Drawing Under Quarantine: Fostered Skills & Advice for Newcomers
Angelica Frey / WNW Member
In the height of quarantine/shelter-in-place/social isolation advisories, the adult population seems to have found solace in their need for manual and craft-like activities. The New York Times recently published a feature on the surge in baking.
Well, it is known that drawing is, in a way, not too different from baking. Reaching for paper, pen, and pencil can be as task-focused as following a recipe, and both baking and drawing are goal-oriented activities meant to yield a concrete result.
“The quarantine is the best thing that happened to me so far this year (I hope nothing bad changes that),” WNW Member Kaloian “MZK” Toshev, whose art celebrates female beauty, tells us. He’s been drawing daily, sometimes even completing two works a day and started sharing his art and works-in-progress on Instagram after a long absence from the platform. “I’m studying a lot and learning new things, elevating my spirit to higher levels and finding my mission in life. As an artist, I don't have a big problem with not socializing and not seeing my friends for a long time.”
I asked artists from around the world-- in the WNW community and beyond-- what skills they’re fostering during quarantine and what advice they have for amateur illustrators who caught the drawing bug. Personally, I’ve been drawing my whole life but I am, by my own admission and according to others’ feedback, pretty bad at it and most of my writing is about the arts because writing about art and artists helps me live vicariously through them.
Selfishness aside though, these tips can provide some attainable goals or challenges to people in search of motivation, especially now that freelance creatives are under the whims of unstable budgets. “The quarantine measures to keep the public at home has affected my practice in a number of ways,” says WNW Member Jovanna Tosello, a digital illustrator and animator. “Freelance opportunities have slowed as businesses tighten their spending as an economic recession looms.” Freelancers are, however, known for being quite nimble when it comes to managing (and weathering) the ebbs and flows of commissions. “As a freelancer, I am used to having a flexible mindset when it comes to the consistency of the workload, which tends to be fairly unstable,” says Flavia Biondi, an Italian graphic novelist and illustrator who, recently, co-authored with Ann Nocenti the neo-noir Ruby Falls for Dark Horse comics and is a revered mainstay in the Italian graphic-novel scene with slice-of-life stories focused on Italian millennials. “Yet, it’s quite impossible not to be frustrated at the thought of being unable to plan anything long-term.”
“Freelance creatives are under the whims of unstable budgets. They are, however, known for being quite nimble when it comes to managing (and weathering) the ebbs and flows of commissions.”
The only thing one can plan long-term is self-improvement. Here are some actionable and attainable tips for amateurs and professionals alike.
Look for a source of light!
No, this is not a wellness article nor the Disney/Square Enix Saga Kingdom Hearts.
We mean a source of natural light that’s accessible from wherever you’re hunkering down. This is the advice of Richard Burrowes, a photographer, illustrator, and the host of the physique-centric Drink & Draw at Rebar Chelsea. As an illustrator, he is mostly focused on the human figure, especially statuesque bodies reminiscent of renaissance paintings and sculptures, with just the slightest cartoonish element. One thing he recommends mastering is lighting and shading, and no mathematical formula works better than observation. “Find a window that has light, maybe even to sit there and draw. Put anything in that ray of light and then draw it because artificial light in an apartment is not beautiful as sunlight,” he said. “Practicing shadows and lights can really help anyone.” You can use any object for this purpose: a rumpled sweater, one of the houseplants we’ve all been hoarding, a mug, or a banana. “It's just the study of light and dark: that's something that can transcend any subject… I learned how to shade the body from shading a piece of cloth. “
“Find a window that has light, maybe even to sit there and draw. Put anything in that ray of light and then draw it because artificial light in an apartment is not beautiful as sunlight. Practicing shadows and lights can really help anyone.”
