I wrote ~5000 words on what 40 hours of studying drawing can do.
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@nina_kali_nina it is my opinion, as a lapsed formally trained artist, that if you are motivated to work through a book like that in the pursuit of your need to connect with images on a deeper level, you've more than earned the right to call yourself an artist with pride. In most cases, the only thing someone you might see as being more skilled than you has over you is the benefit of more recent practice, not more total practice.
@nina_kali_nina I'll have to give your article a closer reading when I'm done with work, but I think you might find Lynda Barry's writings on teaching STEM college students how to draw again (and unlearn their trained fear of it) an interesting contrast to Betty Edwards's book.
In particular, the part you mention about drawing from memory to surface symbols is a common thread between the two, but it seems the two authors have very different conclusions about what the value of those symbols are.
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@nina_kali_nina I'll have to give your article a closer reading when I'm done with work, but I think you might find Lynda Barry's writings on teaching STEM college students how to draw again (and unlearn their trained fear of it) an interesting contrast to Betty Edwards's book.
In particular, the part you mention about drawing from memory to surface symbols is a common thread between the two, but it seems the two authors have very different conclusions about what the value of those symbols are.
@aeva nod nod; thanks for the recommendation, I'll look it up! I've read and watched lots of advice after this book that made me convinced that the system of symbols is extremely important in both art and commercial illustration. It's just it seems like the system of symbols needs to be expanded and polished so it can be put to good use.
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@aeva nod nod; thanks for the recommendation, I'll look it up! I've read and watched lots of advice after this book that made me convinced that the system of symbols is extremely important in both art and commercial illustration. It's just it seems like the system of symbols needs to be expanded and polished so it can be put to good use.
@nina_kali_nina I think Lynda's primary goal as a teacher is to help her students unlearn the destructive inhibition, shame, and fear of making imperfect works / of making art in general. Her philosophy is that "bad" drawings by naive hands are able to capture something fundamental that is a lot harder to reach as a practiced trained artist, and that fundamental something (she calls it an Image) is something to cherish and is worthy of study.
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@nina_kali_nina I think Lynda's primary goal as a teacher is to help her students unlearn the destructive inhibition, shame, and fear of making imperfect works / of making art in general. Her philosophy is that "bad" drawings by naive hands are able to capture something fundamental that is a lot harder to reach as a practiced trained artist, and that fundamental something (she calls it an Image) is something to cherish and is worthy of study.
@nina_kali_nina ok, the books by Lynda Barry that I have on my book shelf are all wonderful, so I'll give you some brief summaries and you can decide for yourself if any of them sound interesting:
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@nina_kali_nina ok, the books by Lynda Barry that I have on my book shelf are all wonderful, so I'll give you some brief summaries and you can decide for yourself if any of them sound interesting:
@nina_kali_nina "Picture This" is a memoir on creativity. It explores various motivations she's had for making art over the years, why she rejected the more formal stuff she learned in school, in favor of a more loose and radical comic style, discusses burnout, and chases after this illusive thing she calls an Image which is the animating spirit of life that can be found in all art. These are all very visually dense texts, and this one probably the most so.
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@nina_kali_nina "Picture This" is a memoir on creativity. It explores various motivations she's had for making art over the years, why she rejected the more formal stuff she learned in school, in favor of a more loose and radical comic style, discusses burnout, and chases after this illusive thing she calls an Image which is the animating spirit of life that can be found in all art. These are all very visually dense texts, and this one probably the most so.
@nina_kali_nina "Picture This" is also not very instructive. I think it's notable for condensing a lot of her philosophy that is explored upon in more detail in other works. I found it helpful for clawing my way out of burnout in the past.
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@nina_kali_nina "Picture This" is also not very instructive. I think it's notable for condensing a lot of her philosophy that is explored upon in more detail in other works. I found it helpful for clawing my way out of burnout in the past.
@nina_kali_nina "What It Is" is focused on exploring memory, and the latter half is entirely exercises. This is focused on writing not drawing, but it is a method that dill draw out Images (capital I), and I think the creative exercises in it are broadly applicable. This is a book about exploring the depths of your mind and creativity.
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@nina_kali_nina "What It Is" is focused on exploring memory, and the latter half is entirely exercises. This is focused on writing not drawing, but it is a method that dill draw out Images (capital I), and I think the creative exercises in it are broadly applicable. This is a book about exploring the depths of your mind and creativity.
