This is a new video series from my studio overlooking Lake Michigan. It’s where I slow down, listen, and make art that brings light into the world. This is Echo Base Dispatch—a brief transmission from here to wherever you are—where I share what I’m working on, what I’m wrestling with, and the lessons I’m learning along the way.
–Jason
I recently taught a drawing class at my kids’ homeschooling co-op. Pondering some of the biggest mistakes I see beginners make helped me formulate the first lesson:
Start your sketch light and loose. Resist the urge to add details too soon.
I’ve seen it time and time again: In a rush of enthusiasm and naiveté, beginners focus on details too early, before the overall form of their subject is fleshed out.
Perhaps they got all excited working on the head, painstakingly capturing each wisp of hair, only to realize they didn’t leave enough room on the paper for the rest of the body. What’s more, they are heavy-handed, laying down marks that are too dark for these early stages, which becomes a problem when a mistake reveals itself. When it’s discovered that the head is a bit big or the nose needs to move a little to the left, it’s very difficult to erase those early lines.
Because they’ve already invested so much effort — and graphite! — and those dark, heavy details are hard to remove, the beginner is tempted to adjust the rest of the drawing to accommodate the mistake. This only compounds the problem and makes the drawing even more inaccurate.
When the disaster that develops can no longer be denied, the eraser finally comes out to tackle a job that’s now too insurmountable for its capabilities. What’s left behind is a smudgy, wrinkled piece of paper bearing the ghosts of a cavalcade of missteps and missed expectations.
Even worse is when he or she gives up altogether, proclaiming themselves “not an artist.”
All of which could have been prevented with a light and loose touch at the beginning.
There are a few lessons here for all of us.
Just because something doesn’t turn out the way we’d hoped doesn’t mean we are ill-suited for the job, we’re wrong to pursue it, or that we should abandon it altogether.
But it’s probably worth considering how we started.
Did we rush in before we had all the information we needed? Did we pour too many resources into one area before fully considering the big picture? Did we make assumptions that proved to be incorrect?
When starting something new, our enthusiasm often drives us to press hard on details before we can confirm if we’re even heading in the right direction.
Sometimes we drive a lot of miles in one direction before realizing that we took a wrong turn at Albuquerque.
Discouragement bubbles up when we become aware of a problem and realize things aren’t working out the way we imagined. It’s difficult to erase those expectations that have been impressed so deeply within us. Rather than adjust our course, we hold tightly to our initial assumptions, trying in vain to force reality to accommodate them. We plow forward, hoping for the best, but ultimately waste time and resources in the process.
But hope is not lost!
Maybe we can try starting again, from the beginning, with a new sheet of paper. Even if we can’t fully erase all the actions we’ve already taken, let’s avoid labeling the project as a mistake or ourselves as a failure.
You are merely human.
And on your next undertaking, start lightly, holding loosely to the results. Consider the big picture. How does this new endeavor fit within the context of the rest of your life? What are the main things you’ll need in place for this project to succeed?
Then, take baby steps that are easier to erase if you suddenly find yourself going down the wrong road.
Mind you, this is not a call to overplan. It’s a reminder to hold your initial enthusiasm in check, just for a beat, to get your ducks in a row. It’s encouragement to maintain a playful spirit of tinkering and a willingness to adjust course as you discover what God is up to.
Don’t delay in starting, dear artist.
Just start lightly, loosely, with a heart open to the big picture before getting lost in the details.
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