Shaky hands. Forgetting how to add shading to a drawing. Difficulty picking up a coloring marker. Difficulty staying “inside the lines.” These are all aspects that many people have pointed to as illustrations of how they have forgotten how to draw and color over time. For most people, forgetting how to draw is a simple matter of being out of practice. Still, for others—especially older adults trying to ease back into the art world by using an adult coloring book—there could be something more serious underlying the change in ability.
For the average adult, unless there is an underlying reason, a person cannot forget how to draw and color. So long as you can wield a writing utensil, you can still draw! That being said, practice makes perfect. As small children continuously work on drawing and coloring to learn new techniques and fine-tune their fine motor control skills, the same is valid for adults. You need to work on your coloring and drawing skills continually. Otherwise, the quality of your artistry may diminish over time. The following article will explain the best tips for identifying why you may have stopped drawing or coloring, tips for getting back your lost skills, and reasons why your loss of skill may indicate a bigger problem.
This is the only tip you need to keep your coloring and drawing skills fresh, and it is only one thing you need to do to make sure you don’t forget how to color and draw:
Keep coloring. Keep drawing as often as you can!
That’s it! You see, practice makes perfect. Drawing is a skill. Like any skill, you get better as you practice it, and you get worse if you don’t practice it. Anyone can draw and color that can hold a crayon or a pencil, as young children prove every day. Now, your drawings or coloring may not be the quality that you want. If you’ve fine-tuned your skills in the past, then let some time-lapse; you may sit back down to the table with the intent of picking right up where you left off. It may be a shock to realize those skills you worked so hard at have waned with a lack of practice.
You may not know it, but if you grew up in the USA, your elementary art education was likely based on a book called Creative and Mental Growth by Viktor Lowenfeld. This 1949 book developed a theory that artistic development occurred in stages:
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- Scribble (2-4 years old); Pre-schematic (4-7 years old);
- Schematic (7-9 years old);
- Drawing realism (9-11 years old);
- Pseudorealism (the Age of Reason) (11-13 years old);
- Period of decision/crisis (14-17 years old); and
- Adult (17 years old and up)
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Read more about Lowenfeld and the artistic stages here. I bring this up because an artist’s growth may have stopped somewhere in between these stages. So, rather than “forgetting” to know how to draw, it may feel that your artistic skills have regressed to a previous stage or that your skills are not at the same level as your peers.
Moving between the different stages is characterized by attention to detail, visualizing shapes, understanding the concept of space and dimension, using colors in meaningful (or not) ways, finding meaning in art, and using art to illustrate social issues. If you feel like you have “forgotten” how to draw and color, try drawing something free-form to see where your skills fall in the spectrum of these learning stages.
For most people, the feeling of “forgetting” how to draw or color is a matter of losing touch with the advanced skills you had once developed. For example, you might have been very good at shading or color blending techniques, but you may have forgotten how to apply those shading or blending techniques when you sit down to draw recently. That’s just a matter of being out of practice. Because you have learned those techniques once, your brain will quickly regain physical skills. Again, practice makes perfect!
For adults, the reason why they might be seeing their artistic skills diminish could be more serious. Fine motor skills are essential for all aspects of life. As older adults go about their daily activities—getting dressed, eating, walking, hammering a nail, changing the TV channel—fine motor skills are known to decline over time. (Read the referenced article here.) This might feel like they have forgotten how to draw or color for older adults, especially when a long period has passed since they drew or colored last. Just like Tip #1 above, older adults need to practice coloring to keep those fine motor control skills sharp.
There are numerous factors why these skills, like drawing and coloring, might diminish over time in a way that’s more dramatic than merely being out of practice. Some of the reasons are natural and part of the aging process, but some reasons could indicate a more serious underlying health concern. These conditions range from arthritis to Multiple Sclerosis to tennis elbow to a stroke.
If you are struggling with remembering how to color and experiencing other degenerative motor control skills, you should contact your doctor to be evaluated. Coloring in adult coloring books and drawing, in general, is an excellent way for older adults to practice fine motor skills, which have a ripple effect and benefit all areas of daily life. In other words: coloring in adult coloring books is a perfect and easy way to do “at-home physical therapy” to enhance and build motor control skills.
