I am a practicing artist and have an MEd in arts education. The way children draw is so creative and amazing because they are examining their worlds with scientific curiosity and representing the relationships between what they observe. One exercise I sometimes do with adults is ask them to draw something from their mind—a mushroom, a leaf. Then we draw the same subject from a photo. Lastly, each person draws the thing from life (mushrooms are very inexpensive in bulk and also so enjoyable to examine!) Comparing the three results leads to amazing discussions
Thank you, Bogdan. I always appreciate your insight and find myself looking forward to your blogs on art. This post, in particular, brought back memories of a critique from a class I took with you. I remember your feedback on a piece I had done for a fabric assignment, it was a realistic rendering of a small section from a much larger arrangement of fabrics displayed on stage.
As you describe in your post, I suppose that piece could be considered a “copy” in the way you define it. I’ve always been drawn to detail. The act of sitting closely with a canvas, getting lost in the precision of lines and subtle shifts in colour and light, it’s deeply meditative for me. When I work this way, I enter a kind of trance state where even breathing becomes secondary during moments of focus.
But here’s the thing:l, for me, realistic art isn’t just about copying what I see, whether from a photo or a still life. It’s about problem solving, like working through a math equation. I’m constantly asking myself, How do I recreate the texture, the light, the form? How do I translate what I see onto canvas? This process gives me a sense of control and peace in a world that often feels chaotic and unpredictable, even within myself.
Yes, realism is technical, and yes, some might argue it can be taught. But to develop this level of skill takes an extraordinary amount of patience, not just with the hand, but with the whole body. It’s an immersive experience and I don’t think everyone is built for it.
I do agree with your point about the importance of stepping back to assess the whole composition. For me, this often leads to altering the work significantly from the original reference. The result may look realistic, but it’s no longer just a copy, it has become something personal.
This style may not appeal to everyone, but I believe it is both valid and creative. Creativity doesn’t always have to be loud or abstract. Sometimes it’s found in the quiet and meticulous act of translating what we see. For me, the value of art lies in what the process gives me, not in what others might take from it. If it were only about pleasing others, I’d just take commissions or make art for profit. I can’t tell you how many people just recently have asked me to create art for them that’s messy and loose, abstract. You’re right, they don’t care about the labour, they don’t understand it therefore can’t appreciate the process aspect of art. Doesn’t matter what style, realistic and meticulous or abstract, often they just want something quick and cheap other wise the comment I get often, is how hard is it to just slap some paint on the canvas? As long as the colours match the rest of my home decor. I can even do that.
In the end, my practice is about bringing a sense of order and calm to the chaos within. The journey—through every obstacle, every challenge, every deliberate stroke—is where the meaning lies. Whether the lines I draw are loose and expressive or tight and precise, every one of them is a step toward that peace I’m searching for.
I miss your class tremendously, Bogdan. I learned so much from you, as you truly pushed me to apply exactly what you write about in this post. That experience expanded my skills in ways I’m still grateful for. Although I had to step away from my studies at OCAD, I’ve continued to take on new challenges for myself with each piece. Your influence still reflects in the way I approach my work.
Nice to hear from you , Oli and thank you for your thoughtful comments. I don't mean to say that there is something wrong with doing detailed work. I like doing details too! I am only talking about a system of working to make sure that the details fit well within the whole. If you take care of the structure then, go ahead and do as much detail as you want.
But ultimately, your art is your journey and whatever you do, is okay!
I recently started drawing my chameleons, all of which are gone now, but I wanted to remember them and pay tribute to them, because they were a big part of my life. I found a spiral bound pad of high quality paper that my brother gave me for Christmas years ago; I don't know why - I am not an artist. Anyway I started teaching myself how to draw (chameleons exclusively) and I had two rules:
1. I am not going to seek out any tuition or tips, either online or elsewhere. This is going to be a pure expression of love and grief.
2. Everything I start I must finish. Nothing gets thrown away. I want to end up with a sketchpad full of drawings of my chameleons.
I can get down the basic pose and proportions. There is always a lot of revision at this stage which I actually rather enjoy because it is instantly rewarding when you get it right - moving the spine further away from the line of the belly; adjusting the bend of the head; messing around with the eyes and so on. The more you look, the more you see. The early construction lines are seldom the final construction lines.
