Why Do I Illustrate the Way I Do?

The Strategy Behind Dumbing Down my Drawing Style

Kids often have a very different perspective on art than adults. Generally speaking elementary school-aged kids value realism more than abstraction. It’s actually for this reason that many kids give up drawing around 9 or 10 years of age: their drawing ability never keeps up with their expectations and taste for more realistic representation.

My children are seldom impressed with my illustration. It could be that it’s because their dad is an illustrator. Papa’s drawing again. Big deal. That’s okay by me, but I do get a little worried when they think I can’t actually draw. So every now and then I’ll do a little something to show them I have at least some chops. I want to impress them!

Why limit yourself to one set style when you could enjoy the freedom of doing many?

My youngest (age 7) was asking about how I draw hands. She said something about how when I draw hands they’re just very simple. We were looking at a colouring sheet that was drawn in a more realistic style. She commented on how good the hands were. I took the opportunity to do a live demonstration of how to draw hands in a more realistic way. Using my own hand as a model, I started blocking in the general shapes…