Category: Art How-to Tips
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Dolph LeMoult on Inspiration
FAS Instructor Dolph LeMoult offers good advice on the role of inspiration in creative work:
I’ve found that many of my students complain they are not inspired, and so use that as an excuse for not painting and drawing regularly. To me, this is a bit like the habitual smoker who decides to wait until he no longer feels like a cigarette before he will quit. Neither works; the smoker will always want to smoke, and the artist who waits for divine inspiration will not paint.
I’ve been fortunate to see this both as an artist and as a novelist, and I’ve found that there’s not much difference between the two. I’m hard pressed to remember a time in either discipline when I was struck with inspiration. The key word there, I think, is discipline. In both art and writing, my experience has shown that it’s probably one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. Does that mean that art has become a chore for me? Far from it. I’ve been in the art field all of my life, as a designer, illustrator, and gallery painter, and the thought of not working as an artist would be unbearable. But I’ve had to put it in perspective.
Interesting word, perspective; just as its dictionary definition is, the effect of distance on the appearance of objects, understanding the creative process in art has taken the effect of time on my most cherished notions, and made me keenly aware of the facts:
First: Not everything I paint or draw will be good: There will be days (sometimes many in a row) when nothing works. It will seem that, no matter how hard I try, things just seem to get worse – and it seems as if that slump will never end. Not true: In over forty years of experiencing those dreadful times, I have always pulled out of them, most of the time for no good reason.
Second: If I stand at the drawing board or easel expecting to miraculously come up with an inspired idea I’ll be sorely disappointed. My most successful work has been the result of trial and error, of frustration and persistence, and, more often than not, the happy accidents that seem to occur to all of us when we put pencil, pen and brush to a surface.
So my advice to anyone who feels inadequate because he or she is not miraculously inspired is, stick to it. Work when everything you do seems awful; when you’re convinced that you haven’t got what it takes to be an artist. Believe me, you’ll work your way through it and one of those happy accidents will happen to you, and you’ll look at it in disbelief and wonder. And you’ll be an artist, and take it from me, there’s no better thing to be in the whole wide world.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Instructor Hank McLaughlin on sketching
Hank McLaughlin‘s Tips on Sketching
1. Why is it important to develop the habit of sketching?
John Singer Sargent once said, “Sketch your hand once a day and you will become an artist.” Use your non-drawing hand as a model – fingers spread out, making a fist, etc. This improves your hand-eye coordination. Nearly anything we observe in nature will make a model for a sketch…a tree, rock, apple, etc. It is not what you sketch, draw or paint, but how well it is sketched, drawn or painted. Developing a habit to sketch spontaneously and often will improve all other aspects of your art. Your finished drawings will improve and so will your paintings. It has been said that Rembrandt sketched and drew as he breathed.
2. What are the different uses of sketches?
A sketch may be of a detail that can be added to a painting…such as an animal or human figure. A sketch can be a wonderful way to design a painting’s patterns in a simple way, with or without color, before actually painting. Sketching is also a great way to study the natural world’s beauty whether or not it ever leads to a painting. Begin sketching simple subjects at first: an apple on a table, a leaf, rock, etc. Beginners often attempt to sketch too complex subjects at first and as a result lose interest in the valuable and exciting practice of sketching.
3. What are the best materials to use?
Soft 2B-6B pencils and a sketch pad are the basics, but pastels, oil pastels, watercolor, felt tipped pens, colored pencils and even acrylic and oil paints can be used for sketching in color. Color sketches are not necessary, but worth a try. The sketching itself, regardless of medium, is most necessary.
4. How often should I sketch?
Once you begin and see its value over time, you will want to sketch every day.
5. What size sketchbook should I use?
It’s a matter of personal choice. Many artists carry a sketchbook that will fit into a pocket for quick sketches of people or any subject that attracts you while traveling. Some use a large pad, 20”x 24” or larger, on an easel or propped against a chair for sketching in a life class on cheap newsprint paper. They use something soft like vine charcoal to make many quick sketches to study the human form in various positions. Use sketchpads or sketchbooks of any size in between to fit the situation.
