Article Five - The Importance of Sketching

Drawing Lessons: The Importance of Sketching

Sketching is the fundamental building block for an artist.  It is used to develop a personal visual vocabulary.  Sketches are visual exercises in problem solving and provides the opportunity to:

• hone your observational skills
• exercise and develop mark-making skills
• encourage selectivity
• experiment with new techniques and expressive possibilities
• create compositions and various lighting effects

Sometimes sketches are indecipherable to anyone but the artist, nothing more than scribbles.  Other times, they can become a finished artwork.  But most of the time, sketches are just snippets of thoughts or an impression of an idea.   For an artist, sketching is the most uninhibited and free-est form of the creative process.  Sketching is an art form in itself and gives insight into the artist’s soul.  While sketchbook journals are often shared, they can also be kept personal like a diary.

Creativity and Ideas

Ideas are usually fragile and last just fleeting moments.  They occur at anytime and unless written down or sketched, they can dissipate quickly.  Carrying a sketchbook and pencil allows the opportunity to capture these ideas.   Just a few words or a quick sketch is usually enough to capture the thought. Then at a later time, they can be explored, nurtured, and matured to their full artistic potential.