20 Steps to Artistic Immortality
As part of my 2007 goals, I signed up for a beginner’s art class at a local art academy. I don’t see myself especially gifted as an artist, so I figured this would be a great way to find out how right I am.
Guess what? There is a process to drawing! It isn’t just trance-like inspiration. The master artists, Cezanne, Picasso, Calder; they all started with drawing. It is the beginning, the genesis of all great paintings and sculpture. I learned more in that two hours than in the past two decades about lines, angles, apathy (danger!), and perfection.
1. Relax
2. Concentrate
3. Draw lightly
4. Big shapes first
5. Compare back & forth
6. Turn it upside down
7. Find mistakes
8. Put arrows down (next to mistakes)
9. Turn it right side up
10. Correct mistakes
11. Erase arrows
12. Check positive & negative shapes
13. Correct mistakes
14. Stop & rest
15. Check it again
16. Correct mistakes
17. Raise your hand & ask for help
18. Ghost your line
19. Add details
20. Ask for help one last time
Perfection, as defined in art, is ‘done right’. Perfection in business tends to go down the road of ‘analysis paralysis’ or delays to a product launch while everyone worries about getting everything “perfect”. This isn’t what we’re focused on.
As our instructor mentioned, “Everything you draw or paint, it should be able to be displayed. Work on it until you’ve perfected it. Apathy is your enemy. There are a lot of crummy painters out there. You don’t have to be one of them.”
Stumble it!
Joe Raasch :: Jan.23.2007 :: Leadership, Life, Performance Management ::
We can apply these 20 rules to any new endeavor in life. Often times I want the creative process to take 2 steps, but to truly have a breakthrough and perfection it is 20 steps. Can we allow for this much time and focus in the corporat business environment? That is my true struggle.
We look forward to seeing your art posted on the blog. Do you have any ideas what you want to draw- people, places, objects?