I’ve never been very good at drawing, but I’ve always wanted to learn. That’s why I enrolled in an art class my senior year of high school. I thought I’d finally get some basic art skills under my belt. Instead, the entire class was abstract art. No fundamentals, no technique, no drawing. I did get to try other art mediums. However, I barely passed because I goofed off a lot and didn’t put in any effort — and honestly, I didn’t learn anything.

For years after that, I never took the time to learn to draw. When I rediscovered my love for art and started painting, the desire came back, but the time and patience didn’t. Drawing felt like something I should learn, but never quite got around to.

A Child’s Activity

As a kid, I loved arts and crafts. I didn’t have any real skills, but I enjoyed copying things. I used to set up my Ninja Turtles action figures and draw them, then color them in. From what I remember, they didn’t turn out too bad, but copying was all I knew how to do. As I got older, even that faded away.

A Quiet Spark

A few months ago, I had to go home for a family emergency. There wasn’t much to do, and I couldn’t go anywhere, so while spending time with family, I decided to try a couple of drawings. I followed a few YouTube tutorials, and since I’m decent at copying and learning from hands‑on instruction, the drawings actually turned out pretty well.

The coloring with colored pencils… that was another story. Not bad, but definitely lacking realism. Colored pencils take a lot of time and patience, more than I had in that moment, but the process taught me a lot.

Improving My Drawing

I want to improve my drawing skills because I know it will make me a better painter. And since I probably won’t sit down and practice on my own, I’m going to do it on Twitch. Streaming gives me a sense of purpose and makes the learning process more fun. If you want to follow along as I learn, you can find me here: https://www.twitch.tv/domkizzle.

Here are the drawings I did during that trip, plus a quick sketch of my cat that I made one afternoon at work while waiting for a rainstorm to pass. I’d love to eventually draw and paint wildlife and incorporate them into my landscapes.

Looking Ahead

I found drawing to be pretty relaxing. I have so many ideas and ambitions for my art journey. I just have to take it slow and realize that I’ve only been doing this for going on 3 years. It takes many many years for people to get good. I’ll get there though.

I said this in my last post. There’s nothing wrong with trying other art mediums regardless of your specialty. Get brave and try something new.

In the mean time, check out the rest of my blog or gallery.

Happy Painting!