In Defense of Drawing in the Age of Photography

In what will follow, I will accompany information about  different creatures that live in the Pantanal with sketches of those animals.  I thought it would be nice to mix it up, after seeing so much great photography.  Here, I will talk about why I think sketching is important, even in the age of photography, and why I hope to continue drawing during our safari.  

So, I am not a gifted artist, and I actually don't find making art particularly enjoyable.  I did when I was younger, however, and because of that I tried to learn to draw more realistically.  And while I was doing that, I realized how much concentration I was pouring into the subjects of my drawings, mostly of animals and people.  I found myself thinking about the structures of their bodies, the shape of the skeleton and the muscles that overlay them, and how to capture the texture of soft fur and feathers and hair and scaly skin.  

After drawing an animal, I noticed that I remember them much better afterwards.  I think I absorbed some information and intuition about the proportions of the creatures and the way they were put togethers.  It's much easier to remember the patterns on their bodies or their facial features after spending so much time getting them wrong.  That's a big part of it, is getting it wrong and looking at why.  Does the pattern of fur change around the joints?  How do the shadows work around the ears or beak? 

Obviously, a photograph can communicate the same information, and often communicates it better.  But have you ever stared at a photograph for two hours straight?  Probably not.  And if you tried, you might find you have a rough time of it.  If, however, you try to draw an animal, you will find yourself concentrating on it for a long time without even realizing how much time is passing.  And trying to figure it out, how to capture all the important parts.  

After a while, if you really start to understand an animal, you will be able to sketch it without seeing it or a picture of it.  It's fun, when that happens.  All the animals from that Pantanal that I have drawn so far were new to me, but I hope to get a better sense of them over the course of our trip.  

Sketching can also be a meditative experience.  You sit (more or less) still, and concentrate on one thing thing.  I feel like it's often mentally engaging without being challenging, per se.  That makes it a nice break from other types of work.  Plus, if you get way better, you can take creative license to do all types of fun things, or at least get rid of that annoying fern or whatever that screwed up your photo.  

Anyway, I really enjoyed drawing these, and the effort definitely made me appreciate all the beauty and variety of the creatures we hope to see.