1:  New Gallery Carvings
2:  Guest Article - Notes on Drawing
3:  Japan
4:  Miscellany:
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3  Guest Article - Notes on Drawing

I always glad to find people readers of this newsletter who are freely willing to share their knowledge and skills with us, and I'm very pleased to bring you these thoughts on learning to draw by a Finnish artist and designer.

There is no doubt that some skill at drawing will always be a great help to woodcarvers and if you do have a go at learning to draw, it can only benefit your carving. Unfortunately, many carvers, if not actually freaked by the idea, will put up all sorts of barriers.

Just remember 4 things:

• You never have to share you efforts with anyone else if you don't want to!
• Drawing is a skill; thus, it can be learned
• You only need what you need; a skill level for what you want to achieve. And, often, that's not much
• Decide you are just going fun, drawing doesn't have to be painful

Many times I've thought that woodcarvers might benefit from some advice on drawing.
Between 1990 and 2002 I studied to become an artist, and spent quite a lot of my time learning this skill: drawing, and I'd like to share some thoughts and pointers here.

The first thing to realise is that there is no 'correct' or 'proper' technique of drawing.
The main thing you'll need your drawing to do is convey an idea, and we can only judge the drawing by whether it succeeds in that.
Obviously, if you want the drawing to depict and convey what you have seen in a realistic way, we need stricter criteria but, even so, you don't need a 'correct' technique.

If you have a look and compare the sketches of Rembrandt, Van Gogh, or Edgar Degas; or a craftsman like Ettore Maiotti (whose books on drawing are great but in my opinion a bit too strict); or the Swedish master Anders Zorn (whose prints look messy close but come alive from a certain distance) you will quickly see what I mean.
My point is that you can basically do whatever you like, as long as it produces a result you like - so relax and enjoy!

For example, here's a good, quite free-spirited technique that actually resembles painting:

1:  Draw the outlines and other important features as well as you can.

2:  Spray lightly with fixative and smear charcoal all over the paper.

3:  Add some darker shadow to where you need it.

4:  and then bring out the light where you want with a sharpened eraser. (I think a white 'Läufer' is great for this.)

But a much more important thing than technique is seeing: being able to convert the subject from three-dimensional world into the two-dimensional medium (paper or canvas).

There are a few major things you need to think about, all equally important:

1: Perspective.

The principle is simple: objects closer to the viewer look larger than objects farther away. Additionally, the illusion is linear, so that equally tall vertical poles, say, on a level surface and at different distances from you appear to diminish in a regular fashion towards 'vanishing points' on the horizon.
Much has been written about perspective, check out your library and the web.
Perspective doesn't have to be very strict, but if there's something seriously wrong with it, the illusion of the drawing will suffer.

In other words, if you manage to catch a form correctly on paper, the viewer will instantly recognize it.
Think first impressions.

Details can be tricky. I had a teacher in a croquis class who taught me a quick and easy way to see and draw them.
('Croquis' is the quick and sketchy drawing of a live model, usually taking only a few minutes, after which the model changes pose and another croquis is drawn.)

I'd strongly recommend a croquis class if you can find one. The technique I was shown was drawing without looking at the paper at all - not a glance! It seems pointless at first, and the drawings will be messy. However, do it at least twice a week and you will learn to see the forms more clearly; your hand and eyes will learn to work together, so to speak.
Looking at the paper ruins the concentration, since you naturally start worrying about the outcome. With this practice, you learn to see what really is there, instead of what you think is there, and that's the most important thing. I noticed that even my first 'blind' croquis drawings were full of perfect detail.
It really doesn't matter that the details are not interconnected - the only reason for this practice is to develop the eye and coordination. In fact, I'm fairly sure that if you train this technique long enough, the drawings will begin to gain coherence - but even if they don't, it doesn't matter as you will gain confidence for longer studies.

Just like carving, drawing is about light and shadow. The outlines are there to make drawing easier, and to add some strength to the most important features.
A drawing could be made without outlines, but it would take far more time, and the result wouldn't be as bold as with outlines.

A valuable practice is to start with simple forms, such as a cardboard cube (or any other cubical object, for instance a light-colored matchbox), and try to lay down its perspective and light values. When you master such simple forms well enough you can turn to more complicated objects, like the human figure. And here, a good idea is to draw statues first - they never move!

Just like any art form, drawing requires a lot of patience and, of course, practice.
Prepare to spend some years with it before you are satisfied. I made the mistake of thinking learning to draw well would be quick and was very frustrated at times. If you are not satisfied with a drawing, just draw another!

Unless you attend a drawing class, a good idea is to buy some books on the subject and really try the methods. As I said at the beginning, there are many methods and approaches so spread your net: you will have a richer experience and are likely to stay more interested and focused.

Say you are starting a project from scratch. You have your subject matter and you want to make it into something carveable. Here's what I would try:

1:  Draw some primary sketches, in many different styles: realistic, romantic, exaggerated, caricature, dramatic, angular, smooth. See how many different versions you can come up with.

2:  Play with the subject. Add and subtract features; anything you can invent is good, since it adds to your own interest.

3:  Let it rest for a while, and then pick one or two styles you like best. It's almost always a good idea to have pauses from the work. The subconscious mind often comes up with results all by itself.

4:  Make further drawings in those styles, this time with more time and effort. Do this until you're satisfied, or don't want to continue.

5:  Give it another rest - as long as you like, need or can.

6:  Then try to find the final form.

There are many books on drawing that will give you much more detailed methods and different ideas than these. In particular I'd recommend beginners to Ettore Maiotti, for technique.

Finally, the main thing: have fun drawing!  

3  Japan

I'm hoping to visit Japan later this year, or early next. I want to see some of the finest woodcarvings in the world and, if possible, visit Japanese woodcarvers.

If you can help me plan in anyway, either with thoughts on an itinerary or your experiences, carvers to visit, exchange possibilities, grants, anything! - I'd appreciate hearing from you.
You can simply reply to this newsletter email (changing the subject line please).

Thanks very much.  

That's it!

Please forward this newsletter to a woodcarving friend, and anyone else you think might be interested. Thanks!

Joy and success with your carving.

                                                              Chris Pye  

 
PS: One for the Bench:

"We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit."

           ~ Aristotle

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