by Arlene Wright-Correll

Created on: October 22, 2006   Last Updated: April 12, 2007

How to Create Works of Art Without Knowing How to Draw

By Arlene Wright-Correll
If I have heard this once, I have heard this a thousand times, "I can't even draw a straight line". I hear it every time someone looks at one of my paintings.
I basically feel one can paint or create art in any painting or drawing medium without knowing how to draw a straight line.

I can draw things if I work hard at it. Sometimes they look like they are supposed to and sometimes they don't!

Being over 70 years old has made my drawing hand shaky more times than not.
It helps to know perspective, but that is very easy to learn.

Fortunately for me I was an art major in high school, but never went anywhere with it. Then I did not do any art for 12 years. I was able to paint off and on again from1965 to 1967. I was unable to pick up a paint brush or pencil again until 1999.

During that time, I forgot more than I remembered. Being on a very limited income in my old age did not allow me to take many art seminars or workshops. However, I was able to invest in books.

When I saw a book I thought would teach me something and I felt it was not in my budget, I would get the ISP number and go to half.com or eBay and I usually could find it either used at a very low price or new at a very good discounted price.

At that time I found myself with more time to devote to this past time that I truly enjoyed. I started with oils again. Once into it, I found I could try other things I liked such as pen and ink sketches.

My philosophy in life has always been to stretch and grow. It was no different in this area. I started to try all things I had never done before, such oil pastels, soft pastels, hydro watercolors, watercolors, gouache watercolors.
I fell in love with watercolors. They were a fast and easy medium to learn. The paintings were done quickly or at least the paint dried faster than oils or acrylics.

I knew hardly anything about the medium, but I bought some books and within a year I was selling just about everything I painted.

I learned to paint what I know. Place I had been to, things around my home, painting things I liked to see. I painted for myself! I stretched to portraits and animals and frankly some of them were terrible, but eventually they started to look like they were supposed to look.

At this point you are thinking, "yeah, but you can draw a straight line!"
Let me introduce you to some trade secrets of today's artists.

I like to use the Graphic tracing paper method.

If one has a computer and

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