Put that Selfie Camera to Good Use, for Once
Back when I was young and reading a lot of manga, I clearly remember that the authors would use 1/3 of a page to doodle about their own practice and their creative process. In one instance, one mangaka drew herself in the act of making distorted faces into the camera and taking pictures of herself (it was pre-iPhone, so she would bend her arm in unnatural angles to get the face right). Illustrator Judith Kim shares a similar bit of advice. “One good skill an aspiring artist can learn while being stuck at home is learning how to express and pose in a mirror or a front-facing camera and then draw it,” she says. “Taking selfies is always fun in the comfort of your own home, but it's also useful for learning how to do perspective, expressions, and the like.” She suggest trying selfies in different lighting and extreme angles, indulging in funny or ugly facial expressions, dance poses in a long mirror/bathroom, and all that. “I’ve found it super helpful for human anatomy. You can always reenact your favorite comic pose and use it as a good reference.” It’s a sound piece of advice, especially for those who want to engage in virtual storytelling such as graphic novel or animation.
Take advantage of Zoom!
And, speaking of cameras, now that our professional and social lives depend on conference platforms such as Zoom, as depressing as it might be (I find virtual happy hours quite jarring), we might as well take advantage of it. “I wasn’t used to that system but it is quite easy and I’m getting more ideas related to my art,” says Fuki Funakoshi, a Colorado-based illustrator whose art ranges from dance-inspired silhouettes with Disney princess hair in bloom to a cartoonish gang of pink cats known as “Mews.” Burrowes, who, on top of being an illustrator, teaches at ICP and had to move his teaching online, found this set-up an unlikely source of inspiration as well. “While they're showing their work and I am critiquing their work, I sit there and do quick watercolor portraits of them,” they said. “I try to do it without telling anyone and I try painting as many of them as I can.”
Copy! It’s fine, provided it’s educational
Why do we like to draw? “You're likely interested in learning how to draw because of some specific artist you adore or a style/period of art that just hits home for you,” says Amsterdam-based artist and WNW Member Simon Flöter, who favors flat colors and a semi-realistic style for his art and is currently quarantined in New Zealand. “Your real desire at first is to be able to create that exact thing you love by yourself.”
In that case, Flöter suggests going back to middle-school art classes, where students are given an artwork to copy as closely as possible. “So just take your favorite piece, look at it as closely as you can, trace it, copy it, try to replicate it by hand. Read about it if it is that kind of art people write about,” he said. “You will learn a lot about which techniques you'd have to learn, which medium, and so on.”
To be fair, you'll also find that your attempt will suck in comparison to the original. ”Find out why it sucks. Try again.”
“I actually want to develop some more skills that are ‘indirect’ drawing skills, like how to come up with a good subject, how to get and use better inspiration.”
Go Beyond Technical Skills
No art form exists in a vacuum, especially drawing/illustration. Visual artists are storytellers as much as writers, and, without external sources of inspiration, technical proficiency can only go so far. “I actually want to develop some more skills that are "indirect" drawing skills, like how to come up with a good subject, how to get and use better inspiration,” said Simon Flöter “So maybe I'll look at other disciplines like creative writing and see how I can apply those teachings to my drawing practice.” Jovanna Tosello agrees with this mindset. “I’ve taken the extra time to balance my everyday practice with educating myself towards other creative ventures,” she said: specifically, she has been using Skillshare to learn Motown bass lines. “This morning before work, I learned how to play the bass line for ‘I Wish’ by Stevie Wonder.”
Fuki Funakoshi subjects her cartoon cats, the Mews, to humor-laden trials such as dance routines with aerial silks. And here is where her advice comes in. In these times, one should… create their own memes. “Note anything you feel is funny or strange,” she said. “Sketch what you see: it doesn’t matter if the drawing is not so beautiful or clear.” Don’t feel like drawing humans? Replace them with cats or dogs, pandas...etc. “If drawing is too challenging, use photos from magazines and make a collage, and don’t forget to put a speech balloon.”
And Use This Abundance of Time Wisely
“Having too much time on your hands to practice can be both exhilarating and dispersive,” says Flavia Biondi. “So my advice would be to get organized even when it comes to educating yourself and going more in-depth: write down a list of small, weekly goals and try to honor them. It helps forge one’s personal discipline and professionalism, which is one of the most necessary skills for an illustrator.”
WNW Member Kaloian “MZK” Toshev, who specializes in female portraiture he draws with ProCreate, is much more direct in his advice. “I would say almost anyone knows, or feels deep inside, what they need to learn next,” he said. “You just have to be honest with yourself, sit on your ass and do it, and, like, do it every damn day till you master it. Now is the perfect time for that.”
Illustration by WNW Member James Clapham