There will always be something slightly out sync as if the drawing is documenting the second before or after the photo that I am using as reference. I have learned to go with that, after all I am trying to capture a living subject.
Thank you. Such a relief to hear you say something I have felt instinctively but have not thought I could use as I can be unsure of myself trying to create this way. I will have another try.
Honestly, first, I’m offended by the article pinning these mistakes/characteristics to self-taught artists and amateurs without acknowledging their intentions and love for art inspite of their circumstances and limitations.
However, I’m also really thankful to you for writing this piece. I have been trying to sketch with just negative space and wondering if others do that as well and this piece validates my process. Looking forward to more of these in future.
There are many ways to draw and this is just one of the ways. The most important thing is that, whatever way you do it, it's fun. If you want to improve your observational drawing, then this is a good way to do it. You can be offended or you can just be curious about what you don't know yet. Being a beginner is a brave thing that means you can withstand the awareness that there is a lot you don't know. And, knowing that you will make mistakes you still go on the path of learning.
I always wanted to articulate what is was that put me off those hyperrealistic drawings online and this explains it perfectly. Personally I prefer to capture the essence of something, not create a photographic copy. Realism is a great exercise in technique, but I prefer art that somehow reveals the artist's style and personality. As for my own drawing? A lot of it is now muscle memory, but if it's something challenging then I always lightly sketch shapes and outlines then add detail later. Still getting to grips with 3-D and shading though. I also try to capture personality, even in objects and nature. It helps me if I think about what that personality is rather than be bogged down with detail. Suspect this comes from me always drawing people when I was younger.
Bogdan, you've nailed the problem. Very astute explanation of why photo-realistic renderings don't display artistic flair. I saw a beginner post a misshapen watercolour of his late wife beside the photo he'd tried to copy. He wanted advice on how to make her smile look like his memory of his wife's smile. People often have incredibly high expectations of results and little interest in developing the skill of really looking before they start buying paints.
I worked summers during art college fifty years ago as a sidewalk portrait artist. People used to ask us if that celebrity had actually been here. We weren't all awful. The awful one I worked next to was the one who used to finish the eyes first (often misaligned) and get the onlookers to gasp when he put the highlights in the eyes, licking his white pastel pencil first. Even though his likenesses were poor, he made the most money. People were taken in by his slick blending.
What four years of fast life drawing and summer quick portrait work did for me was make me a very successful cheap-and-dirty marker layout artist and much, much later, textbook illustrator.
Just once I taught a class of adult beginners for ten nights. I was pretty surprised how well they could capture a house plant on the last night. I used all the first-year exercises I recalled and they worked. However, it was clear that most of them had found out how much effort it took and none had plans to explore various media.
I often think about this as I find parallels in my journey as a seven-year beginner piano player. I was lucky enough to have a teacher for four years who constantly reminded me to 'stop listening to the result' and kept the exercises simple, based on a foundational musical vocabulary. His program was radically non-traditional, but for me it was just like learning to draw at The Ontario College of Art.
Love this, thank you, Lynn, for telling me your story! I agree with you that expectations can greatly shape your experience and can easily lead to disappointment. I think a good teacher can manage those expectations for you and give you a frame work and steps to work towards realistic goals.
I was in a class with Janine Yankowski on the Gulf Coast of Florida when "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain," was first available there. Janine was testing it on a conglomeration of rank beginners and accomplished artists, all in the same room: Her 90 F. Lanai along the bank of the Peace river in Charlotte Harbor. Although I had no intention of going, I went to the class because I was visiting my family and my mother thought it was perfect for both of us. I felt the opposite and went protesting vehemently in my head. I had no interest in art, even though my mother always did. Theater? yes. Dance? yes. Poetry? You Bet! Drawing? Not a snowman's chance in a Florida July.
