Why "Draw Everything" Isn't a Good Way to Learn to Draw

Bargue practice drawings checked by placing mine on top of original using Photoshop layers.

Since I was a kid, I’ve always heard that the only way to learn to draw is to draw a lot and to “draw everything.”

Unfortunately, the idea of “draw everything” caused me years of paralysis!

“Draw everything” is so open-ended that it overwhelmed me with choices. Should I draw a house? A person? An airplane? A cloud? A horse? Where do I start?

I’ve discovered that I need structure. In the 80s and 90s, there was either no internet (imagine that!) or a slow internet with limited offerings. The only way to learn to draw was studying books and going to classes. I did both of these things and still couldn't get a job at MTV Studios working on Daria!

But with today's internet, there are ENDLESS options of structured courses that include feedback, a major part of improving.

The Famous Artists Course is what really started to help me understand what I’ve been doing wrong all of these years. Like most kids, I started out drawing by copying the outlines of things. But not until I came across the forms lesson in the Famous Artists Course (that I discuss in this post from last year ) that I realized that everything is a 3D form and everything can be broken down into the simplest forms of cubes, cones, spheres and cylinders. It’s incredible to me that despite YEARS of various art instruction, NOT ONE CLASS taught the basics of form. I mean, even clouds have 3D form!

My Proko pelvis bucket studies.

The other essential ingredient to learning to draw is deliberate—as opposed to generic—practice.

We've all heard about the "10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery" idea that was promoted by Malcolm Gladwell.

Gladwell got this idea from Anders Ericsson but unfortunately he misinterpreted some of Ericsson's research. (And it doesn't necessarily work in all areas.)

One can master something with 2.44 hours of work per day for ten years. But the quality of the practice is essential. The practice must be deliberate for it to have a positive affect. 

My Proko pelvis bucket drawing checked by placing on top of original in Photoshop.

I'm 48-years-old. I don’t have 10 years to master storytelling. So if I'm going to cut that time to five years, I'll need the most efficient and effective practice I can find. This is why I'm doing the Proko anatomy course, ruthlessly prioritizing my time and putting to work any and all positive hacks I can find.

It’s never too late, folks, for us to pursue our goals and fulfill our dreams!

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