For Judy

Cover: Study of one model in three poses, oil on canvas.

2014 Walter W. Wright

DRAWN FROM LIFE

Learning to draw, re-kindling creativity, and moving beyond limitations

Walter W. Wright

Drawing is fundamental. It forms the basis for painting, printmaking, and sculpture.
You can make art without it, of course, but it is part of a long and vital tradition.
The drawings in this book were made over a period of about fifteen years, when
I made a serious commitment to learning to draw. Most drawings are from my
sketchbooks or from life drawing classes. With some exceptions, they appear in
rough chronological order. Some later became the basis of paintings, prints and
drawings. I also taught art at this time and exhibited my work.
About ten years ago, my career took a different path and I no longer easily found
time to make art. These drawings have been in storage for almost a decade. When
I took them out recently, I realized that they were worth harvesting for their artistic
merit - and also that they told a larger story. I overcame a lot of self-doubt and
struggle to create them and, in this process, I believe I learned a lot about living
a better life.

I.
A blank sheet of paper is exciting and possibly frightening. The untouched surface
is perfect, clean and pure how dare I violate it with a mark? Perhaps I will create
something worthy or perhaps I will only ruin a perfectly good piece of paper. That is
the way my mind works.
You may have also struggled with the act of creation, whether its drawing, painting,
writing or music. Or perhaps just making dinner. Or starting a relationship. You
wonder is it worth it? Am I crazy? Will I fail? Will I be laughed at? Do I dare
take a risk?
Being creative, in life or in art, is not an easy path. Each of us who takes this path
will struggle. Many start and stop. Some will remain outside the circle, criticizing
those who plunge in. No matter what you do, there will be others who do it better
than you, maybe even most. But you can make your mark. You may regret it if you
dont, and its never, never too late to make an attempt. Start the journey, and learn
to appreciate the beauty of your flawed, human effort.
Put that voice in your head that tells you that you are not good enough aside. Go
ahead and make your mark.

Early sketchbook drawing from life in a public space. Using a hard drawing pencil on a fine Japanese
paper made a light, silvery line, so I could refine my work as I drew.

II.
When I was young, I drew a lot. I loved it and I found it very useful during boring
classes. I invented whole worlds to escape into epic battles, robots, exotic cities
all more real and more vibrant than the drab institutional classroom environment.
Eventually, I began to get attention for having talent, and I started to think of myself
as special. However, the more praise and attention I received, the more I feared
disappointing others, and the harder it became to please myself. During my later
school years, I drew less and less and I began to struggle. After a disappointing art
class in college, I became particularly hard on myself. Everything I did just seemed
ugly. I could no longer tap into the joy that drawing had given me. I became an artist
without art.

During this time I became depressed and socially anxious. Friends seemed to have
found their direction, enjoying themselves, establishing careers and using their
talents, and I felt that I had failed to find my way. I no longer felt special.
For the next five years or so, I lacked direction, dipping in and out of classes and
schools, trying out different career paths. Always I was bothered by a nagging
emptiness. Though there are separate reasons for my sense of personal and artistic
failure, they are related. I eventually found my way. The story of my way out
artistically is, in many ways, also the story of my way out personally. Both involved
changing the way I think, learn and view the world. Taking on the challenge of
learning to draw ultimately made my life better.
With the help of friends and teachers I reconnected with my creative self, learned to
forgive myself for imperfection, and to appreciate the process of mastering a difficult
skill. Perhaps you have struggled with your own creativity, your confidence and
your direction. My hope is that sharing my drawings and my thoughts about what I
learned along the way may be helpful. By learning how to take on a challenge, we
can grow, overcome self-doubt, and become part of a vibrant community.

III.
A journey of a thousand miles
begins with a single step Lao-tzu

If not a step, that first mark on paper, first note of music, or first shared smile with
a stranger. That line, note, or smile each represent a risk. By taking action, you are
saying yes instead of no; you are willing to be an actor, not just an observer. You
are drawing a line in the sand; you are saying, Here I am.

Early sketchbook drawing, pencil on paper. People absorbed in reading can be drawn unnoticed. It is
the reason so many of my first drawings were done in a library or coffee shop. This drawing is modest
and awkward, and yet it pleased me, as it does still. I later incorporated it into a painting.

