This is how I taught myself how to draw

[Rising Phoenix]

I found this paper in a copy in an old book I had that I was giving to charity.

I used to copy the pics from the Little House on the Prairie Books, illustrated by Garth Williams

I think I was about 8 when I did these


notice the man in the middle.....imagination takes over!

[la_chupa]

1. nice

I went through the Dummy how to draw book with what I consider success.

I'm not posting anything though. My "art" is a personal thing not to be shared.

[Rising Phoenix]

4. thats cool

[la_chupa]

20. I started drawing as kind of a dare

It was one of those survey questions, what do you wish you could do and what would you give up for it.

I said that I would give up the sense of smell if I could draw. People jumped all over me and swore that ANYONE can draw if you want to do it badly enough. I let them talk me into buying a sketch pad, pencils, and this book. I just love it. I take my little sketch pad hiking with me all the time. I've got a couple of things that I think are pretty good.

Now I'm trying to screw up enough courage to take a drawing class at the community college here in town.

scary though

[UndertheOcean]

21. +1

[woo me with science]

2. I remember those pictures!

That's Aunt Docia and the other aunt, right?

I forgot why Laura and Mary are scared there, and what Laura is doing on the right. That isn't the pig bladder balloon, is it?

[Rising Phoenix]

5. wow you do remember

yes the aunts are getting ready for the big dance

I don't remember why they were scared.....I think Pa was pretending to be a wild animal

That IS the big bladder balloon.

[woo me with science]

6. Your eight-year-old self did a nice job!

Thanks for the memory. :)

[Rising Phoenix]

8. thank you

and you are most welcome :hi:

[Arugula Latte]

17. Me too! I remembered those illustrations immediately.

I think I read each of the Little House books about three times each.

[Rising Phoenix]

19. hehe

I couldn't count how many times I read them..... I love those books, but I think I liked the pictures more!

[cleveramerican]

3. "you can draw anthing"

a little book with a yellow cover

show me how to draw people and faces and trains and cars and motorcycles and trees

I loved that book.. pretty thin maybe 100 pages, really wish I still had it.

I haven't thought about it in 40 years

thank you for reminding me of it

thank you Sister Catherine for giving it to me, way back when

[Tuesday Afternoon]

7. very cool --

:hi:

[Rising Phoenix]

9. thanks hon

:hi:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

10. honestly, I think you should frame that and keep it ...

at least keep something, if not that particular one.

[Rising Phoenix]

11. I think I might

It brought back so many memories this morning. Me, in my pink room, afraid to go to sleep, staying up all hours drawing and reading, drawing and reading. Night was my own little world.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

12. You should definitely keep it.

it is really a lovely momento. :hug:

[cleveramerican]

14. hang it where you'll see it every day

pick the one you like best, frame it, hang it in the bathroom.

I wish I still had some of my old ones, you are lucky as well as talented

[Rising Phoenix]

15. thanks

[NJmaverick]

13. Wow you had some serious talent for someone so young

:wow:

[Rising Phoenix]

16. why thank you

I have always loved drawing

[mopinko]

18. all education is essentially self education.

good job. i used to do the matchbooks.
definitely save a couple and frame them. wish i had a couple of my old newsprint tablet pages.

[KatyaR]

22. My dad used to copy editorial cartoons from the newspaper.

He would use leftover papers my mom would bring home from school. I don't have any of them any more, and I wish I did--he was really pretty good. Unfortunately he died before he could retire and spend his time drawing and such.

Me, I'd love to draw but I really don't have any talent--maybe I'll look up a couple of these books for kids and see if I can't get somewhere.

[david13]

23. That definitely shows talent at age 8. You must be super today.

At 8 I couldn't get my stick figures to stick together. I couldn't get the legs to go onto the body line. Oh well, I have other talents.
But I still can't draw.
dc

[alphafemale]

24. There was a Naked Alien at a dance in LHOTP?

I guess I missed that bit.

:hide:

[riverdeep]

25. Hey, your post inspired me to dig out my old drawings...

(at age 11, don't remember the particular airplane)



(at age 11, Thor from the comic books)



(at age 13, a study of the Sunday cartoons of the day)



(around age 14, some random model in a magazine)



(at age 16, Arthur Holly Compton - a physicist)



(at age 17, an interpretation of Keith Richards)



I look back at some of these things and I cringe cause I can see all the flaws - the bad proportions, etc.

Your drawings at age eight are quite amazing. Even at that age your lines have both authority and personality.

As for me, I used to love to draw, but I haven't drawn since my teens, other things took over and I got distracted.

edit: the airplane in the first picture is an F-105, like it says on the bottom right-hand corner, duh