Within 3 hours everything changed. I would never be the same. We started at the very beginning of the book. Moved on with the "Eye," "I," "I." Just 2 hours later, Janine had me drawing heart born, and simultaneously tactile/visual/auditory images from life, with skill. I had never heard of Synesthesia. Yet on that day, I knew it in my bones and it was wondrous. I felt something alive, real, passionate and all mine. Yet, all I could put together were the words, "I feel like I can breathe again for the first time." It felt other worldly: but it was me, coming home to myself for the very first time. Although it might make no sense to others, every artist in that class knew what I meant and also knew that it had told me just exactly who I was. It was the greatest gift I have ever received. Janine passed away from cancer not long after that. I was never able to truly thank her. The wonder kept unfolding. But now I thank her every day and I thank her here, because you use the same honest wisdom; the same language. You have the same heart. And I know that others will hear your words and follow them home to themselves. Thank you, Bogdan. Thank you.
Wow, what a story! Thank you for telling me about this, Judith - a very special memory and I am so pleased to hear that you have had such a clear moment of recognition where drawing allowed you to get in touch with an inner part of your life experience. Love it, so glad to have you here!
Love this! I’m Harrison, an ex fine dining industry line cook. My stack "The Secret Ingredient" adapts hit restaurant recipes (mostly NYC and L.A.) for easy home cooking. Dm me if interested in a recommendation swap — we’re growing fast!
Your writing really hit a chord with me. I sketch nature regularly. I do sketch from photographs and from memory often. But, I do my best when I let myself sketch “as I see it”. So, seeing it live, and sketching it from notes and observations. I do focus on realism, but there is a liveliness to the subjects I draw from real encounters, that I couldn’t explain. Thank you for your thoughts!
This pretty much describes what I do. I go from the most general towards the specific and stop when there’s enough to sell the idea. I may make a few marks at first to set proportions and from there break it down.
I am a practicing artist and have an MEd in arts education. The way children draw is so creative and amazing because they are examining their worlds with scientific curiosity and representing the relationships between what they observe. One exercise I sometimes do with adults is ask them to draw something from their mind—a mushroom, a leaf. Then we draw the same subject from a photo. Lastly, each person draws the thing from life (mushrooms are very inexpensive in bulk and also so enjoyable to examine!) Comparing the three results leads to amazing discussions
Love that, thanks for telling me about it, Kate! Children's drawings are great!
This is a brilliant idea i will enjoy playing with!
Thank you, Bogdan. I always appreciate your insight and find myself looking forward to your blogs on art. This post, in particular, brought back memories of a critique from a class I took with you. I remember your feedback on a piece I had done for a fabric assignment, it was a realistic rendering of a small section from a much larger arrangement of fabrics displayed on stage.
As you describe in your post, I suppose that piece could be considered a “copy” in the way you define it. I’ve always been drawn to detail. The act of sitting closely with a canvas, getting lost in the precision of lines and subtle shifts in colour and light, it’s deeply meditative for me. When I work this way, I enter a kind of trance state where even breathing becomes secondary during moments of focus.
But here’s the thing:l, for me, realistic art isn’t just about copying what I see, whether from a photo or a still life. It’s about problem solving, like working through a math equation. I’m constantly asking myself, How do I recreate the texture, the light, the form? How do I translate what I see onto canvas? This process gives me a sense of control and peace in a world that often feels chaotic and unpredictable, even within myself.
Yes, realism is technical, and yes, some might argue it can be taught. But to develop this level of skill takes an extraordinary amount of patience, not just with the hand, but with the whole body. It’s an immersive experience and I don’t think everyone is built for it.
I do agree with your point about the importance of stepping back to assess the whole composition. For me, this often leads to altering the work significantly from the original reference. The result may look realistic, but it’s no longer just a copy, it has become something personal.
This style may not appeal to everyone, but I believe it is both valid and creative. Creativity doesn’t always have to be loud or abstract. Sometimes it’s found in the quiet and meticulous act of translating what we see. For me, the value of art lies in what the process gives me, not in what others might take from it. If it were only about pleasing others, I’d just take commissions or make art for profit. I can’t tell you how many people just recently have asked me to create art for them that’s messy and loose, abstract. You’re right, they don’t care about the labour, they don’t understand it therefore can’t appreciate the process aspect of art. Doesn’t matter what style, realistic and meticulous or abstract, often they just want something quick and cheap other wise the comment I get often, is how hard is it to just slap some paint on the canvas? As long as the colours match the rest of my home decor. I can even do that.