When I decided to reconnect with my own creativity and began to draw again, often
the hardest part was just getting started. I had to learn that inspiration came later. I
needed to be willing to say, Here I am, aware of my strengths and limitations, and
unafraid to reveal them in my drawings.
By the time I started making art again, I had wasted years in self-doubt. I yearned to
be creative, and yet I was afraid to take the risk. I wondered if I was an artist at all. I
hoped I had something to contribute if I could just get started. Giving up would be
the easy route, but that would only guarantee that I would never know what I was
capable of. Start wherever you are is good enough.

Early sketchbook drawing, pencil on paper, at my mothers house. My hand, my mothers dog, Bill.

I am not exactly sure when things changed; I just got fed up with inertia. I took that
first step, and then the next, and the next. There were concrete actions buying
a sketchbook, sharpening pencils, taking classes, reading and studying, meeting
others who were also trying to make art. Of course I still felt self-doubt, but I also
received encouragement. Most of all, I began to treat myself with at least as much
respect as Id offer a stranger.

Early sketchbook drawing, pencil on paper. Double portrait of a young girl reading, public library.

I began to bring a sketchbook with me on drawing expeditions. My first tentative

efforts to capture a moment in time were in public places restaurants, coffee
shops, the bus, the beach anywhere I could draw unobserved. The line is tentative,
exploratory, and sustained in brief bursts. It seemed enormously difficult. Yet I was
proud of every effort and often satisfied with the result. I was learning to enjoy
drawing again.

Opposite and overleaf: early sketchbook drawings, pencil on paper figures at the beach, triple
portrait of a stranger, double portrait of a man reading, public library.

IV.
Learn to suspend judgment Gene Epstein, artist and teacher
This is easy to say and hard to do. My teacher said this to me at just the right
moment, and it stuck with me. Im quoting her, because its her voice I still hear when
it is needed.
There is plenty of time to look through your work and judge it as being either good
or bad, but while you are actively making it, put that aside. It is all too easy to listen
to that critical voice, but putting it on hiatus while youre actually doing the creative
work is a good idea. Dont interrupt your flow.
Learning to draw means learning to be objective; to learn to see without judging,
moving from moment to moment without negative mental chatter. It is also to learn
how you see, and dont see, accurately. Over time drawing becomes more natural,
you can assess without negative judgment and adjust in a kind of a mental dance a
duet of doing and thinking.

Life drawing studio, standing model. Pencil, ballpoint pen, ink on paper. In this drawing, I was trying to break
free of my tendency to be careful, risk-averse, and controlled. I would draw with my left and right hands, with
sticks dipped in ink, with my eyes closed anything to pull me away from my own fear of failure and expose
me to taking risks. Some drawings were great, some awful, but that is not the point. The point is freedom,
acceptance, and confidence.

V.
There is no failure, only feedback Robert Allen
At some point, your judgment will reassert itself. Your friends and family will weigh in
as well. Learn to think of your failures as rich opportunities for learning. Remember
that there are no straight lines in nature everything curves, spirals and weaves.
Your path will not be linear, but organic. Appreciate your best work and your less
successful efforts and find gentle humor in your own human lack of perfection. Savor
both, and share with equal gusto.

Life drawing studio, seated model. Ink and pencil on paper. This drawing has strong, linear elements,
and is expressive and well-observed. Its a bit crude, but at the same time has power. Not every good
drawing is perfect; learn to enjoy your noble failures.

VI.
Focus on pieces of the whole, where edges occur.
See each part joined to the next like a jigsaw puzzle
Slow down. Draw only the edges you can see the figure against the background,
internal lines, wrinkles. Match the movement of your pencil on the paper to the slow
movement of your eye along those edges. This is a way to be mindful, to really see,
and to intentionally slow down. You learn that you have control over your experience
of seeing and drawing flows from that. The more you do it the easier it becomes and
the better you will be.

Life drawing studio, seated model, pencil on paper. This drawing focuses on edges and the
relationships of parts. It could be a jigsaw puzzle. I later turned this into an intaglio print, etched on a
zinc plate and printed on paper with a press. I really enjoy the way the hands intertwine, the rhythm
of cloth arching over the thighs, and the feet nestled together.

