{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"","standfirst":"As a society, we\u2019re slowly learning to let go of our perfectionism; lopsided lockdown loaves and collapsing crafts are testament to the fun that comes when you just get stuck in. Drawing, however, is often seen as something different, something for artists, something you have to be good at. Why pick up a pencil (or a paintbrush, or a lump of charcoal) if you\u2019re not sure what you\u2019ll produce?","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/6787/play.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080,"altText":"","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u2018If there\u2019s one thing I wanted to get across in my book, it\u2019s that even a two-minute drawing is better than no drawing at all,\u2019 says Clara Drummond, award-winning artist. If you\u2019re anything like us, this will come as a relief.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We all struggle with perfectionism, with the blank page,\u2019 suggests Clara, no stranger to the expectation of an empty canvas. \u2018But learning from your mistakes is so much more valuable. When you think something isn\u2019t good, that\u2019s usually the most interesting piece.\u2019 And it\u2019s true \u2013 if Clara wanted perfection, Drawing and Seeing would be a \u2018how to\u2019 book. Instead, it\u2019s a \u2018go do\u2019 book, full of experiments and ideas \u2013 an antidote to our picture-perfect-obsessed times.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn many ways, Clara\u2019s book is part of a movement: swapping smartphones for sketchbooks, Twitter rants for diaries, scrolling for scribbling. It\u2019s an ode to the beauty of sketchbooks (something Clara has valued since her days as an art student) and the benefits of having one.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018There\u2019s something very powerful about drawing, focusing on something so completely that you forget about everything else. That connection to yourself and the natural world is so important. You\u2019re drawing things how you see them \u2013 not how they look on Instagram.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe could all use an opportunity to step back from everyday worries and the world around us and check in with ourselves right now. If the potential wellbeing boost isn\u2019t enough to persuade you to give it a go, you might want to think about the potential career benefits. LinkedIn (the world\u2019s largest professional network) analysed data to determine which skills companies need most. They found that creativity topped the list in both \u003Ca href=\u0022https://learning.linkedin.com/blog/top-skills/the-skills-companies-need-most-in-2019--and-how-to-learn-them\u0022\u003E2019\u003C/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https://learning.linkedin.com/blog/top-skills/the-skills-companies-need-most-in-2020and-how-to-learn-them\u0022\u003E2020\u003C/a\u003E. Organisations need creative sparks who can think on their feet and find new ways to bounce back \u2013\u0026nbsp;skills any keen sketchbook owner has plenty of chances to practise.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIf you\u2019re convinced of benefits of giving drawing a go, safe in the knowledge you don\u2019t necessarily need to create a masterpiece, you might be wondering where to start. If, like us, it\u2019s been a while since you picked up a pencil, Clara\u2019s ideas might be the helping hand you need to get going. No one\u2019s too big or too small to try Clara\u2019s exercises. It\u2019s all about being creative, letting go of expectations, and seeing what happens when you put pen (or twig) to paper.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStart simple \u003C/strong\u003E(two minutes)\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EChoose your subject, let all other thoughts fall away and focus on looking. Draw swiftly, using different pressures and marks to describe what you see. Let the lines flow to the edges of the page. Take up as much space as you need.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMemory musings \u003C/strong\u003E(four minutes)\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EChoose your subject. Look at it for two minutes without drawing: just concentrate on looking and not thinking. Then, with the charcoal, draw from memory for two minutes without looking at your subject at all.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStrange shapes \u003C/strong\u003E(ten minutes)\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFind a weed \u2013 any weed will do. Either draw it then and there, or bring it home and place it in a glass of water. If you\u2019re not able to access outdoor spaces, why not try a piece of fruit or veg or a houseplant? Try to amplify, rather than diminish, the scale of your drawing.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWax is back \u003C/strong\u003E(fifteen minutes)\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EChoose a subject that has strong contrasts of light and dark. Draw on paper with a white crayon. You\u2019ll need to make the marks quite heavy. Then, brush ink over the whole page to see your drawing appear. You can use a clean cloth to wipe away any excess ink.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThat\u2019s handy \u003C/strong\u003E(two minutes)\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPlace your non-drawing hand next to your sketchbook. Choose one colour crayon and draw your hand with one continuous line. Draw right off the edge of the page. Try not to judge your drawing, just focus on capturing the main shapes of your hand.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELooking within \u003C/strong\u003E(four minutes)\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESit in front of a mirror making sure that your face is well lit. Take two different coloured crayons and decide which will be your light and which will be your dark. Focus on where the areas of light and dark are and sketch your features.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEvery cloud \u003C/strong\u003E(four minutes)\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EYou\u2019ll need a brush, a jam jar of ink, a jam jar of water and paper towels. Brush water over a double-page spread, then look up at the sky and find clouds to focus on. Start to draw the clouds with the ink, capturing what you see. Let this drawing dry before you turn the page.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESticks and stones \u003C/strong\u003E(five minutes)\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFind a stick and, with a jar of ink, use the stick as a dipping pen to draw your chosen subject. Try to use the whole double-page spread and experiment with the different marks that you can make with this simple tool. If you can\u2019t get outside to find a stick, why not use the end of an old toothbrush or wooden spoon?\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"30 May 2020","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[],"relatedLinks":[],"id":48513,"nodeName":"Releasing your creativity","title":"Releasing your creativity","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/6787/play.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd0e02add0","caption":"Play (1)","type":"jpg","size":527012,"width":1920,"height":1080,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Releasing your creativity","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80ODUxMyJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2020/may/releasing-your-creativity/"}