I think there is both...."born with talent" and "learned talent" just depending on the individual.

When I was about 8 years old my friend, same age, could draw incredible sketches of hot rods and dragsters. At that age he had never had any training or classes, it just came natural. I really wanted to be able to do the same thing but it did not come natural to me, at all!
By about 13 years old I started taking drafting classes in school. First mechanical and then architectural. First thing I learned was how to print. By high school I had triple periods every day in architectural design. I wanted to be an architect.

Along came college and I realized I had not been trained enough in the math and engineering aspect of architecture. I was far behind the other students in my classes.
So I started taking more and more art classes and less (eventually stopping) arch classes.

Since it was 1969, there were a lot of other things influencing daily life like fast cars and girls, the music and drugs, etc etc and going to work and earning money for all of those things.

The fun and interest has never faded though and I still draw once in a while.
a pic.......

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1484337654.jpg

Now that I'm retired my hobby is building 1/24th and 1/18th scale garage and barn dioramas. To me more rewarding than drawing and keeps the learned part of architecture and art juices flowing!


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1484338001.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1484338157.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1484338191.jpg

Damn. Awesome work.

I am always learning too much and have to stop. I just spent 2 hours spec'ing out and researching where I can get the 5 different rivets needed to reassemble a set of 65 door frames. Once they come in, I will have to practice setting the different rivets on Pebble Beach chrome. It was foolish to think I could quickly learn how to draw and do it.

My sense is I will take pics of my own cars or from the web and then apply some Photoshop filters and additional vector art from Illustrator. Then give that to a professional artist for marker sketches. Definitely best use of time and ability.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1484345901.JPG




I've tried over the years to get it back. Will never happen I'm sorry to say.

You are clearly passionately about these dioramas, wow!

That's one reason I'll never be able to draw. I'm not passionate about it. The subject of future drawings and sketches, however, the passion is limitless.

I'm going to take a cue from Brenda Ueland's If You Want to Write...write what you know. I'll focus on what I know.

Enjoying the thread for what it's become.

Regarding writing what you know also applies to drawing. I have spent a lifetime learning how to see. So much so that my practice at seeing has overwhelmed my desire to draw.

To be sure drawing is satisfying but seeing never stops. Observation, comprehension and appreciation do not, however, produce a tangible result. Every single day I see something beautiful which is satisfying enough to me, especially since I am always disappointed at my results.

I keep trying, though.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1484348961.jpg

Thanks for the nice comments!

Crowbob....Great detail.

I will always remember one art instructor when I was in college (Humboldt State) that always had really good pot....the other thing I remember about her was she told me to draw the negative and you will end up with the positive. This made very little sense at the time, but I finally understood.

If you are doing a pencil drawing of your hand, draw everything else surrounding your hand. When you get through, your hand will appear! A little cryptic, but made me think in a different way of seeing things.

The first thing to consider is what you're wanting out of the process- creating art or doing design work where dimensionally accurate renderings are important. For me it's the latter.
I need to draw and sketch pretty much daily as part of the design process in my work (custom furniture) Charles Freeborn Fine Furniture and Accessories – Handmade Fine Furniture and Accessories . For me it's more of a chore that needs to get done in order to communicate to the client or as part of my visualization process when I'm working out how to fabricate something.
Way back before I drew on the computer I took manual drafting classes for those basic shop drawing needs. I'm still a reasonably good draftsperson, although my lettering still blows - never was good at that. Once, when a client was having trouble visualizing in plan and elevation, I got a set of perspective charts - just came across them the other day... They were 2 & 3 point at various angles of "perspective". You use them as a background layer with translucent paper on top.
Then I began drawing with CAD - only 2d for many years as affordable 3-d wasn't around yet. When I went to furniture making school (Wendell Castle in Rochester) we had a drawing and design class. The textbook was "Rapid Viz". I still highly recommend that as a quick route to being able to do basic perspective layout and renderings. It's soft cover - really easy to get into and follow. Begins very basic and goes to very involved. I think it's essential to be able to quickly sketch in perspective for your own purposes and especially if you're in design meetings with clients.
Now-a-days I do my quick sketching by hand, then go to the Mac and work in Form•Z, which is a 3-d modeling program that can output 2-d views to scale and dimensioned. I can also take photo images and turn them into surface "textures" - which means I can put a piece of wood on my scanner, get an image and then apply that woodgrain to surfaces in my drawings.
As for the skill of drawing, it's like any other muscle memory. Takes a big chunk of time up front to get the skills, then constant practice (daily if possible) to keep your chops up.

-C

There is a decent thread on infinity chan right now: https://8ch.net/b/res/6615426.html
-It will probably 404 tomorrow.
-Save the whole page, then use Bing(or another web-image-search) with the thumbnails to research any image further.

I tried to nail down the definition of "art" but couldn't.
It is everywhere, enhancing and describing everything, and using every medium possible.

Sammy, this email chain had me laughing out loud! Funniest thing I have seen in a long time.

I have been drawing and painting my entire life. "Drawing on the Right Side of Your Brain" is by far the best book on realistic drawing.