Individual Expression

 My favorite drawings have an interplay of line and tone.

When I think of draftsman that I admire there is that common thread of tonal passages balanced or supported by contour line in their work.

The list is long and varied, Michelangelo, Leonardo DaVinci, Rubens, Rembrandt, Ingres and Sargent to name a few.

The list also includes contemporary fine artists, illustrators and comic book artists.

Their work is easily recognizable and displays talent, vision and individual tendencies.

I am an advocate of building a skill set to enable an artist to create images that aren't hampered by poor handling.

There are times that extensive training in one approach, one way of seeing things becomes a hinderence to personal expression in an artist's work. The method and technique become the subject and content of the work and while the results can be visually impressive it becomes difficult to distinguish one person's work from another.

The art world is rich with diversity, individual expression and interpretation, if we were all playing the same tune it would be a pretty boring concert.

I think it is important to hone your craft but it is of equal importance to know what your natural traits and tendencies are and retain some evidence if individuality in your work, don't give it up so easily it may be difficult to find again.