Follow the edges, and the shapes will be revealed

I accidentally discovered this ability when I was a child, but could rarely access it
with any level of consistency. Mysteriously intermittent, it was frustrating not to be
able to access it regularly. Practicing this skill, learning to observe edges, parts and
how they relate, is the royal road to drawing.

Life drawing studio, seated model. Ink brush pen on paper Japanese ink pens with a flexible tip,
simulating a brush. I like these because they have the fluidity of a brush, without the need to dip in
ink. I also liked that I had to commit to a line no erasing or eliminating evidence. The drawing has
a strong linear element and a note of color, much like the Japanese woodblock prints that provided
inspiration for this piece

VII.
Concentrate on movement and gesture
capturing the moment,
responding without conscious thought
No mind. Be in the moment and embody the movement. We are human, and we
unconsciously experience the movement of others in our own bodies. Become aware
of this and use it.

Opposite and overleaf: life drawing studio, models in active poses. Pencil and ink on paper. These drawings are
typically done as part of the warm-up for a longer pose. They often last two minutes or less. The way to master
them is to use the sense of sympathetic movement feel the pose, and your hand responds. Dont think too
much. Learning anatomy and studying the proportion of the human body is important, but you need to put
that aside for the moment and focus only on the flow of energy in space, the movement and thrust of the body
in action.

VIII.
Expression, empathy and freedom
Observing the surface is not enough. Drawings that focus only on anatomy and
movement are empty. Intuit the feeling observe those micro-expressions that flit for
a moment across a face.

Life drawing studio, portrait. Pencil on paper. In this drawing, I focus on the planes of the face, the gesture of
the expression, exaggerating linear elements as well as expressive qualities. I am inspired by the Cubist drawings
of Picasso, looking at the face as if it is a mask carved in wood, seen from several angles simultaneously. At the
same time, I wanted to honor the lively personality of this young woman.

Use your power to know without knowing. Respond in the moment to the mood of
the person that you are drawing and you are in the moment yourself, being yourself
and empathizing with the other. Dont be afraid to feel, and to feel others feelings.

Life drawing studio, double portrait. The Japanese ink brush pen forces me to be concise, and to
commit. I wanted to capture the expression of the man, as well as the play of shadow and light, and
the positive/negative spaces implied.

IX.
Concentrate on the parts making up the whole
Positive space is taken up by the object while negative space is the space around it.
Learn to see the shape of the negative space; it will often be easier to read as a
shape than the object itself. Then the shape of the object becomes apparent.
Integrate the parts with the whole, the negative and positive space. Be aware of
light, color and shadow.
The process of drawing, seeing and capturing the moment, is itself worthwhile. It is an
experience of flow, an altered sense of time, a rapt emptiness. Following the focused
period of concentration, awareness returns with a sense of pleasure and mastery.
The poet Kahlil Gibran wrote that children come through you, but not from you. I
often feel the same way about drawing, that I am a conduit for the creative process.
The best drawings are a combination of Apollonian discipline and Dionysian
freedom, of Yin and Yang, of controlled effort and spontaneity. The drawings that
please me the most hold these elements in dynamic tension. Drawings that are too
formal and controlled are stiff and dead, but too much unfettered freedom and
emotional content often become ugly. The more I draw, the more I get it right; the
challenge is to learn to enjoy the process and reserve judgment until later.

Opposite and overleaf: life drawing studio. Pencil, ink and pen on paper. In each of these, I was trying to
integrate the whole the parts fitting together, the model in space, the dark and light of figure and
ground. I am now drawing at a high level; I am engrossed. When I stop, I sometimes feel a sense of
awe; my drawings sometimes exceed what I thought myself capable of doing. But dont linger here
too long, move on to the next

X.
Establish routines and rituals

I find it useful to have mechanisms that reinforce my creative work and help me to
overcome my own doubt and inertia. Scheduling a solo sketching jaunt for an hour
or two, joining a class, setting up a special space to make art, or just sharpening
pencils all help me to get myself into the frame of mind I need. Inspiration may
come later.

Life drawing studio. Pencil and ink on paper. Quick gesture drawing, pose of two minutes or less. Gesture
drawings may be warm-ups, but they can also stand on their own.

Life drawing was an important part of my ritual for a number of years. I was ready for
this traditional challenge, the core of the western academic tradition. Life drawing
is rooted in the Renaissance, in science and art, anatomy and observation. For
painters and sculptors, drawing was used in preparation. They were ephemera, work
objects. Drawing was the practical means for capturing visual information in the time
before photography. In time, drawings were collected in appreciated for their own
special qualities.

