by Eileen Norman

Created on: July 09, 2010

A Life Long Klutz Learns to Draw

At the age of 60, I decided that it was time to try something totally new and foreign to me; to even risk failure and learn to persevere through it. My philosophy in life had always been, “If at first you don’t succeed, quit, don’t make a fool of yourself.”  Which led me to become a Jack of many trades and master of none.

While debating what I would try, I received some note cards with art works by paraplegic artists. They painted holding the brush with their teeth or even their toes.  The art was wonderful. It dawned on me that being a klutz with my hands, might not preclude learning to draw.

As early as kindergarten it was obvious that I lacked eye hand coordination and artistic talent.  Stick figures were my limit and when cutting out paper dolls, I inevitably cut their heads off. Even later, in my college biology lab, they called me Jack, The Ripper. Over the years on report cards of mostly A’s, the C’s in handwriting and art were pure kindness on the teachers’ part!

About the time I was deciding to risk trying something new, I found a book called  “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain,” which insisted that anyone can learn to draw. It showed examples of first attempts by students of all ages, who obviously had no natural talent at all.  Then it showed their attempts at portraits after less than ten weeks of learning how to draw in “right hemisphere mode.” The results were amazing! 

When we use our right hemisphere, we see things as they really are and the parts in relationship to one another.  In left hemisphere mode we transpose them into symbols, similar to cartoons….sort of a minimal and generalized way of showing lips, eyes, trees, etc.….not a true replication.  Our left hemisphere is linear and used for language.  Our right is spatial and used for images. One or the other is usually predominant in each person. Even if our left is dominant, there are simple tricks that help us to use our right hemisphere.

After working on my own with the book a week or two, I found a class for beginners using some of the same techniques.  Like the students in the book, my first attempt was laughable, but by the end of nine weeks, I too, produced a detailed shaded pencil drawing of my three year old great-grandson that actually looked like him.  When the teacher moved to another city, she asked if she could make copies of my first class effort and my end of the course portrait to use in advertising her classes there. I was both humbled and proud!

In the years following, I have taken color pencil drawing, watercolor, and acrylic painting classes.  I have learned to live with the fact that most of my fellow students are right brain predominant, natural artists and often produce better art than I do, but I have persevered and found that though it may take me three tries, I can end up with a painting that I actually like and that my grown children like enough to hang in their homes.  I still don’t enjoy my failures, but I can accept them as part of the learning process of life, which never really ends. (Cut into strips, they make great book marks.)

And a bonus for me, a nervous since birth Great-grandmother, is that being in right brain mode is a living in the present moment experience, which has the calming effect of a zen relaxation exercise.

Also, I have come to realize, that the most important talent in life, even at seventy-three, is perseverance. 

Learn more about this author, Eileen Norman.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.