No-longer puzzled...

                                                   
 Dunstaffnage Tree

Imagine how much time the artist must have spent, in order to have drawn this image as accurately as this required! I write this, reflecting on my own previous thinking, over many younger years. I've been drawing since 'toddlerhood', like almost every child - childhood's magic and art blends occasionally...that blend does not evaporate (I'm still addicted!).

I created this shaped board on which I painted 'Dunstaffnage Tree'. My lifetime of drawing constantly, on everything and everywhere, would have allowed me to draw and paint the resultant piece of art. That's as one may expect - but no, that truly was not the case. While drawing is as natural as anything that a person's evolution results in...the remarkable 'Tracedown' is a recent and generally unknown product. Artwork-worshipers, like myself, revere and respect the abilities of their heroes: those artists that seem to illustrate talents gained from dedicated practices of art-creating over their spent years of development! 

I often wondered, when hearing an artist declare in a relaxed manner: "I can't draw"...a seemingly casual aside to describing a produced painting. I really had not heard of, or imagined, 'Tracedown', the art-related tracing system. Upon my newly discovering it...the possible uses plus the results, my wonder vanished completely. Anyway, rather than disappointment,  I realised it to be as an efficiently fast, accurate drawing short-cut!

I'm an amateur artist, but a very practised one! If someone, like I did, can persuade someone who
can't draw (and never wished to), to attempt using the system: Tracedown. From among my own photographs, we selected a castle photo. I printed on it paper, it was traced on a board, Rosemary painted it - didn't actually draw the image - but certainly painted it herself!

We traced the image of a Scottish castle, from a calendar  "Attempt painting this image in oil paints"...she actually & successfully did so! 'She' is my wife Rosemary, who is truly 'my better half!' This event certainly convinced me that many of the artists I'd heard claim: "I can't draw", were
perhaps being honest. Unfortunately, not entirely - no reference of 'Tracedown' or suchlike!

However, to prove that an amateur artist/PC operator can practice some of what I preach, I post my photograph of the real tree, which lies at the verge of the Dunstaffnage castle's grounds.

I hope this fresh blogging attempt has been worth the effort...which I certainly enjoyed!

Ewen