Can you be taught/learn how to draw/paint or do you have to be naturally talented?

[beeonmybonnett]

I’m itching to join an art class at my local community centre, as a hobby, and get to draw/paint pets and landscapes. I reckon it would be really therapeutic and enjoyable - plus I’d get to meet new people too!

The only problem is that unfortunately I was not gifted with the ability to be able to draw/paint! I can just about draw a stick man!

Would there be any point in me signing up to an art class? Is it really something that you can be taught and learn to do? Is it the same as not being good at maths, studying it for gcse then suddenly you’re really good at it? Or do you just have to be naturally talented at it and if you’re not, there’s nothing you can do about it?

I absolutely believe you can learn. 100 per cent - I had no natural talent, but I learned through tons of practice!

There is an absolutely fabulous book to teach anyone to draw by Betty Edwards, "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain". There's a workbook version that you can draw in. Really good to start off with and you'll feel much more confident in class.

Also (and I am going to say this because it came as something as revelation to me in my mid-30s, maybe it's blimmin obvious to you ...) - you are allowed to do stuff you're not good at if they bring you joy!

You can learn to draw and paint, definitely.

Not saying you'll necessarily win the BP portrait prize but it's not about that.

You can be taught shape, perspective, proportion, colour, how to use different media.

I agree that school Art teachers seemed to focus on those with glaring natural ability, same as PE however I did A Level Fine Art at college and a foundation course after showing creativity but not massive promise in terms of drawing a brilliantly recognisable face or whatever. Just being shown the ropes made a huge difference.

Not saying I'm brilliant at all by any stretch but going from essentially guessing what to put on the page to being able to translate subjects into shape etc is like learning where the pedals are on a car.

Also look into artists, what links them, the concepts behind their work, what you like and don't like.

If you are interested in faces or bodies then I think an understanding of anatomy and structure is what I think sets the great apart from the decent. Obv no need to go that far down the road just yet but if you were looking at the work of one of the masters and thinking 'how the bloody hell did he do it?'.

My art teacher is always saying "draw what you actually see not what you think should be there " 😂

Yes you can be taught, I've been going to a class for about 4 years and people couldn't draw at all now produce lovely work. A class also enables you to find your on style and find out what you mediums you enjoy. It's fun and relaxing too.

If you are interested in faces or bodies then I think an understanding of anatomy and structure is what I think sets the great apart from the decent. Obv no need to go that far down the road just yet but if you were looking at the work of one of the masters and thinking 'how the bloody hell did he do it?'.

It's also important to remember that the masters played to their strengths, and the ones which were rubbish at feet for example, tended to avoid doing them - just do above the waist, or have sn artfully arranged piece of fabric in the way. Also, the studio system meant they didn't do it all - often others did the backgrounds in portraits etc. So if it turns out there's something you just can't seem to get to grips with - don't worry about it. Happens to the best, too.

Yes you can be taught but you must be willing to listen to criticism and suggestions of ways of trying things out. I’ve taught a lot of art and the only ones that don’t get better are the ones who stick to what they think they know.

Go for it! I took up drawing and painting again recently, I had a course of lessons at night school which taught all about mixing colours, shadows, perspectives, the rule of thirds - simple yet amazing things that make such a difference to a picture. I'll never be a portrait painter but I have found a love of line and wash in a 'loose' style and I'm very pleased with the results (mostly!). There are so many mediums too - watercolour, acrylic, pencils, line and wash, abstract, pastels.... Just enjoy your class and yes you can learn and improve from them, but then paint as much as ypu can, there are some great YouTube tutorials.

Oh yes, as @DollyTubb I was going to say, there are so many mediums so if you don't get on with one, don't hesitate to try another - I always wanted to do watercolour, but really can't get on with it, got a bit downhearted about it, then tried pastels and turns out they are by far my thing! Night and day :)

I believe the drawing etc can be taught, its the 'vision' thats natural talent. I have aphantasia, so I just can't imagine how things will look or where to put things in relation to eachother so I'm shit and always will be! 🤣

I’m an engineer and drawing is how we communicate to build buildings. To say I was rubbish when I started doesn’t begin to capture it but it is a skill which I honed over time. I know it isn’t the same as life drawing etc but if I can learn to draw from the low base I started at anyone can.

Funnily enough, I have aphantasia and I think it helps me with portraits (what I do mainly) because I can only draw what's in front of me. But that's for realistic artwork.

I would never be able to do abstract art, of course, as I can't imagine a picture!

