The drawings above were made with a stick and Indian Ink, during my Experimentation in Drawing classes.
Mark making is the foundation of drawing. Each mark or series of marks made, forms a visual language. There are an infinite number of marks that can be made and each person creates a set of marks totally unique to them. Each material used and surface on which these marks are applied, also have there own wide variety of qualities.
Experimenting with different mediums and tools, exploring the different marks that can be made, builds a visual vocabulary. The wider the vocabulary the greater ability we have to interpret, translate and transcribe. With this knowledge and experience we can make informed decisions as to which medium/tools we use for each drawing.
Because we are used to picking up a pen in a certain way to write, this habit often means when we take hold of a pencil to draw we hold it in the same way. This can restrict the marks made. A hand resting on the paper offers resistance. So experimenting with the handling of medium/tools, moving and working not only from the wrist, but the elbow and shoulder, increases our drawing language.
Drawing takes practise, so I have put together a series of exercises, which will be appearing here over the coming weeks, to help and guide you.
Remember though that the process of drawing should be fun and my best advice to you is learn to enjoy that process and don’t worry or focus on the end result. If you set out with an image in mind of what you want your drawing to look like you are almost certainly setting yourself up to fail. Enjoy the journey and you might just be surprised by the result!