This morning I posted a photo of a new colored-pencil drawing in my gallery. It is undoubtedly my best CP drawing yet (out of a grand total of three ) but I am still really not happy with it. An hour or so later I thought better of this and took it down. feeling like I didn't want this ugly thing sitting next to the other drawings I'm actually proud of.

So here's my question: how many drawings do you do that never see the light of day? This doesn't count your sketchbook, of course, but rather drawings where you tried to do your best, but it just didn't work out. I'm not implying, by the way, that every drawing should be a winner, or that the "failures" aren't valuable learning experiences; I'm just curious to what extent people are "putting their best foot forward" in their galleries, as opposed to using them as a sort of artistic journal.

I'm most interested in replies from people who post new work very often. It's easy to get the impression that everything you do is a keeper (for some folks this may well be true!)

My own answer: in my experience, about 1 out of 10 works intended as serious drawings end up in the reject pile, where I'm so unhappy with them I don't want anyone to see.

I don't post as often as everyone else but my experience is that I probably reject about 1 out of 5 pictures that I draw. When I paint, I probably reject somewhat lower than that as I really paint better than I draw.

I find that I don't just draw to be drawing though. When I sit down to draw, I have a specific idea or picture in my mind what I am about to do and how to go about it. Yes, I make mistakes and either start over or finish it or maybe not finish it and reject it, but I very seldom do sketching which to me is throw away stuff.

Hello Ernest. I know you already more or less said you didn't want me to reply - but heck today I can so I will reply anyway!

I would say almost all my drawings are posted in one way or another, certainly in the forums. The great majority, though not all, also make it into my gallery. When I started out I told myself this was going to be a journey - a learning process - learning about myself, my media, the world around me. So every little step counts, even if only for the purpose of comparison at a later stage so I can gauge my progress or the point in time when I took a specific direction or developed a particular style.

That said it does not mean that coming up with a good drawing (good in my opinion) is not in itself a struggle. I take my time over all my drawings... I think about them. I can tell you straight and plain that in most of my drawings I felt like giving up several times along the way - that's when I pushed myself a little harder.

In media, like coloured pencil, which are less forgiving I REALLY take my time. I analyse my reference very closely, I think, I draw a little...I stop and look at what I have done, I study my reference again, I think... and think... and then maybe I draw some more.

Yesterday I started another coloured pencil drawing. It's pretty complicated. Maybe I will have finished half of it today. With some luck I will have finished it by the time the weekend is over... maybe not.

The moral of this whole story is give it your best, your very best, criticise yourself and correct where you can. But never give up... and most of all be proud of all you do... all that you create is a part of you.

??? Actually I said I was most interested in replies from people who post a lot of drawings, and originally included a list of a few names as examples; then I edited my message to remove the list of names, as I decided it sounded too exclusionary. But in any case, your name was on the list as someone I especially did want to hear from!

Oh I know my name was on the list.... but I must have misread your post . I thought you meant you didn't want a reply from us.

Now that I read it again I realise my mistake... my apologies.

Hi Ernest,

I don't know if my answer is very interesting for you because I am not such a good artist but here it is:

I post nearly every drawing made - for the same reason as Rose. I have to learn so much and there is now other or better way than to do - to show and then to listen what you all say.
I don't post every quick seketch I made but the pictures I worked longer - these drawings are important for me to show you and to get a comment.

And now let me be a bit curious - show us what you've drawn, Ernest. Please ...... I love your work and it would be a pity if you don't show us the picture where you thought that it is your best CP until now.

For you, I will post it here, but I don't want it in my gallery!

[attachmentid=4507]

Ernest,
I find nothing wrong with this image, however, not being you, i am unsure what you were trying to accomplish by it...
I find it very nice and loose, the details are not tight, however they shouldnt be in a loose drawing, most of the details are to be made up by the brain...

I have no idea what this 'list' was, however I have been in some kind of drawing mode since I was three, and let me tell you, I have binned alot of work over the years...however this is what I have come to realize...the work we do, we may have a special place for in our hearts...however it should be the effect that it places on OTHERS that tells you how good your drawing was...Art that does NOT illicit feelings from the viewer has failed, there is no other way to judge it, in my opinion...No TWO judges in the world will ever really feel the exact same way about a piece, because they just dont have the same emotional makeup.

I am a great believer in keeping any works I dont like anymore...reason? it helps with forward thinking...whenever I get stuck with a piece, and i feel that my abilities as an artist have hit a peak, I look back on drawings that I did in the past, ones that I liked, and ALSO ones I DIDNT like, and it helps me to realize that without this foundation of works to view, both good and bad, I would not be able to forge forward...as well as the fact that I say to myself "Holy crap, you didnt know what you were doing there, did you?" and then I look at what I am doing now, and I say, "Hmmm, looks like you may have figured it out, somewhat, STRIVE ON!!!"

