Picture Perfect: Why Drawing Is the Fundamental Creative Skill
I read a post on LinkedIn recently by a fellow designer who claimed that he couldn’t draw — and then immediately belied the claim by demonstrating how his sketched logos had been transformed in digital media. I believe his point was that the ability to draw is undervalued but ultimately moot for the modern graphic designer.
This subject has special resonance for me, being a former illustrator who migrated to the dark side more than 25 years ago. Though it’s not my means of livelihood anymore, I can still draw just fine. I just don’t have occasion to do so very often.
But I employ the skills developed through drawing every day in every way. Indeed, I can’t imagine how I’d be able to do my job without a background in hand-made drawing.
What skills does the ability to draw provide?
Perspective. I’m not just talking about a perspicacious view of life, but a working understanding of linear perspective. In a nutshell, it’s the art of rendering our three-dimensional world on a two-dimensional surface. It’s critical to the convincing introduction of an element that’s often lacking in page design: space. Too many designers only consider the possibilities offered by the x and y axes: “Should I move this to the left? How about up?” But what about in? Or out? Imagine the feeling of engagement as a reader experiences a true sense of depth, feeling that it’s almost possible to reach into the page and touch its components. It goes well beyond the addition of a simple drop shadow.
Composition. I suppose it’s possible to learn it another way, but the foundational principles used to help readers to navigate a page are exactly the same as those used to guide viewers’ eyes across a picture. Differences in scale, contrast and spacing all play their roles in establishing a hierarchy of information. And drawing provides another overlooked talent: the judgment to decide what not to draw. Just as a layout can’t cram in every related access point, a drawing must define the limits of its own level of detail.
Problem-solving. A side effect of drawing skill is the ability to see the world in sharper focus than the average person. Why? Because to an artist, every object, animal, or landscape is not merely the sum of its parts; it is a problem to be solved. There’s a vast gulf between the statements “Look at that thing,” and “How do I draw that thing?” And it’s the process of answering the second question that serves every artistic specialty. If you’re a designer, a sculptor, a photographer, a filmmaker, or a basket weaver, your ability to triumph in your own medium is greatly enhanced by the observational power conferred by skill in drawing. And I’ll go further: it extends to any creative pursuit. I posit that musicians, authors, actors and even dancers can express themselves with greater truth by learning to draw.
The best part is that it’s never too late to learn. Most non-artists hide behind a seductive lie that many believe to be perfectly valid: talent. “Talent” is merely a lazy person’s word for “experience.”
As a freshman at art school, I was thrown into a mix with students who, like me, had given over their childhoods to their love of drawing. But there were a few who snuck in under an admission loophole at the time — that a student could apply to the architecture program without submitting the same kind of portfolio as those who intended to pursue the other visual arts. It made no difference in the end. We all took the same foundation drawing classes during that freshman year, spending eight hours a day — and plenty of hours at night, too — on our feet, drawing. By the end of that year, every single one of us knew how to draw. There was no other option.
Anyone can do it. And if you ask me, everyone should. No, the world is not crying out for one more piece of artwork. We have plenty. But as individuals, we need all the art we can get.
Need further convincing? Drop me a line at scott@quartocreative.com. I can’t teach you to draw via email but I can sell you on the idea.
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