RELAXATION

So far we have been focusing on our minds, focusing on observation. Now we are dealing with what we see.

Our goal is to be able to draw lines loosely. Sometimes what we draw is very rigid. When we draw lines, we are so focused on being precise that our entire drawing loses its lightness. If we draw with forced control, we can still lose precision.

We need to relax a little and let our arms move more. If we draw too controlled, we will only use our wrists. But while this is perfect for small details, it is not as effective for outlining the entire drawing, for example. In this case, we can only move the pencil in a smaller range.

Instead, we should allow the lines to start from the elbow or even the shoulder.

(We can only draw the smaller details from the wrist or finger)

If we hold our wrists and move our elbow, we have a wider range of motion and greater control.

In fact, we have much more freedom of movement when we work from the shoulder and it is much easier to control the lines.

Another aspect worth considering is the amount of lines in the drawing.

Most people try to draw the ‘good’ line in one line and drag it into place. This is almost impossible. Instead, we should try to find the ‘good’ line by drawing several loose and light lines. We have a better chance of finding the right one among the faint lines and strengthening it and erasing the lines that are not light enough.

Use a bigger sheet of paper! Try drawing from your shoulder, elbow or wrist.

Feel the difference and simply enjoy drawing and sketching.

It’s not the end result that matters, it’s the feeling of the difference.

Just relax!