In the end, my practice is about bringing a sense of order and calm to the chaos within. The journey—through every obstacle, every challenge, every deliberate stroke—is where the meaning lies. Whether the lines I draw are loose and expressive or tight and precise, every one of them is a step toward that peace I’m searching for.
I miss your class tremendously, Bogdan. I learned so much from you, as you truly pushed me to apply exactly what you write about in this post. That experience expanded my skills in ways I’m still grateful for. Although I had to step away from my studies at OCAD, I’ve continued to take on new challenges for myself with each piece. Your influence still reflects in the way I approach my work.
Nice to hear from you , Oli and thank you for your thoughtful comments. I don't mean to say that there is something wrong with doing detailed work. I like doing details too! I am only talking about a system of working to make sure that the details fit well within the whole. If you take care of the structure then, go ahead and do as much detail as you want.
But ultimately, your art is your journey and whatever you do, is okay!
Beautiful article! So much to learn from it, even if you are not a visual artist. Loved it.
I recently started drawing my chameleons, all of which are gone now, but I wanted to remember them and pay tribute to them, because they were a big part of my life. I found a spiral bound pad of high quality paper that my brother gave me for Christmas years ago; I don't know why - I am not an artist. Anyway I started teaching myself how to draw (chameleons exclusively) and I had two rules:
1. I am not going to seek out any tuition or tips, either online or elsewhere. This is going to be a pure expression of love and grief.
2. Everything I start I must finish. Nothing gets thrown away. I want to end up with a sketchpad full of drawings of my chameleons.
I can get down the basic pose and proportions. There is always a lot of revision at this stage which I actually rather enjoy because it is instantly rewarding when you get it right - moving the spine further away from the line of the belly; adjusting the bend of the head; messing around with the eyes and so on. The more you look, the more you see. The early construction lines are seldom the final construction lines.
There will always be something slightly out sync as if the drawing is documenting the second before or after the photo that I am using as reference. I have learned to go with that, after all I am trying to capture a living subject.
I love this, thank you for telling me the story! So great to find a meaningful drawing subject and invest it with so much time and attention. Bravo!
Thank you. Such a relief to hear you say something I have felt instinctively but have not thought I could use as I can be unsure of myself trying to create this way. I will have another try.
Happy to help and would love to see your drawing attmepts!
Very well stated and articulated. Cant wait to see where you go with this.
Superb, so much so I will keep this for I know it will act as an excellent reminder. Thanks.
Honestly, first, I’m offended by the article pinning these mistakes/characteristics to self-taught artists and amateurs without acknowledging their intentions and love for art inspite of their circumstances and limitations.
However, I’m also really thankful to you for writing this piece. I have been trying to sketch with just negative space and wondering if others do that as well and this piece validates my process. Looking forward to more of these in future.
There are many ways to draw and this is just one of the ways. The most important thing is that, whatever way you do it, it's fun. If you want to improve your observational drawing, then this is a good way to do it. You can be offended or you can just be curious about what you don't know yet. Being a beginner is a brave thing that means you can withstand the awareness that there is a lot you don't know. And, knowing that you will make mistakes you still go on the path of learning.
This is a great insight - relationships rather than details. Definitely something I needed to be reminded of as I pick up drawing again.
I always wanted to articulate what is was that put me off those hyperrealistic drawings online and this explains it perfectly. Personally I prefer to capture the essence of something, not create a photographic copy. Realism is a great exercise in technique, but I prefer art that somehow reveals the artist's style and personality. As for my own drawing? A lot of it is now muscle memory, but if it's something challenging then I always lightly sketch shapes and outlines then add detail later. Still getting to grips with 3-D and shading though. I also try to capture personality, even in objects and nature. It helps me if I think about what that personality is rather than be bogged down with detail. Suspect this comes from me always drawing people when I was younger.
Love it, sounds like you have the right idea. I'll have a lot more to say about all of this in my Drawing Tuesday section.
