Drawing is one of the most important practices you can do as a visual artist.

In 2005 and 2006 I was studying in the Communication Arts department at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). While I was there I took  two life drawing classes with George Pratt. It changed my life. These classes were 5 hours long and we started out doing 5 second gesture poses and gradually worked up to one minute by the end of the class. It was impossible to make a good drawing in 5 seconds. That was the point; it relieves you from the burden of having to make a “good” drawing. It also teaches you to turn off your analyzing mind and trust your instincts. Thinking about drawing or worrying about what the outcome is going to be like is an obstacle to the act of drawing.  Once you know all the basics of drawing, don’t think, just draw. Your mind has all these ideas about what a person is and looks like that are going to get in the way and cloud your vision.

This style of drawing places the emphasis on SEEING what is in front of you. Drawing is about translating 3 dimensional information into 2 dimensional information. A huge percentage of “good” drawing or rendering is in learning how to see what you’re seeing.

This technique of “speed drawing” teaches you to get to the point of what you’re seeing, to really pick out what is essential and interesting about what you’re seeing.

To truly See what you are drawing. Without your idea about it getting in the way. Feel the essence of what you are drawing.

Georges pearls of wisdom about seeing and drawing are engrained in my mind: Make a statement with each line you put down, be bold, make each marke mean something. React to what you are seeing.

This kind of drawing will help you develop your “voice” You always hear artists talking about finding their voice, well, the style that emerges from this type of drawing is not contrived, it is your natural innate style of expression through drawing – your voice.

Now, I’m studying Painting in the MFA program at Laguna College of Art + Design. I’ve had the opportunity to mentor with Kent Williams (who happens to be one of my favorite artists). One of the first things he emphasized to me was the importance of drawing. I’ll never forget the example he used: Egon Schiele - can’t paint worth a shit, but people absolutely love his work because the drawing is interesting. He suggested drawing from life for at least 20 minutes a day or 3 hours a week and how important it is to keep that consistent. Like staying in physical shape through exercise, you stay visually fit through drawing.