An eye for the aesthetic

I participate in a lot of activities, many of which are important to me. However, the hobby that I can most clearly outline as a passion is drawing. Perhaps it is because it is so simple and barely requires any tools other than a pencil, eraser and paper, or maybe it is because it is natural to want to doodle. I like the freedom you have to discover and create your own style, as well as the fact that there usually is not much stress or pressure involved in art.

Unlike most people interested in art, I didn’t draw much when I was younger. However, I did read quite a bit, and a good number of the books I read were comic books. From The Amazing Spider-Man to manga such as Fullmetal Alchemist, I could spend hours reading in the graphic-novel section of the library. I thought the stylized worlds and characters were really awesome. In middle school, I hung out with a group that was quite into art, and many of them were amazingly talented for their age. Through a combination of curiosity, boredom and peer pressure, I eventually started to attempt actual drawing, instead of the mindless doodling that I had been doing in years past.

Of course, most of the things I drew at this time turned out like a burned cookie – recognizable, but pretty bad. Developing an eye for the aesthetic but still technical world of the elaborate cartoon art-styles is something that I am still working on. However, I am pleased to say that I can now occasionally draw things that don’t make me want to cringe. I have learned a lot from my aforementioned artsy friends, as well as online communities such as DeviantArt and Tumblr. It is not difficult to improve if you practice and try to learn from your seniors, which is why I would recommend drawing to anyone who wants to try, in hope that they might find a passion in it as well.

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