@nina_kali_nina "Syllabus: Notes From an Accidental Professor" is her notes from teaching a drawing class focused on students from a wide variety of backgrounds and inhibition about drawing, and is about unlearning shame and inhibition surrounding art making, and finding you voice and developing a style. Also good for getting out of creative ruts. The book is a mix of theory and exercises.
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@nina_kali_nina "Syllabus: Notes From an Accidental Professor" is her notes from teaching a drawing class focused on students from a wide variety of backgrounds and inhibition about drawing, and is about unlearning shame and inhibition surrounding art making, and finding you voice and developing a style. Also good for getting out of creative ruts. The book is a mix of theory and exercises.
@nina_kali_nina "Making Comics" is another compilation of notes, theory, research, and structured course work much like Syllabus, and is the continuation of her research on adult learners. This one is nominally more specifically about making comics as the name implies, but it's really about hooking up a lightning rod to your creativity and animating The Creature
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@nina_kali_nina "Making Comics" is another compilation of notes, theory, research, and structured course work much like Syllabus, and is the continuation of her research on adult learners. This one is nominally more specifically about making comics as the name implies, but it's really about hooking up a lightning rod to your creativity and animating The Creature
@nina_kali_nina and I'd say broadly the throughline of her pedagogical work is dismantling the widespread culture of learned helplessness and pretension surrounding art to work out what the biological function of art is, and how to draw that out of people. Her creative philosophy is radical and powerful. However, these books will not make you more proficient at the technical aspects of drawing, nor will they teach you how to make Correct art.
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@nina_kali_nina and I'd say broadly the throughline of her pedagogical work is dismantling the widespread culture of learned helplessness and pretension surrounding art to work out what the biological function of art is, and how to draw that out of people. Her creative philosophy is radical and powerful. However, these books will not make you more proficient at the technical aspects of drawing, nor will they teach you how to make Correct art.
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@nina_kali_nina and I'd say broadly the throughline of her pedagogical work is dismantling the widespread culture of learned helplessness and pretension surrounding art to work out what the biological function of art is, and how to draw that out of people. Her creative philosophy is radical and powerful. However, these books will not make you more proficient at the technical aspects of drawing, nor will they teach you how to make Correct art.
@nina_kali_nina I'm reading through your blog post in earnest now, but need to take a break for dinner, but I want to emphasize this before I forget, that drawing should be a joyous activity, not one where you feel depressed, so I think your instincts are right that this is something psychological that you learned over time (and can also unlearn with time)
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@nina_kali_nina I'm reading through your blog post in earnest now, but need to take a break for dinner, but I want to emphasize this before I forget, that drawing should be a joyous activity, not one where you feel depressed, so I think your instincts are right that this is something psychological that you learned over time (and can also unlearn with time)
@nina_kali_nina this painting I did last week was a practice piece https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@aeva/115880174021858716 and going off the social media numbers it wasn't a particularly successful work, and there are some technical problems with it, but it is one of my favorite things I've made recently, primarily because of how much fun I had making it. the image was completely alive under my stylus, and the only reason I stopped working on it was chronic pain flaring up and physical exhaustion
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@nina_kali_nina this painting I did last week was a practice piece https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@aeva/115880174021858716 and going off the social media numbers it wasn't a particularly successful work, and there are some technical problems with it, but it is one of my favorite things I've made recently, primarily because of how much fun I had making it. the image was completely alive under my stylus, and the only reason I stopped working on it was chronic pain flaring up and physical exhaustion
@nina_kali_nina as I would have injured myself if I kept going. It's a lot of fun. I put on drum and bass music to groove along to it while I paint, I set my cintiq up like I'm standing at an easel, and I count it as my daily physical exercise. I call it "drawing and bass".
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@nina_kali_nina as I would have injured myself if I kept going. It's a lot of fun. I put on drum and bass music to groove along to it while I paint, I set my cintiq up like I'm standing at an easel, and I count it as my daily physical exercise. I call it "drawing and bass".
@nina_kali_nina ok done with dinner, I have more thoughts on your post, maybe you will find some of them useful.
Some technical advice for pushing your drawing further:
I recommend experimenting with charcoal and conte chalk when you sketch. You'll be able to do more subtle gradients and more striking dynamic range, and a pink pearl eraser or a kneaded rubber eraser will lift it back up just fine if you don't like a mark, just like pencil.
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@nina_kali_nina ok done with dinner, I have more thoughts on your post, maybe you will find some of them useful.
