Are artists born?

[piskieinboots]

any chance you could come over Fi and show me which way the pencil goes

[piskieinboots]

PS I can now do penguins

and a jolly nice pingu he is too

[FionaH]

any chance you could come over Fi and show me which way the pencil goes

Stubby end goes in your ear

[solway cropper]

As a retired art college lecturer I'd have to agree with zazen. The sketch book isn't there for creating masterpieces, it's to capture ideas and to show how your ideas develop over the course. Designing gardens is not that different from my area of expertise, typography. Both require careful planning, a sound knowledge of the tools and equipment available and an understanding of the final purpose of the layout. For many years I carried around a succession of small A6 size notebooks wherever I went. You'd be amazed at where ideas come from and how easy it is to forget them if not committed to paper. Go for it Piskie, there's a creative genius inside every one of us.

[FionaH]

and a jolly nice pingu he is too

Thank you very muchly, you wait till you see the Christmas carrot!! No stopping me now, Damien Hurst eat ya heart out

[piskieinboots]

Go for it Piskie, there's a creative genius inside every one of us.

thanks SC and everyone, that really helps

[Incy]

I'm with Zazen,
My sister did fine art at college and went on to do a degree in architecture. The sketch book really is that, a way of recording your ideas. Sometimes hers were stick figures and there were lots of little bits stuck in corners etc when she had after thoughts, but it was all fine. Go for it, you'll be fine and will enjoy learning something new too.

[bobleponge]

there's a creative genius inside every one of us.

I think mine is buried in a solid nickel-iron alloy exerting a pressure of 330 GPa

[OllieMartin]

Can't you get computer programmes that do half this work for you? Or does that defeat the object, or possibly not allowed?

[HayleyB]

Funny really, I can 'draw' animals but I can't paint and when it comes to a floorplan of a house well I have been known to sit for two hours in a kitchen attempting one

[Brengirl]

In no way did I want my post to be a put off Piskie. I went to an art class that was for basic reproduction of what you can see. My kind of art is what you can feel. I was a born designer and feel instinctively how I want anything to look. All you need is graph or squared paper in order to give you scale. Apart from that just go for it.

[piskieinboots]

Can't you get computer programmes that do half this work for you? Or does that defeat the object, or possibly not allowed?

not allowed AND all work is submitted in minimum A3, so there is no chance of cheating - well, not on my printer there isn't

[piskieinboots]

In no way did I want my post to be a put off Piskie..

it wasn't, it's good to get all thoughts

[Jeanied]

Just some random thoughts from an ex art teacher!
Being an artist is more about approach than any intrinsic ability to draw or paint. Take a camera to capture ideas / shapes/ colours as you go round - then use these for later reference / inspiration and practice in your sketch book with the picture in front for reference. You will soon discover if you are more reflective or spontaneous in sketching. Drawing is no more than wandering round the page with a line (taking a line for a walk). A lot of the garden sketches featured earlier can be done with a ruler and template - so dig around for a template! Introduce yourself to water colour by using water colour crayons - they are great! (You colour in then blend with water!) And it is as much about the parts you leave blank than the colours you fill in (looking through half closed eyes is a good way of assessing these).
Now you've got me started

[piskieinboots]

Now you've got me started

and jolly glad I did too