Life drawing studio. Pencil and ink on paper. Gesture drawing, a linear exploration of proportion
and anatomy.

Life drawing falls in and out of fashion, but there are few better tests of the artists eye.
We are all experts in observing the body moving in space, in facial expression in
so many ways, our survival is dependent upon it. We are social animals and need to
read each other accurately for possible threat, for help, for love.

Life drawing studio, pencil on paper. This closely observed drawing was done in 20 minutes,
with a goal of seeing how the body parts relate to each other in space in perspective. To help,
I might have sighted the relative sizes of the head to the hips by holding my pencil out with
my arm fully extended, marking the visual size of each part of the body with my thumb
on the pencil. I also may have used a piece of plastic or glass with a grid marked on it. By
viewing the model through this device, I might see proportion more accurately. I would also
have lightly drawn a corresponding grid on the paper.
After a while, you can set these practices aside; youve internalized the process.

XI.
Critical thinking
There are two intertwined marketplaces for art the world of ideas, and world of
commerce. You may participate in one or both, but realize they are both products
of culture.
There is no word for art in many indigenous cultures. This is not because people were
not making art, but that art was so intertwined with living that it was not seen as
something separate. Whatever was created was made as beautifully as possible,
embellished, and imbued with magic. Your clothes, songs, stories and objects would
all express how you see the world. Art and life are one.

Life drawing studio, portrait. Ink brush pen on paper. This was a longer pose consisting of three
20-minute sessions, with a short break in between. I started with a light sepia tone to establish the
proportion and structure, and finished with black to establish shadow and expression. I was excited
at each phase of the work, and filled with awe when complete. I had transcended my previous efforts,
establishing a new benchmark for my work.

In our western society, art is separate from life. From the Renaissance onward, art
has occupied a special place, joining scientific precision with emotional power.
Increasingly sophisticated understanding of perspective, anatomy and visual
effects allowed drawing and painting to become a part of the scientific method
of observation, anticipating photography. Art was created to celebrate and bear
witness, to honor power, status and wealth. Artists became a priestly class, educated
and apart. Their work increased in monetary value as it became a more specialized
activity; in the modern era, price itself has become the dominant value, since art can,
in a sense, be anything.
Feel free to participate in the world of ideas but be cautious of the world of commerce.
We value what others have put a price on, but how many artists, musicians, writers
and performers fail to find success in the market? If a work is not purchased, is it
without value? And if your work does sell, then you may be captured by success,
afraid to deviate from what others want, trapped into replicating your past.
Do it for yourself first. Accept shifting market and cultural value as interesting
information, but not as the ultimate value. Suspend judgment, view your work over
time, and value it primarily for what it brings you.

Sketchbook study, Europe. Portrait of Charlotte. I traveled to Italy to study painting, drawing
and printmaking in my final year of college. I scheduled a month of travel in Europe via train and
backpack before classes began, and Charlotte sat for this drawing on the steps of the youth hostel
where we met. I was very pleased with this drawing, and I later incorporated it into a painting.
Note: the shadow drawing that bleeds through from the other side is visible, due to the thin paper I
used. I tend to enjoy these happy accidents. They are all part of the process.

XII.
Beauty

Life drawing involves extended observation of people, clothed and unclothed. Allowing
strangers visual access to your body is a generous act on the part of the model. The artist
may be challenged with their own feelings and ideas about power, sexuality, and beauty.
The models I have drawn represent a wide range of humanity. Some are conventionally
attractive but many are not. Some are moonlighting and some are pros. I have drawn
a model with one arm, a pregnant woman, professional dancers and actors. Its a
partnership between artist and model; its not easy to sit or stand in an extended pose
for a room full of strangers. Good models are active participants, sharing their ideas
about poses, costumes and drawing angles. They love seeing the product of their work
with the artists.
Over time, my conception of what is attractive broadened, as drawing made me slow
down and appreciate the beauty in everyone.

Life drawing studio. Pencil on paper. This is one of my earlier efforts in a life drawing class, and I
was pleased with my ability to capture a likeness, a physical presence, and a sense of the dignity of
the person.