Some technical advice for pushing your drawing further:
I recommend experimenting with charcoal and conte chalk when you sketch. You'll be able to do more subtle gradients and more striking dynamic range, and a pink pearl eraser or a kneaded rubber eraser will lift it back up just fine if you don't like a mark, just like pencil.
@nina_kali_nina second, I noticed you are fond of the outline. In observational drawing, it is a good exercise to try to avoid drawing any outlines beyond light contour lines used for planning out sketches. This will look more naturalistic, because real life does not have outlines.
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@nina_kali_nina second, I noticed you are fond of the outline. In observational drawing, it is a good exercise to try to avoid drawing any outlines beyond light contour lines used for planning out sketches. This will look more naturalistic, because real life does not have outlines.
@nina_kali_nina third, there is nothing correct about point perspective. it's a geometric convenience for planning out technically impressive works, but it is not optically accurate, nor is it how our brains process what our eyes see (it's so much weirder, I have some interesting reading to point you toward on that, but I can't seem to find it at the moment). there's also "zero-point" perspective which is generally more useful for naturalistic drawing when you are away from architecture
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@nina_kali_nina third, there is nothing correct about point perspective. it's a geometric convenience for planning out technically impressive works, but it is not optically accurate, nor is it how our brains process what our eyes see (it's so much weirder, I have some interesting reading to point you toward on that, but I can't seem to find it at the moment). there's also "zero-point" perspective which is generally more useful for naturalistic drawing when you are away from architecture
@nina_kali_nina four, next time you go to an art museum, bring your sketch book and draw pictures of the art. I don't know if this is obvious or not, but you will not get in trouble for drawing in an art museum. If you see something that grabs you about the art, try to pin it down with a quick technical study.
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@nina_kali_nina four, next time you go to an art museum, bring your sketch book and draw pictures of the art. I don't know if this is obvious or not, but you will not get in trouble for drawing in an art museum. If you see something that grabs you about the art, try to pin it down with a quick technical study.
@nina_kali_nina five, unfiltered objective reality is a fantasy. all art with no exceptions (even photography) is fundamentally contaminated by the subjective judgements and interpretation of the artist. this is, in my opinion, is a wondrous gift, because art allows us to see the world through another's eyes.
consider these two portraits of Charles Robert Leslie by two different professional artists who were contemporaries:
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@nina_kali_nina five, unfiltered objective reality is a fantasy. all art with no exceptions (even photography) is fundamentally contaminated by the subjective judgements and interpretation of the artist. this is, in my opinion, is a wondrous gift, because art allows us to see the world through another's eyes.
consider these two portraits of Charles Robert Leslie by two different professional artists who were contemporaries:
@nina_kali_nina six, it is important to remember that the western tradition of making Correct Art developed due to a significant commercial aspect that is not there anymore: extraordinarily wealthy individuals and the church commissioned expensive objects for a variety of reasons ranging from propaganda and practical to entertainment. Many of these works that are credited to old masters were actually made by teams of people.
Gli ultimi otto messaggi ricevuti dalla Federazione
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@nina_kali_nina six, it is important to remember that the western tradition of making Correct Art developed due to a significant commercial aspect that is not there anymore: extraordinarily wealthy individuals and the church commissioned expensive objects for a variety of reasons ranging from propaganda and practical to entertainment. Many of these works that are credited to old masters were actually made by teams of people.
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@francina1909 Prima o poi...
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@nina_kali_nina five, unfiltered objective reality is a fantasy. all art with no exceptions (even photography) is fundamentally contaminated by the subjective judgements and interpretation of the artist. this is, in my opinion, is a wondrous gift, because art allows us to see the world through another's eyes.
consider these two portraits of Charles Robert Leslie by two different professional artists who were contemporaries:
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https://www.analisidifesa.it/2026/01/effetto-burevestnik/
Il Burevestnik si inserisce nel quadro della rincorsa fra Stati Uniti, Russia e Cina per il rinnovo dei rispettivi arsenali nucleari, tanto da essere stato seguito di pochi giorni da un collaudo del sottomarino-drone russo Poseidon, con testata nucleare accreditata di poter scatenare maremoti.
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@francina1909 Ecco hanno sbagliato tutto.
Doveva avere un guasto in aria e precipitare in mezzo all'Atlantico.
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La Russia invitata al consiglio di pace per Gaza. La Russia sta cercando di "chiarire tutte le sfumature" dell'offerta con Washington senza aggiungere se Putin sia propenso a partecipare.
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Siamo pure sfigati...
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Pare che il ciclone sia passato.