Bogdan, you've nailed the problem. Very astute explanation of why photo-realistic renderings don't display artistic flair. I saw a beginner post a misshapen watercolour of his late wife beside the photo he'd tried to copy. He wanted advice on how to make her smile look like his memory of his wife's smile. People often have incredibly high expectations of results and little interest in developing the skill of really looking before they start buying paints.
I worked summers during art college fifty years ago as a sidewalk portrait artist. People used to ask us if that celebrity had actually been here. We weren't all awful. The awful one I worked next to was the one who used to finish the eyes first (often misaligned) and get the onlookers to gasp when he put the highlights in the eyes, licking his white pastel pencil first. Even though his likenesses were poor, he made the most money. People were taken in by his slick blending.
What four years of fast life drawing and summer quick portrait work did for me was make me a very successful cheap-and-dirty marker layout artist and much, much later, textbook illustrator.
Just once I taught a class of adult beginners for ten nights. I was pretty surprised how well they could capture a house plant on the last night. I used all the first-year exercises I recalled and they worked. However, it was clear that most of them had found out how much effort it took and none had plans to explore various media.
I often think about this as I find parallels in my journey as a seven-year beginner piano player. I was lucky enough to have a teacher for four years who constantly reminded me to 'stop listening to the result' and kept the exercises simple, based on a foundational musical vocabulary. His program was radically non-traditional, but for me it was just like learning to draw at The Ontario College of Art.
Love this, thank you, Lynn, for telling me your story! I agree with you that expectations can greatly shape your experience and can easily lead to disappointment. I think a good teacher can manage those expectations for you and give you a frame work and steps to work towards realistic goals.
I love this discussion. Thank you so much.
I was in a class with Janine Yankowski on the Gulf Coast of Florida when "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain," was first available there. Janine was testing it on a conglomeration of rank beginners and accomplished artists, all in the same room: Her 90 F. Lanai along the bank of the Peace river in Charlotte Harbor. Although I had no intention of going, I went to the class because I was visiting my family and my mother thought it was perfect for both of us. I felt the opposite and went protesting vehemently in my head. I had no interest in art, even though my mother always did. Theater? yes. Dance? yes. Poetry? You Bet! Drawing? Not a snowman's chance in a Florida July.
Within 3 hours everything changed. I would never be the same. We started at the very beginning of the book. Moved on with the "Eye," "I," "I." Just 2 hours later, Janine had me drawing heart born, and simultaneously tactile/visual/auditory images from life, with skill. I had never heard of Synesthesia. Yet on that day, I knew it in my bones and it was wondrous. I felt something alive, real, passionate and all mine. Yet, all I could put together were the words, "I feel like I can breathe again for the first time." It felt other worldly: but it was me, coming home to myself for the very first time. Although it might make no sense to others, every artist in that class knew what I meant and also knew that it had told me just exactly who I was. It was the greatest gift I have ever received. Janine passed away from cancer not long after that. I was never able to truly thank her. The wonder kept unfolding. But now I thank her every day and I thank her here, because you use the same honest wisdom; the same language. You have the same heart. And I know that others will hear your words and follow them home to themselves. Thank you, Bogdan. Thank you.
Wow, what a story! Thank you for telling me about this, Judith - a very special memory and I am so pleased to hear that you have had such a clear moment of recognition where drawing allowed you to get in touch with an inner part of your life experience. Love it, so glad to have you here!
Love this! I’m Harrison, an ex fine dining industry line cook. My stack "The Secret Ingredient" adapts hit restaurant recipes (mostly NYC and L.A.) for easy home cooking. Dm me if interested in a recommendation swap — we’re growing fast!
check us out:
https://thesecretingredient.substack.com
Your writing really hit a chord with me. I sketch nature regularly. I do sketch from photographs and from memory often. But, I do my best when I let myself sketch “as I see it”. So, seeing it live, and sketching it from notes and observations. I do focus on realism, but there is a liveliness to the subjects I draw from real encounters, that I couldn’t explain. Thank you for your thoughts!
I love it, I am happy to hear that you found resonance here! Thank you for sharing your experience.
This pretty much describes what I do. I go from the most general towards the specific and stop when there’s enough to sell the idea. I may make a few marks at first to set proportions and from there break it down.
Excellent advice-- stalk and stay loose!! 👍😊