Having taught English for over 10 years now, it is my considered opinion that it does not hurt to learn to draw. I am not an artist, but I wish I could draw everyday objects, animals and people on the board quickly and easily. This skill became critical when my child was born, because kids like all sorts of arts and crafts, and you can easily keep your offspring entertained if you can produce some amateur drawings like those in various HOW TO DRAW WHATEVER series by Dan Green, Steve Barr or Barbara Soloff Levy. I have bought Levy’s How to Draw Faces & How to Draw Funny Faces, as well as How to Draw Animals; and Barr’s 1-2-3 Draw Cartoon Faces so far. Nice guides, I should say. For someone who has never drawn anything immediately recognizable, these books are real life-savers. It took me a quarter of an hour to master a couple of Barr’s cartoon face types. My child was watching me as I was diligently copying from the book, and was pleased with the result – she said, ‘Mummy’s drawn a funnier face than that in the book!’ and grabbed the drawing to colour it. Encouraging, isn’t it? I guess I will buy some more books of this kind.
Steve Barr’s 1-2-3 Draw Series
Barbara Soloff Levy’s How to Draw Series
Dan Green’s How to Draw 101 … Series
Disney Learn to Draw Series
