Are artists born?

[Brengirl]

Just some random thoughts from an ex art teacher!
Being an artist is more about approach than any intrinsic ability to draw or paint. Take a camera to capture ideas / shapes/ colours as you go round - then use these for later reference / inspiration and practice in your sketch book with the picture in front for reference. You will soon discover if you are more reflective or spontaneous in sketching. Drawing is no more than wandering round the page with a line (taking a line for a walk). A lot of the garden sketches featured earlier can be done with a ruler and template - so dig around for a template! Introduce yourself to water colour by using water colour crayons - they are great! (You colour in then blend with water!) And it is as much about the parts you leave blank than the colours you fill in (looking through half closed eyes is a good way of assessing these).
Now you've got me started

So what makes you an EX Art Teacher, once one always one surely. xxx

[FionaH]

(looking through half closed eyes is a good way of assessing these).
Now you've got me started

More art tips please

[Snadger]

Cut and paste is a wonderful tool! (And I ALSO believe artists are born!)

[FionaH]

(And I ALSO believe artists are born!)

Indeed they are Snadger, the rest of us mere mortals practice and swear, a lot

[bobleponge]

Hi 5's for Snadger

[Jeanied]

Don't listen to the cynics, Piskie. I said it was all about approach, didn't I? - it's pretty clear why they don't think you can learn to be an artist!
Re drawing - find out what you like to use first!
I think a good starting point for you would be to line up all the different drawing things you can find (fine pencil, soft pencil, crayon, chalk, felt tip, charcoal, pen and ink, or paint and brush) and just experiment. Doodle a lot! That will give you some idea of what you like to work in best. I discovered that I am best with really messy drawing things like ink and paint - even clay! Some people are much more drawn (sorry ) to the fine point of a HH pencil/ draftsman's pens etc. Some people like to mix and match. I am really fond of the technique of using tracing paper to trace a very simple starting point from somewhere (book, magazine, photo) and then sticking the basic tracing down on your page and embellishing from there.
nuff said

[tamsin]

Have you seen what most kids drawings look like? You're seriously lucky if you get a neck and your eye balls aren't bigger than your feet. I'm sure there is an element of 'talent' involved but there is a lot of learning too.

Don't look at the finished pieces as a whole, they'll just frighten you. Everything is just made up of simple shapes. So if you can draw a circle or a square you can produce something at least passable.

[RedThorn]

I believe true artists are born not made irrelevant of the discipline. However, with practice and time and effort, one not born to it can get really close! So stick it out and go for it. I just might mean you have to practice a bit more is all.

[Jeanied]

Just wondering if we would all have the same answer if we asked 'are cooks born not made?'

[RedThorn]

wounded! for me, a truely talented cook is an artist Jeanied!

[Jeanied]

Aah, yes RT, but does that mean you can't teach someone to cook?

[Snadger]

Just wondering if we would all have the same answer if we asked 'are cooks born not made?'

I was thinking more along the lines of footballers!

On another tack, I wouldn't mind betting that a lot of draftsmen (draughtsmen) couldn't draw freehand very well and a lot of architects could?

[Two_Sheds]

Art teaches you to see properly ... A camera is a good recording tool but sketching makes you really observe something, properly study it.

Watercolours are good for garden design, because they're transparent: you can still see the pen lines underneath the colour. Watercolour pencils are ideal, I would have thought. Easier to carry round than pots of water.

[binley100]

Only just seen this thread. I went to college in my thirties to study HNC in Textile Design . Our sketchbooks consisted of all sorts from little sketches (even very basic) to bits of stuff stuck in even chocolate wrappers etc if the colour went with what we were getting ideas for Tissue paper was good cos if you glue it with lots of PVA you can make the colours run ad layer different colours etc. So basically our sketch books were just used as an inspirational aid.Photos, pics from magazines anything to inspire how you want to plan and design your garden.

[Two_Sheds]

I agree Binley: think of sketchbook more as 'scrapbook'. I still have some of mine from college (I did Textiles too)