The Voyaging Storyteller

Lots of people think they can’t draw when they actually can. The young aspiring-artist version of myself, however, was fully confident in my drawing abilities – which, unfortunately, didn’t exist. I realized my lack of skill only when I became an aspiring-scientist and subsequently abandoned my stack of princess sketches to slowly crumble to dust.

I also became one of those people who can’t draw.

This revelation didn’t give me an existential crisis or anything. God created each individual with different talents, and drawing was simply not one of mine. No big deal.

Until.

I saw a YouTube art tutorial on how to draw a girl with a braid which looked fascinating. I guess I was feeling extra adventurous that day because I tossed all those I-can’t-draw-remember thoughts out of my head, grabbed a pencil and paper, and began.

One hour later:

Ok, so it’s obviously not a masterpiece that will be admired for centuries, but as I stared at this picture, three words slogged through my thick skull.

I…can…draw?

Clearly I was one of those people who think they can’t draw but actually can.

Here I present to you drawings I’ve done since that enlightening day, in the hopes of convincing you that if I can draw, you can draw. It’s all about patience, perseverance, and following directions. Not raw talent (thank goodness, because most people, including me, do not have raw talent.)

Inspired by Art Arena

An experiment in oil-pastels. Fun fact: they stick all over your hands. Another fun fact: It’s very hard to draw proportionate arms, and even harder to play violin with noodly ones.

Art Arena Tutorial

Who knew drawing a pile of rocks could be such a hard, tedious task?

Art Arena Tutorial

I felt very, very, very ambitious starting this one, an overwhelming failure throughout the process, but triumphant when I finished. I’m glad I didn’t quit when it looked hideous (believe me, once upon a time, this looked like a deformed frog was staring into my soul.)

Lethal Chris Drawing Tutorial

A birthday gift for my dear Papa, who’s as strong and courageous as a lion. The mane was so difficult and time-consuming and didn’t turn out nearly as glossy and magnificent as Chris’ (who’s a brilliant artist – check out his awesome illustrations) but it was better than I’d hoped for.

Lethal Chris Drawing Tutorial

The nose was simply too fun to color in. Mama says his eye looks like Smaug the Dragon’s eye, after which I’ve never been able to look at him the same way again.

I got it into my head to attempt drawing a full-blown human face, not just eyes or hair, and decided practice was in order. Some (the better ones) were drawn while watching tutorials. The others were based off of my brother Micah.

My first ever face! It taught me facial proportions, which is actually easier than you’d think. Parts of the step-by-step tutorial (which I sadly can’t find again) were rather confusing, because I didn’t know why things were being shaded, so I decided to try to copy a picture next time instead of watching a video.

Based off of this image from Pinterest

Behold, Doinky! A Christmas present for my brother Micah, whose favorite animal is the ostrich. It now sits proudly on his desk.

I had a lot of fun drawing this baby for my parents’ Christmas present in honor of baby Jesus.

Based off of this picture by push-pulse (an amazing artist who you should check out.)

This took me a long time and loads of eye strain, during which Legolas looked like a frog prince, but when I finished, blinked a few times, and held it out in front of me, I literally shrieked because I actually recognized him. Imagine that. The giddiness I felt has not worn off, clear proof that my artistic abilities astound me so much that I can only attribute them to be gifts from God.

I was so close to giving up on this, because everything refused to look right, but when I despaired Galadriel herself came in her golden glory and picked me up from the jagged stones of defeat. Now this is the drawing I’m the most proud of.

I was nervous attempting this because I’d never drawn a canine before, but I’m pleased with how it turned out. Sadly I no longer own it, because I gave it to a friend for her birthday, seeing as it resembled her own husky.

Not as successful as I’d hoped, but still decent because at least she’s somewhat recognizable (unless, of course, she’s not, in which case, meet Arwen.) The eyes refused to look right, and eventually I gave up on fixing them. One day my artistic skills will improve and I’ll try again.

Fun little puppy sketch, to get better at drawing canines. Drawing cute furry things is addictive.

My first ever attempted self-portrait! Clearly this Native American girl looks nothing like me, even though I based it off of a picture of myself when I was seven, but at least it, you know, looks like a girl.

A birthday present for Micah. In addition to ostriches, he loves Curious George. Who doesn’t? It was really fun to draw a cartoon, especially a cute one like George.

Another baby! I bought some basic sketching supplies, like a blending stick and a 6B and 8B pencil (instead of a normal 2B), and they helped so much. The mouth was tricky because I didn’t want the baby to look like a gaping frog (those nasty amphibians are always trying to sneak into my drawings.) But I’m exceedingly pleased with how it turned out, and am determined to draw another baby.

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Once you step into the world of art, there’s no going back. I have many dreams for the future, including exploring the realm of watercolor and other mediums. I will inevitably have another art dump, but until then, go create something yourself! I can’t begin to describe how wonderful it is to breathe life into paper.