Never give up, just because the drawing didnt have the effect on YOU that you were looking for...try it on others, ones you know will give you an honest opinion...you never know what will happen...

Example:

I did a series of horses for a local lady, man by the time I got done the drawings, I almost hated horses, and let me tell you, that would take ALOT!!!! However I finally finished. When I looked back on my drawings, I wasnt happy with the result...however I had a due date to uphold, and decided to show them to her, thinking the worst...I emailed them to her, and didnt hear anything from her for over a week. Finally, with much trepidation, I called her to ask what she thought of the pictures I had sent to her. Much to my surprise and embarassment, she start to cry on the phone...reason?? She thought the pictures were sooooo nice, that they made her cry...She wasnt able to phone me, cuz everytime she talked about them, she teared up.

Cheers.

Paul

I do a variety of simple exercises and I do a wide variety of detailed work. Some of my line sketches only take less than an hour and some of my more detailed drawing take several hours. The ones I put a lot of time in I almost alway post. I would guess that I only post 7 or 8 out of ten of my total drawings, or practice drawings. In a way all of my drawings are practice drawings. So I am fairly sure that 2 or 3 out of ten of my drawings will not get posted. Maybe one out of ten don't even get finished.

Thank you......

I really don't know why you don't want it in gallery. This picture is looking good!

You captured the peace of the moment very good Ernest. What is it what you don't like? Maybe you think it's not perfect, but if we have drawn the "perfect, ultimate picture" we can stop drawing because there isn't anymore to make better and then we will get bored.

For this reason I act like Paul - I keep every finished drawing or sketch and keep it in a portfolio - how ugly it ever might be (and there ARE many ugly pictures - more than good ).

Your drawing is so nice but you will have your reasons why you think so

_ _ _ _ _
Sorry for my bad english today - my brain has got dried I think. It is such hot here.

I redid it in graphite, from the same sketch. This is a lot closer to what I was aiming for.

[attachmentid=4510]

In this one, you can tell it's a teenage girl; in the CP version, she looks a lot older. I guess you're right in that looking at the CP version, it's not such a bad drawing, judged on its own; but it doesn't look much like the intended subject. I like this one better.

I find it difficult to catch the likeness of a person when doing full figure drawings like this. From my experience I'm sure you did a good job considering the difficulty.

Ernest, I never throw any of my drawings away unless I mess up on the line drawing and dont feel like erasing it, mainly because I have a very heavy hand. I like to start dark and work my way to my lights. I have refrained from doing it alot more now, but still catch myself while I'm really envolved with a picture I am working on. True, I do only post in my gallery pictures I tend to like but if yo look closely at some of them I really have taken a disliking to to some. Say for instance my last colored pencil drawing I did of the bird and flowers. It looks nice far away but when you look at it closely, it looks rather childish in the area of the flowers. When I first finished it I thought it was great (finished 2 days ago..LOL) now I am not liking it at all. Or when I did the colored pencil portraits of my grandmother..the first one in my opinion resembled her more than the second..but neither of them are great in my opinion. Now for a viewer, using my uncle's praise as my example, he loved it and thought I did the best job in the world. Mind you to me and hearing that from him made my world because we are far from close and never have been. So, I guess as artist it isn't really our opinions that matter anyways, it's the viewer's. I happen to think that your colored pencil picture you did is fantastic.

I post almost all my work....even the ones I feel are not my best work such as the last dark skinned girl .. she was not my best but I still posted her in my gallery ...I guess my reason for doing so is to show I have off days lol just like everyone eles .

Ii do a lot of sketching and create thumbnails and value sketches for most of my drawings. So by the time I get to the 'real deal' its pretty set in stone by then. However, there are things that don't go according to plan or that I get bored with and they sit in my cupboard waiting for more inspiration or just as art.

Not everything that is drawn will be a masterpiece or will you be pleased with it. And that's just how it should be.

Well, I must say that I don't post many of my drawings. Most I am disappointed with, but never throw them away. There are days I think I will never draw anything good again. Then everything will just flow and I feel good about what I have done. Sometimes I just want to quit drawing all together, but am pulled to it. I can feel so inadequate when I view some of the great talent here, but I have learned so much. I just perservere.

Blessings to all.

Judyvan

Hi Ernest, I'm pretty new to Drawspace so not sure if you are interested in my reply. But here goes! I have posted all but one of my drawings in the gallery. The one I omitted; I never finished as I was so disappointed in it - my attempt at Eschers eye. I haven't throw it away though.
Interestingly I tried my hand at a portrait recently which I wasn't very pleased with and so to make myself feel better my current drawing is a figure drawing which is back in my comfort zone. I'll try another portrait after that

Andrea