Draw 50 Creepy Crawlies by Lee J. Ames

Author:Lee J. Ames [Ames, Lee J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-8230-8615-3
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2013-02-11T16:00:00+00:00

TO THE PARENT OR TEACHER

In fourth grade, many years ago, we were given an assignment to draw something to honor President Lincoln’s birthday. An immediate competition developed among the four or five class artists. Which of us could draw the best portrait of Honest Abe?

We, of course, would not agree that any other one of us did the best. Our pride led each of us to consider himself the winner. Today I couldn’t honestly make the judgment call that mine deserved to be number one, but I did learn something that ultimately resulted in the “Draw 50” books.

I learned the importance of peer approval. The encouragement given to us artists by the rest of the class and the praise we gave one another was heady inspiration. Most of the group went on to become successful professionals.

All the drawings of Abraham Lincoln that the class artists made were copied from other sources. This despite general disapproval of “copying.” We copied from the Lincoln penny; from a five-dollar bill; from a calendar; and from sale advertisements in the newspaper. We copied someone else’s work, stroke by stroke, and we erased and reworked. Many considered this to be a noncreative, harmful way to learn drawing. But we liked what we finally got. Our friends and classmates liked what we did and we were encouraged. We were on a roll, and that was of overriding importance.

Later we were able to learn technique, theory, media, and much more with the gift of incentive provided by friends, classmates, and family. Early on we copied, then we found ways to do our own original things.

Mimicry is prerequisite to creativity!

It is my hope that my readers will be able to come up with drawings that will bring them gratifying approval from friends, classmates, and family. After that I look forward to the competition.

Enjoy!

LEE J. AMES

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