If you’ve ever drawn, painted, written, played music or done any kind of creative pursuit, you know that you’re not always happy with the result, but you still learn from the experience. My goal with this blog is to post drawings and other creative works I’ve done, along with a bit of text describing what I learned from the experience of doing it. I encourage you try this yourself, and submit your creative works and what you learned from them.What I learned from doing artTumblr (3.0; @learn-from-art)http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/Amazing...forum thread shows a man who taught himself to paint by forcing himself to do it everyday...<a href="http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=870">Amazing...forum thread shows a man who taught himself to paint by forcing himself to do it everyday...</a>http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/11384247128http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/11384247128Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:50:13 -0700wordslinksinsprirationartThis one page flowchart sums up my life<a href="http://www.coiledtospring.com/LifeFlowchart.xlsx.pdf">This one page flowchart sums up my life</a>http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/6426806664http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/6426806664Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:14:21 -0700flowchartIt’s possible to do an entire drawing using nothing but 45...<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljgafuYAc71qb0kuco1_400.png"/><br/><br/><p>It’s possible to do an entire drawing using nothing but 45 degree angles.</p>http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/4501127388http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/4501127388Sun, 10 Apr 2011 12:07:06 -0700drawingI really need to learn how to shade properly with a pen.<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lj1w3452Ba1qb0kuco1_500.png"/><br/><br/><p>I really need to learn how to shade properly with a pen.</p>http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/4296925046http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/4296925046Sat, 02 Apr 2011 17:30:40 -0700drawingIt’s okay to give up on trying to draw every...<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lj04oqPbt11qb0kuco1_400.png"/><br/><br/><p>It’s okay to give up on trying to draw <em>every</em> branch…just get the general flow and feeling of the branches and no one will complain.</p>http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/4271939202http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/4271939202Fri, 01 Apr 2011 18:41:14 -0700drawingTrying to follow the hair pattern on a moving cat is a...<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lj04myLcuD1qb0kuco1_250.png"/><br/><br/><p>Trying to follow the hair pattern on a moving cat is a crazy-making exercise. No wondering there are so many drawings of <em>sleeping</em> cats.</p>http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/4271911700http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/4271911700Fri, 01 Apr 2011 18:40:10 -0700drawingYou can take a simple doodle (see previous post), scan it into...<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lj04lb2VdQ1qb0kuco1_250.png"/><br/><br/><p>You can take a simple doodle (see previous post), scan it into Photoshop, duplicate some bits and add color. Instant border thingy!</p>http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/4271886705http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/4271886705Fri, 01 Apr 2011 18:39:11 -0700drawingPhotoshopCalligraphy pens make doodles more awesome<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lj04jlHi2A1qb0kuco1_250.png"/><br/><br/><p>Calligraphy pens make doodles more awesome</p>http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/4271861007http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/4271861007Fri, 01 Apr 2011 18:38:09 -0700drawingWind...<p><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5270/5576228394_ff600dc6db_o.png"/></p> <p>If you draw someone and their hair all swooshes to one side, consider it &#8216;wind-blown&#8217; and add a source of wind&#8230;like a window.</p> <p><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5269/5575641307_6f454efd50_o.png"/></p> <p>Or a fan.</p>http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/4234182204http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/4234182204Thu, 31 Mar 2011 08:00:00 -0700drawingLesson Learned: If you screw up the neck, put the person in a...<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_liq2wkpRiH1qb0kuco1_500.png"/><br/><br/><p>Lesson Learned: If you screw up the neck, put the person in a turtleneck.</p>http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/4134614253http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/4134614253Sun, 27 Mar 2011 08:26:43 -0700drawingQ. Why do it at all if you can&#8217;t do it perfectly the first time around? A. Because the joy is...<p>Q. Why do it at all if you can&#8217;t do it perfectly the first time around?</p> <p>A. Because the joy is in the creative process, not the final result. If you don&#8217;t enjoy the process, you&#8217;ve got the wrong hobby.</p>http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/2690042582http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/2690042582Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:25:45 -0800wordsQ&amp;A"I cannot tell you how happy I am to have taken up drawing again. I’ve been thinking of it, but..."“I cannot tell you how happy I am to have taken up drawing again. I’ve been thinking of it, but I always considered the thing impossible and beyond my reach.””<br/><br/> - <em>Vincent van Gogh, in a letter to his brother</em>http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/585801005http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/585801005Sun, 09 May 2010 20:52:08 -0700wordsSwitching perspectives midway through a drawing can be...<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kyvv2i1Iv31qb0kuco1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Switching perspectives midway through a drawing can be interesting.</p>http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/431062225http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/431062225Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:11:06 -0800drawingRepeating pattern motifs and colors around the work helps...<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kxc2aawK8A1qb0kuco1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Repeating pattern motifs and colors around the work helps balance it and make it look more together.</p>http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/370966234http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/370966234Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:01:22 -0800pasteldrawingHard pastels break easily, leaving dust all over the drawing....<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kxc270BwMo1qb0kuco1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Hard pastels break easily, leaving dust all over the drawing. Smearing the dust away gives me courage to smudge the whole drawing with my fingertips, proving a more interesting texture.</p>http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/370963981http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/370963981Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:59:24 -0800pasteldrawingA limited palette of only 4 crayons can force creative use of...<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kxax5mYJ5A1qb0kuco1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>A limited palette of only 4 crayons can force creative use of color blending.</p>http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/370046833http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/370046833Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:12:00 -0800drawingcrayonI love doing drawings like this.<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kxax3q0kVA1qb0kuco1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>I love doing drawings like this.</p>http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/370045006http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/370045006Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:11:50 -0800drawingI wish I had a better scannerhttp://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/370043473http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/370043473Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:10:54 -0800I think I can draw this better if I try it again sometime.<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kxax1tLAXW1qb0kuco1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>I think I can draw this better if I try it again sometime.</p>http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/370043183http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/370043183Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:10:41 -0800drawingI imagine I would have drawn this camera better if I had had an...<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kxawzujTZ01qb0kuco1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>I imagine I would have drawn this camera better if I had had an actual camera in front of me.</p>http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/370041277http://learn-from-art.tumblr.com/post/370041277Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:09:30 -0800drawing