One of my burning questions that brought me to SVSlearn.com was how to fill in your picture. How do people even think about what goes in there? I LOVE pictures filled with thematic elements and items, but my mind goes completely blank when I try to figure out how to fill the page. So Introduction to Prop Design is my first stop.
First assignment. (I love assignments):
Draw a lamp.
In one of my stories, I have a character, a bear, that carries a lantern through the woods. So my lamp is this woodland lantern.
And I start drawing.
This is me! The person who had dubbed art a waste of time! Drawing an item just for the sake of drawing! I’m so proud of me! Seriously, it’s not just learning to draw that I’m battling with, it’s the rational, pragmatic, guilt spewing, anxiety ridden part of my brain that is yelling the entire time, “This is a waste of time! Why are you drawing a woodland lantern? Even if you finish it, there is a WHOLE LOT more to illustrating a page, let alone a whole book. This is POINTLESS. There is a house to clean, children to feed, and adulting to be done. This is useless!”
And then I look at my lanterns. And I like them. Not sure how to make that lighting better yet. But I’m sure I’ll learn.
And I go on to the next part of the assignment: Draw stuff to go with the lamp.
Then I think I spent two or three days, here and there in my spare day minutes and my night time hours, drawing a table and a chair and cup and ‘book’ to go with my lantern.
And now I’m just a tiny bit better at drawing…
..furniture.
But not the bear that goes with it.
I think I need another course.
That nagging voice is still yelling. But I think I won this round.