then learned I was supposed to be using my arm muscles to move the pencil, not just pure hand movement. I tried this for a month or so, but I never felt I’d be able to write Japanese using arm muscle movement at a reasonable character size so I gave up. It’s possible that it could work for English cursive, but I never learned that either, and I mostly handwrite because I’m teaching myself Japanese and I believe handwriting helps me remember it.
I suspect “how to hold and move a pencil” is something artists might consider too simple to need teaching. It’s also something I suspect artists could be doing wrong out of tradition. I think this because most keyboards are tilted so the back is higher but a keyboard with a raised front (eg. the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000) feels more comfortable to me. I believe the only reason for the traditional design is that it was easier to build mechanical typewriters like that.
I am an experienced architectural and landscape draftsman. For anyone who wants to learn practical drawing, I strongly recommend Thinking with a Pencil. The author was a stage and set designer who frequently needed to make quick drawings to clarify and communicate his ideas and expanded from there.
Does this book include instruction in the physical movement skills needed for drawing? I was never formally taught how to hold a pencil, so I grew up using a strange and painful grip. I hated handwriting because it would leave my hand red and numb. No teachers noticed, and it wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized I was doing it wrong. (I’d assumed that holding a pencil was supposed to be painful, and making us write was just another cruel thing adults did for their amusement).
Aged about 25 I taught myself regular pencil grip, and after about 6 months it began to feel natural. I then learned I was supposed to be using my arm muscles to move the pencil, not just pure hand movement. I tried this for a month or so, but I never felt I’d be able to write Japanese using arm muscle movement at a reasonable character size so I gave up. It’s possible that it could work for English cursive, but I never learned that either, and I mostly handwrite because I’m teaching myself Japanese and I believe handwriting helps me remember it.
I suspect “how to hold and move a pencil” is something artists might consider too simple to need teaching. It’s also something I suspect artists could be doing wrong out of tradition. I think this because most keyboards are tilted so the back is higher but a keyboard with a raised front (eg. the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000) feels more comfortable to me. I believe the only reason for the traditional design is that it was easier to build mechanical typewriters like that.
People seeing this in the future: Check out Draw a Box for some low-level mechanical stuff.
Artists do teach that, although probably not often enough.
This is something I, to, could use a bit more instruction about. So many things I never get around to...