Is it possible to balance structure and wonder when it comes to drawing? How should we think about the process of our learning to tap into joy and wonder.| Emily's Notebook
In this article we explore the 5 key factors to consider before you start to draw and how best to consider them in your drawing practice.| Emily's Notebook
Read about five basic drawing techniques to add to your sketching toolkit. Understanding these core basics will enable you to focus your drawing.| Emily's Notebook
Do you struggle when it comes to figuring out how to draw landscapes? You'd think they'd be simple. In my mind there are 3 drawing challenges when it comes to tackling landscapes in your sketchbook. How do I take a vast expanse and condense it into a a small page of a sketchbook? Where [...]| Emily's Notebook
I get asked ALOT about how to draw trees. They are at once the most simple and complex drawing subjects. In his book ‘Drawing and Painting Trees’ Adrian Hill empathises with the reader, “….there is nothing so ruthless as the painting of trees in compelling you to realise your technical shortcomings. If you are [...]| Emily's Notebook
Have you ever wondered how to draw birds? I have. I came to want to find out more about the process of drawing birds after a particular afternoon in lockdown whilst sitting at the kitchen table attempting to educate my little people! A flock of sparrows were flitting in amongst the leaves of my [...]| Emily's Notebook
These are my top ten drawing assumptions that can hinder your ability to want to learn to draw! "You use a glass mirror to see your face. You use works of art to see your soul." – George Bernard Shaw It amazes me how our assumptions shape our creative success. It also challenges me [...]| Emily's Notebook
I have always held a fascination with drawing wildflowers. It seems an obvious subject to incorporate into our drawing practice. Often when we might be wondering what to draw our eyes will wander to our gardens or vases of flowers scattered across our homes. Drawing wildflowers especially though holds a precious charm in our [...]| Emily's Notebook
The Quick Drawing The quick drawing is an amazing sketchbook phenomena that has made it possible for me to draw daily and effectively. Before I delve into it's merits I want to firstly explore some of the challenges surrounding the quick drawing. I recently attended an art group where people brought their sketchbooks and [...]| Emily's Notebook
I feel I need to start this blog post with a disclaimer that I am far from an expert in any of the science linking dyslexia and drawing. There is something interesting though about how we approach drawing from a variety of different personal viewpoints and angles, especially from a cognitive viewpoint. In working [...]| Emily's Notebook
The top 10 ways to improve your drawing! (There are more. A lifetime of drawing more!) In a recent questionnaire sent out to my community one of the most popular requests that came back to me was how do I improve my drawing? What do I need to do? I thought I would quickly [...]| Emily's Notebook
Learn how to draw and paint a still life using 3 key step processes. From drawing and composition to values and painting, read this brief introduction!| Emily's Notebook