Drawing is not just a foundational art skill I encourage all artists to develop, it has countless other benefits.

Hi, my name is Carrie and here on Artist Strong I help artists build their skill and develop their unique voice. Today we are talking about the 5 Reasons You Should Start Drawing Today

Drawing Helps You Learn

There is something about drawing that helps us learn more effectively. Because you not only integrate the new concepts with verbal or written language, you also incorporate it into your visual mapping, information is retained more easily. In one study, students could remember more and better explain information they’d been taught while doodling (and this was no matter their skill level!).

They’ve also found this to be true in the case of adults attending meetings. Drawing while attending a meeting can actually help attendees retain more information and maintain greater focus than those who do not doodle or draw.

Drawing Helps You Brainstorm

If you haven’t heard of mindmapping, it’s a kind of doodle map mixed with visuals and text that can be an amazing tool to help you plan out a project, or develop a new art idea. 

Drawing Improves Observational Skills

If you spend time drawing the world around you, it’s much easier to note little details you might otherwise skip. Our brain is a filter of endless stimuli and has to decide what is important for us to notice, and what isn’t. When we start practicing observational drawing skills, we are training our brain to note details, colors, textures we’d otherwise ignore. This practice is literally rewiring our brain to be more observant in our day-to-day lives, not to mention improving our ability to draw realistically!

Historically, naturalists used observational drawing to document the world they observed around them: insects, botanicals, and other animals they wished to learn more about. There is a great free class you can take here if you are completely new or want to get started again.

Drawing Is Fun

What better reason to spend time drawing than because you enjoy it. There are countless approaches to drawing. You can:

  • Participate in a local urban sketchers group
  • Doodle
  • Draw from your day-to-day life
  • Keep a sketchbook

And the topics and themes of things you can draw are as endless as your imagination.

Drawing Saves Lives

Making art and drawing isn’t just fun, it literally can change lives. More and more research is showing the benefits of arts programs in schools, and that instead of investing in metal detectors, schools should be investing in arts’ teachers. Bottom line: it helps student behavior without punitive and scary measures like metal detectors.

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Now, I’d love to know: what holds you back from picking up that pencil or pen? Or, how has drawing helped you? Tell me more in the comments below and I’ll see you next time on Artist Strong.

Drawing is not just a foundational art skill I encourage all artists to develop, it has countless other benefits. #drawingdrills #artiststrong #howtodraw #drawbetter