XIII.
Eros

I discovered drawing before and into adolescence. As I rediscovered it as an adult,

drawing from life would help me cope with unhealed parts of myself from that time:
desire, rebellion, the mystery and fear of the physical that is a part of being human.
Drawing would anchor me in the world, and drawing the nude would be a way to
capture and master vulnerability, physicality, and eros.

Opposite and overleaf: life drawing studio. Pencil, ballpoint pen and ink brush marker on
paper. Drawing the model involves a willingness on the part of the model to be vulnerable. The
act of drawing creates a sense of appreciation of the person, of their uniqueness. It also is an act
of clinical observation, of looking at shapes and angles. The first drawing is an early effort,
which I value for its classical quality, and the graceful play on symmetry. The next two drawings were done at Spring Studio in New York City, which employs professional models, many
of them dancers and actors. Their physical and emotional confidence is inspiring, helping to
create dramatic and powerful drawings.

XIV.
Joy

Really being able to see, to be in communion with the model and with other artists,
and to have a skill that gets better with use is amazing to experience. There is an entire
history of artists, both known and unknown, a community that you are now a part of.
You may contribute, in your own way, to this tradition.

Life drawing studio. Pencil, pen and ink on paper. Spring Studio would sometimes feature two models, sharing the space and in relationship. Drawing these moments was emotional, and tender. Drawing two people intertwined is a challenge, and also, a joy.

There is a sense of mastery, of being able to see clearly and move hand and eye
together, yoked. It can be a state of mindfulness, and almost of non-thinking flow.
My best work transcends my limitations. It is a joy to be surprised by my own work.

Life drawing studio. Pencil, pen and ink on paper.

End Notes Resources, Inspirations, and Thanks

Betty Edwards book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, revolutionized drawing practice and education.
Previously, drawing was taught without reference to the way we actually see, how we think, and how we learn.
Drawing is a set of learnable, teachable skills that can be mastered, like swimming, cooking, or math. Its not
just luck, or talent. Her work is indispensable.
You will find your own artists to inspire you, but this is my partial and idiosyncratic list: The Bay Area artists
of the 50s and 60s were wonderful painters, and I also enjoy their life drawings - Richard Diebenkorn, David
Park, Elmer Bischoff, Wayne Thiebaud, and Joan Brown. Interesting figurative artists such as Egon Schiele,
Gwen John, Isabelle Bishop, Philip Pearlstein, Euan Uglow, and Lucien Freud. The Impressionists, especially
Degas, Mary Cassatt, Matisse, Monet, and uniquely French artists like Corot, douard Vuillard and Henri
Fantin-Latour. American artists William Merrit Chase, Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins, and the Ashcan
school of George Luks, George Bellows, John Sloan and, of course, Edward Hopper (though he rejected the
label). Pop artists Richard Hamilton (whose collage Just what is it that makes todays homes so different, so
appealing? is considered to be the first Pop Art piece), Edward Kienholtz and Lee Bontecou, as well as later artists
like David Hockney and JB Kitaj. Romare Beardon. Van Gogh was an early inspiration, and you can see him teach
himself to draw in his work over time. Classic American art heroes like Robert Motherwell and Philip Guston.
Then there are geniuses like Rembrandt and Peter Paul Rubens, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. I never
understood the Italian masters until I was able to see their work in person I developed an appreciation for artists like Masaccio, Fra Angelico, Piero della Francesca, Botticelli, Andrea del Sarto, and Pontormo.
Spring Studio: this is a professional art studio offering ongoing life drawing sessions seven days a week. Located
in downtown Manhattan on the edge of SoHo, at the corner of Spring and Lafayette, the studio has been open
for year-round sketch classes for over two decades. Started by artist Minerva Durham in 1992, Spring Studio is
known for its excellent models, its prompt starting times, its participants gracious manners, and for its spirit of
artistic tolerance. It attracts artists and students from all over the world.

A special thank you for my teachers in elementary and middle school, as well as those who taught
me as an adult, especially Mary Sarns, Anita Rogoff and Gene Epstein. To my parents and family, as
well as friends who supported my work. To Minerva Dunham of Spring Studio, and the artists of the
Tremont neighborhood in Cleveland. To Barb Cagley, Stories Worth Retelling, for the design and production
of this book. Finally, a special thanks to the men and women who, with patience and sometimes joy, were
willing to pose.