If you can I would recommend going away on a short drawing for beginners course so you can spend two or three days intensive. I went on one with HF Holidays about 10 years ago. By the first coffee break I was ready to give up and go home but by the end of the first day I had started to produce recognisable drawings. At the end of day two we had done a range of things from drawing piles of boxes to work on shading and perspective, to drawings of celebrities. I'm very proud of my Clint Eastwood. And I had the confidence to go away and carry on drawing. I'm not amazing but I love it. We held an exhibition for the people on other holidays and it was also a great confidence boost hearing people being nice about your pictures.

I was thinking the same the other day and I came across a wikihow course online which starts with drawing shapes and lines then shading and building up to pictures of animals and people in movement. I’m going to give it a go when I get round to it!

I think that, yes, 100%, you can improve substantially with practice and being taught the techniques properly. I've watched a lot of arts/crafts things on Youtube etc., and it does seem most of it is about learning techniques rather than an in-built ability.

I think it's another thing, like sports, where there are far too many poor school teachers teaching it that leave their pupils with a hopelessness and sense of failure.

Lack of the right equipment is also a major factor. Far too much emphasis on drawing things to make them like a photo, i.e. copying or trying to replicate a picture which realistically, the vast majority of people can't do, and anyway, that's not what art is about.

It's techniques like layering that are so important, and also starting with the background rather than the close-up subject. That's just stuff you can learn yourself and requires no "artistic ability" at all.

My OH hasn't an artistic bone in his body - couldn't even draw a stick man. But, he has a hobby - model railways, that involves a lot of creativity, craft, and, yes, art! He basically builds "3D" artworks in the form of hills, buildings, waterways, backgrounds, etc., which are very impressive indeed, often built from waste plastics/cardboard to build the 3D effect, then lots of scatters, paint, resin, and finally topped with people, vehicles, animals, etc. etc., all done in context to basically "tell a story". He once said he was useless at anything artistic and I took him into his train room and told him to take a look - then it dawned on him, just because he wasn't drawing/painting a picture didn't mean that what he was doing wasn't "art".

I started a love of art very late in life after visiting the VanGaugh museum in Amsterdam and listening to the audio guided tour which explored his early life, inspirations, challenges, etc. Prior to that, I just thought he was a nutter who chopped his ear off and drew a picture of yellow flowers. I came out, literally, a different person, after learned how he used revolutionary/exploratory techniques and materials, how artists of that era did lots of self portraits because they couldn't afford models, his inner turmoils, etc.

I can now spend hours just messing around and enjoying myself, being proud of my amateur artistic attempts, once I was free of the straight-jacket of thinking I had to draw accurate representations of what I could see, i.e. trying to replicate a picture. That's basically what I was taught at school! So wrong!

@Doopydoor

Betty Edwards! Thanks
.https://www.drawright.com/

Not Betty White, I did have her confused with a Golden Girl 😂They do look a bit alike though.

Ah, I started a similar thread this morning. I didn't see this one.
I've had some brilliant advice on there, not sure how to link - but it's in chat called 'Learning to draw - useless'

Was just coming on to post a link to @biggerboat's thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4864261-learning-to-draw-useless?reply=128154281

Word of warning: don't expect it to be "therapeutic and enjoyable" to start with - there's a lot of frustration and wanting to tear up your work and put it in the bin (I once had a teacher who banned us from doing that, but I managed to sneak it in the bin when she was out of the room). You'll know you've made progress when you're past that stage. And when you realise you no longer feel any anxiety about trying to draw, that's when you know you've become competent.

Drawing is a skill, like playing the piano, being a good cook, riding a bicycle.

Some skills are easier than others, but they are all acquired. Some people are better at some things than others; they are the ones we call gifted.
Noone is born knowing! Ever seen a baby with a pencil in their hand ? Of course not. Drawing is an acquired skill that anyone who is motivated enough can learn.

Joining an art class in RL is the best way to learn. It is fun, you will meet all kinds of people and you will learn something.

Art can bring so much to your life.....

Absolutely, it's all down to practice really. Even without "proper" tuition, you can still practice, practice and practice to become competent, and sometimes even excel. That's whether it's art, music, sport, etc.

Just look at how many successful pop singers/musicians can't read music or were never formally taught to sing or play an instrument. They just practiced and practiced for huge amounts of time to learn their trade. (And, no I'm not talking about "one hit wonders" or talentless slebs, I'm talking about accomplished performers who've had long careers and respected by their peers).