The Habitual Rules of Drawing.

Because we don't look.

Look.

You must draw what you see, not what you think you see.

I look inside. I open the eye inside.

Find the first line, the first word.

The first word is Look.

Eyes are never usually used to take in information. Sight is used only to survive.

Smell is seen as the most evocative sense.

 Lines are drawn to process visual information. Writing is drawing from memory.

Drawing sometimes works in space, sometimes works in time.

Why is that made? It is made because I read that.

Because I saw that.

Because now I heard you say

You loved me.

Because that affected me.

Because that music played at that time.

Do you see my love?

Why is that drawn? It is drawn because that is the best way of processing that information.

It is drawn because that is beautiful.

Senses in tune. Writing is of course drawing. Photography is drawing. Dancing together is drawing.

Processing visual information. Using experience to make sense of the information presented to your senses in the most appropriate manner.

Using memories that are trained to look. How? By using other memories.

Open.

Sometimes it becomes too much.

The bird lays bright blue offspring, matching the sky.

All of Monet’s paintings in one day of the cathedral facade at Rouen.

The sandblown strand, the waves and beyond, the mountains.

The water falling through the clouds from a silver mountain.

 Two Shorteared Owls flying silently across the snow.

The first flight and kill of my eyass falcon.

 From swerve of bend to curve of shore. He wrote that.

A ride on my chestnut mare through an English sunset.

The horses, the bulls and the flamingos running, fly through wine coloured water.

The first time I touched your face from far away.

Senses are not enough. The mind creates ghost colours when saturated.

Draw what you have seen, and write what you think you have seen.

 

Author's Note

Why do I draw?
Eyass is a falcon bred for falconry. Monet painted more than thirty canvasses of the facade of Rouen cathedral at everytime of day. Who is the he who I say wrote that line? You tell me. The painting is mine and is called Cully. Collection of the Artist.

Reviews

[Ken Simm.]

There is such a difference to really "look" or to "see" and in this lesson Ken, you explain so well how to draw. I recognize so much in your words, and visions, or call it ways "you" see it. As it's familiar to me.
maybe also "I" see it that way. (makes another think deeper into art). Your ending is exactly how an high sensitive artist really looks at it, or did imagined it, almost as if it is real. Just a wonderful piece. Thank you Ken, also it's art to draw with words. ;)

- Elisa Laura

[Ken Simm.]

Thank you so much Elisa. you percieve so much. I'm sorry about the late answer.

Oh this piece was so good.... no worries Ken, thank you too, I hope to be back in a bit to read more of you.

[Emily B]

i love cully, and the lines of the poem gave me chill bumps

so good to find you this morning

[Ken Simm.]

Good to see you also dear friend. And as always so much in your words about my scribbles.

[Coyote Poetry]

"Senses are not enough. The mind creates ghost colours when saturated.
Draw what you have seen, and write what you think you have seen."
I like the logic in the poem. Drawing is a skill I wished I had. To create with hands memories to live forever. Poetry and story can become fiction with time. Easy to forget the sadness. Good to remember the good times. Thank you for the excellent poetry. A lot to ponder in your words.
Coyote

[Ken Simm.]

You are right my friend. Drawing is a learned skill. not an in born talent. As I say however I do think Drawing with words is possible. Thank you so much for reading and liking.

[Larry Dyson]

a picture is worth a thousand words...but perhaps lessthan a thousand well chosen ones as you have done here...a cornucopia of images brightly displayed.ty

[Larry Dyson]

hmm on reflection I will use the word...chiaroscuro rather than cornucopia...my cyclothymic thinking is not completely medicated this morning

[Ken Simm.]

We are told that sight is the most important sense. That we take in more information through our eyes than through any other sense. I can well believe that. But...... Drawing in the traditional sense is learning to use our eyes. A sense that we don't really use except as I say for survival. And to stop us walking into lamposts. Everyone cn draw means everyone can learn to use their senses. And word drawing is possible. That basically is what writing is.

[Ken Simm.]

Bringing light forms out of darkness. Exactly.

[Larry Dyson]

th ability to see and transform what one sees into drawing is a real talent..I have seen it as a gift and as a devloped talent..most remarkable both ways..

[Pete Langley]

For me, Ken, this is two poems in one. The first seems what I would call a mindstream - as if you were delineating the rules to yourself just as they occurred in your minds eye. The real poem - for me - starts with "Open....." and has real music. P.

[Ken Simm.]

Thats it Pete. The first part is really how I used to teach drawing. Everyone can draw. It is a learned skill. Drawing is basically leanring to use your senses and process information. The second part was written speaking to a person about what became too much for me to process when I saw it. such as all the Monet Rouen paintings together

[Ken Simm.]

And thank you so much for those wonderful words.

[Leslie Philibert]

I think Ken is writing really well, and here fuses all his talents and power of description together. What I really like is the way he uses selective, impressive imagery, but provides as a background a lot of information about things he knows well, so an intelligent poem that I find really excellent.

[Ken Simm.]

That is what I tried to do. Bring together my skills such as they are. It has always been a dream of mine to incorporate all the ways I communicate into one piece of art. Don't know if it is possible but doesn't stop me trying.
Thank you so much for understanding so well Leslie.