Sat next to a guy at a coffee shop who saw my sketchbook and gave me a tip that changed my art

I was drawing people in a cafe in Seattle, trying to get every detail perfect, when the person next to me said, 'You know, you're focusing so hard on the face you're missing the gesture that makes them look alive.' That one comment made me see I'd been doing portraits wrong for years by being too stiff. Has anyone else had a random tip from a stranger totally flip how you do a hobby?

3 comments

3 Comments

garcia.tyler8d ago

That "missing the gesture" thing just made me realize my own drawings were way too stiff.

scott.miles8d ago

My friend's art teacher made him draw with his non-dominant hand.

elliot_johnson316d ago

Honestly, sometimes a random tip is just a random tip. People get way too deep about these little moments. It's a cool thing to hear, sure, but it probably just clicked because you were already close to figuring it out yourself. Doubt some guy in a cafe actually rewired your whole brain with one sentence. More like he gave you a little push in the right direction you were already headed.