Losing your drawing skills might all be in your head
You may have lost some of your drawing and coloring skills over time. Have you thought about the underlying reasons why you have not been practicing enough? Are you psyching yourself out in some way? I remember a period when I happily was drawing, coloring, and sketching regularly. I was young and living overseas, and I found drawing some of the buildings around me an excellent, cheap way to spend a sunny afternoon. When I returned home to the USA, I remember the day when I was showing off some of my drawings to some friends and thinking, “God, this is terrible!” I shut my sketch pad and didn’t open it back up for ten years. I talked myself right out of practice; I needed to get better.
Here are some reasons why you might not be drawing:
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- You are too busy and have too many distractions. This is probably the most common reason for letting time lapse since you last created your art. Life takes over for many, and there are too many other activities that you need and want to do. For others, it’s just a matter of watching too much television or talking too much when you’re with your art friends. Making time to create art takes dedication. Consider re-prioritizing and cutting out an activity you don’t need to be doing so you can fit artistic pursuits back into your life.
- You are too hard on yourself. Just like me, you may have compared yourself to “real” artists and decided you weren’t good enough. We are our own worst critics!
- Take a step back and consider the activity from other perspectives. Are you as terrible as you think you are? Maybe you need to draw and color for yourself and keep your art private. And why are you drawing in the first place? If your goal is to enter into a local art competition, then that’s one thing, but most people are just drawing and coloring for the fun of it. Don’t forget to have fun.
- You lack inspiration. Maybe you need a new medium or technique? Over the years, I’ve found that I might get bored coloring with markers, but I’ll happily try out a new medium of art, like charcoals or even pottery. It helps to look through artwork online to see if there’s something you want to try. Consider checking out your local “Paint and Sip” event or other art workshops in your area. You might learn something new and fire up your lost motivation at the same time!
- Your friends and teachers are getting you down. Many younger students lose interest in art when their friends and teachers don’t support their artistic pursuits. Consider finding a mentor or a friend with whom you can share your art, and with whom you feel supported. This is true for adults as much as it’s right for kids.
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Still wanting to learn how to draw as an adult? Check out our article here to help you out!
Although for the average adult, it’s unlikely that you have entirely lost the ability to draw and color, it’s entirely possible that previously honed skills have waned over time. Furthermore, underlying health issues could be impacting your ability to create your art. Hopefully, you have learned some helpful techniques for getting back into drawing and coloring and have identified reasons why you may have stopped in the first place. Practice makes perfect, and art is a beautiful way to fine-tune your motor control skills. These are only two great reasons to get back to the table and start creating again!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have any tips for improving my drawing and coloring skills?
Here are some elementary tips for improving your drawing and coloring skills:
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- Draw or color something. Repeat. Just sit down and do it!
- Look at art online. Learn techniques from other artists who have gone before you.
- Take a class. Learn something new from a professional who knows what he or she is doing!
- Draw and color from a variety of mediums. Try drawing from other drawings, photographs, and real life. If you’re coloring, try markers, colored pencils, pens, oil pastels, watercolors, or other ink types.
- Play! Have fun with whatever kind of drawing or coloring you are doing. Better yet, get shamelessly messy!
- Work on other arts that require fine motor skills. Things like threading a needle will help you have better control over your paintbrush or crayon. Consider taking up a different art in addition to your coloring and drawing—try cross stitch, knitting, woodworking, carving, egg-coloring, basket weaving, or a variety of other art types.
- Play video games! You guessed it…using a video game controller is one way to strengthen your finger muscles and build the less-used muscles in your fingers and wrists.
- Squeeze a rubber ball or tennis ball. This will also strengthen the muscles in your fingers.
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Where can I find inspiration and motivation for trying new forms of art?
Most major art galleries have online exhibits. Consider checking out the Louvre, the National Portrait Gallery, The Hermitage, the Van Gogh Museum, The Rijksmuseum, the Musee d’Orsay, the Vatican Museum, and the National Museum of African Art, the Museum of Modern Art, or the hundreds of exceptional art museums around the world. If you find an artist or a style that appeals to you, do a web search to learn more!
I think there might be something more serious going on. Where can I go for help?
Talk to your physician and discuss your medical concerns with him or her. Explain the seriousness of your concern about “forgetting” how to draw, and bring examples with you. It would help your doctor see examples of art you did when you were healthier and similar art you’ve recently completed. The doctor can help you determine if the change is normal or a sign of a more serious underlying health concern.
Check out even more of our tips! Click here to download my free adult coloring eBook and sign up for my email newsletter!
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