Biggest Art Mistake in Drawing & Painting #biggestartmistake

CLARIFICATION!
Meant to say cheap fountain pen "ALTERNATIVE" about the v7 and v5. Sorry!

Hello Art-family!
This video is a response and tag-along with some AWESOME videos I saw going up today by a group of incredible youtube artists. Here are links to their videos. Again- This was THEIR idea and I'm just showing up to the bbq late. :)
Original Collaborators on The Biggest Art Mistake:

Their videos got me thinking about the biggest mistakes I've seen and experience in my own journey. I decided to throw together this little video on my thoughts on drawing. I work with people all the time learning to draw or paint but just wanting it to "turn on" like a light switch. It's difficult to express the importance of developing an unbreakable drawing habit. This video was my method of learning how to draw as I did not go to an art school that taught representational art and didn't start drawing until after college on my own.

Happy Sketching!
-Jared

INSTA: jaredcullum
TWITTER: jared_cullum

[karschier]

This is really fantastic advice. Thank you so much!
Not to correct this video for the sake of correcting, but just in case anyone is confused when buying a pen, the Pilot V5 and V7 not technically Fountain Pens, but Roller Ball type pens. They're great pens to draw with, and fountain pens can be too, so whatever anyone gets would be fine for this exercise. Just...no one waste any precious drawing minutes (or hours or years depending on how persistent anyone might be) in pen aisle after pen aisle looking for a Fountain Pen version of the V7 or V5. I mean, unless hunting cryptid pens that you once heard tell of is somebody's thing. Then by all means, have at it!
I'm rambling. I'll hush now.

[PhillipGinn]

Great video. I have also thought that it’s important to have a secret sketchbook. Another benefit of having a secret sketchbook to play around and make mistakes in is to alleviate the “pressure” of having a “social media-worthy” sketchbook. It’s extremely trendy now to show off “sketchbooks” with refined, near-finished, and even finished drawings and paintings. Sketchbooks with really high quality work. An artist can definitely have good quality work in their sketchbooks, but sketchbooks are, in my opinion, a place for artists to play, experiment, work things out, learn, and make mistakes.

Most artists don’t put out high quality work every time they put pen/pencil/brush to paper. There’s more mess than there is finished work, but it can be difficult to see and remember than when scrolling through Instagram. It’s important to have many, many, many secret sketchbooks filled with pages of stuff that is not worth showing off.

[MDCampbell]

This is great, Jared, and really glad you decided to join in the fun! It's a great topic to cover and I thought about doing a "biggest drawing mistakes, " but good grief... there's too many to list! lol! I like the Beethoven/piano analogy and that's exactly what I've taught to high school kids for years – to not expect perfection, because it doesn't exist; and that you can't do anything well without commitment and relentless practice! Good stuff and glad you shared this one! :)

[Lachri]

I have lots of secret sketchbooks! Great tip!! I love this whole video! :D

[skaarface]

Dude, this is such a perfect advice. I’ve recently heard from a friend that I should always warm up, and these two advices go so well together. More people need to hear this

[mindofwatercolor]

So glad you decided to join in Jared. We hoped that would happen. Your subject is so key. It crosses all mediums, especially where representational work is a part. Loved that you talked about the secret sketchbook too. Oil landscape painter Stefan Baughman calls it your doodle book. Make it cheap and unimportant, not fancy. Draw everything! Great add in to the tag. Thanks!

[EveBolt]

I agree with you, this is an excellent way to get good drawing mileage. Practice that muscle memory :)

[bajaboolie]

This is the first time your videos have popped up in my suggestions, and I am happy I watched it. Very informative and relaxing (and now I want to draw). Thanks, will subscribe!

[theherald_o]

A really amazing advice I will cherish it for the rest of my life!

[DonnaMakesArt]

I expected this video to be the typical advice of "do art challenges" and "draw more hand studies" but it really went to the heart of things and gave a deep reason for why we should draw from life. Most people would advise to buy cheap sketchbooks so you could put in the mileage so I never invested in a good quality sketchbook for just myself. It's something to try. Especially like when you said to draw everything in my sight. I've been forever saying that "I want to do urban sketching" but I need to stop saying and start doing XD Thanks for this quick pep talk! It was just what I needed to hear!

[GalleryBry]

Really great content in this video. So many of these concepts have helped me in my art journey. I keep a moleskine and draw exclusively with brush pens. I’ve learned to embrace the process and accept the results. I’ve been talking about this recently too in my live IG videos. I’ve started approaching all my paintings as drafts to eliminate any initiation fears. Making mistakes in painting won’t lead to a hospital trip so there should be zero fear in painting or drawing, yet many of us are afraid of making mistakes. If you focus on the process, the results will come eventually. Anyway, love your content. Keep up the great work!!!

[levisimpson]

I kind of had another experience when it came to getting over the fear of drawing in a nice expensive sketchbook. Because the book is so nice you want to make every drawing nice so you psyche yourself into not drawing sometimes or you just try to hard.

So I picked up a super cheep sketchbook, or was actually given one for free, and we called it the Poop Sketchbook haha. So I freely drew what ever I wanted without any pressure and what I found was, I liked what I was doing in it much more than I did in my nice expensive sketchbook. Eye Opener, totally changed how I viewed drawing in my nicer sketchbooks and I've just gone from there.

This is good advice though, and drawing from life is one of the first things I tell anyone young who asks about getting better at drawing. No reason to not have something to draw, if you can't think of anything, draw that lamp, or that book shelf, chances are you just need to warm up then your hands and brain will get on the same page and you'll be drawing just fine.

[essietangle]

It’s great you all are covering mistakes and I hope down the road you all will cover helping people with physical challenges that will help them to continue their love for art. Things like shaking hands, hands that are stiffening. That might be too much of a wish but things happen and challenges pop up that people didn’t see coming in life. It is always good to have gentle hints and reminders no matter the subject. PS The first time I really thought about contour drawing was watching Brenda Swenson. Not only is she a whiz at it she also has a special ability to keep that ink pen on the paper and never lift it. Keep hinting, we are listening. We have a full size wooden Indian in the living room and he is looking like he wants his portrait done in ink.

[dmullins]

Thanks for the great advice. I've been doing art as a hobby my whole life and every now and again I find myself in a rut with no ideas what to create and your advice is so practical....just draw everything you see!! I really enjoyed this thread and also watched all the other videos. Thank you to the other great artists too.

[fakerrain]

This is conclusion I came too when I wanted to get better at drawing. But I use a bic pen. Every mark makes you better.

[DannySabraArt]

Great advice Jared! I recently started doing this (but in pencil) I might have to switch to pen! But I definitely see the value in an anything goes sketchbook that's more about the practice of drawing than a finished piece of art. Even with my more finished paintings, I keep telling myself that they're all practice for the next thing. Because I'm definitely not where I want to be, and every painting is still lacking something... It's a journey, an we have to not just practice our skills, but also practice the skill of enjoying the practice!

[Poweranimal]

Good stuff man, I’ve been obsessed with mastering the loomis method lately and I’ve been feeling burnt out... needed something like this to get me back into loving drawing.

[sallyvince]

thank you that was truly beautiful advice.

[grm]

Thanks for this inspiring and down-to-earth video. Also, your dog is adorable .

[KieraJo]

Love this sketchbook challenge idea! Really good points.