12-11-2014, 11:13 AM
You know, I've realized over the last few weeks how massively different the frame of mind and the thought process is behind drawing and painting. Forget the physical differences for a second; I think that when you say you're "falling behind" or getting "rusty" between two mediums, it's not really because you're losing skill or becoming less proficient at it, but your mindset hasn't shifted gears to accommodate the different materials.
Think about it. The fundamental way you think about painting (value and contrast) is massively different from the way you approach drawing (contour and edge delineation). So maybe it's not an issue of skill but rather of mindset. I don't think there's anyway to get over that besides doing both and slowly getting used to both simultaneously. The problem gets worse the more you neglect one medium, not because you're losing skill but because you're training your brain to think in one way when it's been used to thinking a vastly different way, and more often.
Don't know if that's helpful but just felt like sharing my thoughts. And also, it sounds kind of weird but learning to do a bit sculpture actually helps a lot in painting. At least it did for me anyways. Getting hands on with a form and really feeling and investigating the shapes and the curvatures really helps feed that painter's mind IMO.
Think about it. The fundamental way you think about painting (value and contrast) is massively different from the way you approach drawing (contour and edge delineation). So maybe it's not an issue of skill but rather of mindset. I don't think there's anyway to get over that besides doing both and slowly getting used to both simultaneously. The problem gets worse the more you neglect one medium, not because you're losing skill but because you're training your brain to think in one way when it's been used to thinking a vastly different way, and more often.
Don't know if that's helpful but just felt like sharing my thoughts. And also, it sounds kind of weird but learning to do a bit sculpture actually helps a lot in painting. At least it did for me anyways. Getting hands on with a form and really feeling and investigating the shapes and the curvatures really helps feed that painter's mind IMO.