Are you a student of graphic design? If you have taken time in extra reviews and put “graphic design” and “drawing” into any search engines, you’ll get almost the same result = descriptions of graphic design programs at many design schools. Baffled? Well, it’s like this: As a student interested in graphic design, you have to take drawing and not actually a degree in fine art.
The truth is, you don’t need to be able to draw sensationally, but your skills as a graphic designer would edge out if you have drawing abilities. Still it is possible for you to be a designer without having any drawing ability.
Putting art into your graphic designs can be done with your actual ability to draw. Here are several reasons why getting into a good drawing class can become a significant part of your graphic designing career:
Opens up your eyes to all details - Drawing does not only entail the creation of beautiful art, it also triggers in us the ability to really look at a subject in a realistic view. Through drawing, we could look at the negative space and the positive space of our creations. It enables us to look perceptively at the white space in a design, its texts and graphics.
Makes you become sensitive and attentive to details – by getting us to really look at our drawing or design, drawing also awakes in us a certain sensitivity and attentiveness to particular objects that will truly turn out to be interesting subjects.
Teaches you about composition – getting into a good drawing class draws out knowledge about making good composition. Principles in good drawing compositions apply also to graphic design.
Gives you knowledge on color – drawing will teach you about tones and shades, even if you draw only in black and white. You’ll also learn some color theory that you could put to good use in creating graphic designs.
Gets you to distinguish good art – a single or couple of drawing class can never make a great artist out of you. But, abilities such as being able to distinguish good art can be honed in you after taking up a drawing class. As a graphic designer, you may eventually have to hire an illustrator and this ability of yours can be put to good use.
Don’t give me a line about some people that can never learn to draw even as they have the graphic design skills… Early on as kids, all of us have expressed ourselves by drawing anything. So now that we have the complete and matured mental faculties, all of us can learn how to draw. Time and practice are all it would take. Great talents and skills are always the result of never – ending practice. By learning to draw, we could also get the most essential elements of creating artistic graphic designs.
Lala C. Ballatan is a 26 year-old Communication Arts graduate. Book reading has always been her greatest passion -- mysteries, horrors, psycho-thrillers, historical documentaries and classics. Her writing prowess began as early as she was 10 years old in girlish diaries. With writing, she felt freedom – to express her viewpoints and assert it, to bring out all concerns -- imagined and observed, to bear witness.
