'Help, I can't Draw!' - Top Sketching Tips for Budding Cross Stitch Designers

I find that one of the biggest hurdles that people face when approaching my cross stitch pattern design course is the fear of drawing. I often wonder  where this fear comes from, someone looming over our shoulder and judging our efforts when we were at school perhaps? Or just the feeling that in some fundamental way we aren’t artistic or good enough to create the things we have in our imaginations?

The belief that we cannot draw can make picking up that pencil and paper feel like a overwhelming task and so can block all of that creativity that is waiting there to flow. For me, drawing is a bit like singing. A singing teacher once told me that there are very few people who truly cannot sing in tune but there are many, many people who believe they can’t and so struggle to even open their mouth and try.

Drawing, like singing, is a skill that takes practice and you really can do it! The ideas of our imaginations are ours and ours alone, only we can create them so don’t let that critical voice in your mind stop you from setting those ideas free.

So here are my top tips for improving your drawing skills and bringing those patterns of your imagination to life!

1. Grab a Sketchbook – I talk about this in the Sketching Lesson of my pattern design course because I think it is the first and most important step for any budding designer! Find a sketchbook you love, with quality pages, and a set of beautiful pencils. Perhaps pick up two sketchbooks, one for home and a smaller one to carry around with you. Capture those things that you see in passing - the river boats on the canal or the dog lolling around on the grass in the park. Make collecting images into a habit and a joy.
2. Stop Worrying and be Playful– One of the biggest hurdles to improving your drawing is quieting that inner critic inside your mind long enough to simply have a go. It is only by drawing that we will improve in our drawing. Release yourself from the need for this image to be perfect. Think about how a child approaches their drawing, it is all for fun! Try and take on this attitude too and try to enjoy drawing without putting too much pressure on yourself.
3. Sketch Often - My next tip is to simply put pencil to paper as often as you can! Even if it is just a two minute sketch, every time you have a go your drawing abilities will improve.
4. Start Simple  - Can you find five objects in your house that are simple shapes and line them up somewhere you will see them often? You could choose an apple, a toy, a mug, a lamp – the possibilities are endless. Have a go this week at sketching these simple shapes. This will both improve your technique and build your confidence. It’s also worth remembering that simple designs often work really well for cross stitch. Have a look at some of your favourite patterns, they are often made up of simple shapes and images.
5. Draw from Objects and Images – if you are trying to create a particular image then do yourself a big favour and work from an image or object. It is very hard to draw from memory and I certainly never really do it unless it is a very simple object. Again, start simple and work up to more complicated images. Why not try a simple landscape? Can you break the image down into the shapes it contains?  
6. Make a plan – Can you commit ten minutes a day to improving your drawing? Making a plan for how you want to move forward can really help and can keep you on the path of practice which really will see you creating those patterns of your dreams in no time!

Good luck and get sketching!

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