Clionora in the post "Are drawing skills like "riding a bike", once you know how to do it you never forget? Or do you have to continue practicing to not lose your skill?"
2022-09-19 04:09
Yes, the eraser part is true! And also ,performance is often tied into music much more, whereas art, there's often more focus on the finished project. Or even if you're seeing something 'in progress', you still see the after-effects, which often look much better than the shaky journey. Music - even a final recital - still kind of never loses the journey throughout. You always have to play it through and execute it perfectly. Honestly, don't know how concert pianists or bands do it!
And yes, I can only imagine coming back to play with un-calloused hands. Sounds ouch-tastic!
So yes, both skills can definitely be lost over time - and regained. I just find the return to art more forgiving. Thank god for erasers!
Clionora in the post "Are drawing skills like "riding a bike", once you know how to do it you never forget? Or do you have to continue practicing to not lose your skill?"
2022-09-19 01:02
You don't ever really 'lose it', but you do get rusty. Riding a bike might not be the best analogy, as it's a rather simple, instinctive action that doesn't require extreme attention. Whereas I find drawing/practicing drawing to be pretty attention-demanding.
If you have a long space from drawing, what I've noticed is the first few attempts after coming back to it are a bit 'shaky'. The lines feel weaker and you need more warm-ups to feel a flow. But it's not lost - you're not 'worse' than you were permanently. And I don't think you go back to square one. Art is strangely a bit intellectual (although people dumb it down). There's lighting, shadow, perspective, proportions. Even if you're drawing a cartoon, you might be looking at a reference photo. Those parts of your brain that took all that knowledge in were probably bathed in lessons for many, many years. Vs. the simple bike ride tutorial.
Clionora in the post "Are drawing skills like "riding a bike", once you know how to do it you never forget? Or do you have to continue practicing to not lose your skill?"
2022-09-19 00:58
Hmm. I sort of disagree with the instrument analogy, having both played an instrument and drawn for long period of time. I think musical performance requires much more practice with larger losses than drawing. I could give a more rambling longer response, but basically Ive seen where I lost piano skills much more than art. However Ive also always been more natural at art and thus, kept it up more! Hmm.
Clionora in the post "Are drawing skills like "riding a bike", once you know how to do it you never forget? Or do you have to continue practicing to not lose your skill?"
2022-09-19 15:28
I think the different for me is, in playing an instrument, you're considering tempo. Speed often plays an element, which doesn't quite exist in creating art.
Of course in practice, you can play something as slowly as you like, but to play a piece quickly, your hands/mouth build up muscle (beyond muscle memory) so you're better equipped to land the notes within the time signature, in the right rhythm.
I do agree that I've had drawing skills get worse after not using them - same regarding stiff drawings and sloppy proportions. It's like retraining your eyes to take in volume again and transfer to paper/canvass.