Self portrait

A few years ago a friend asked me if I thought it was possible to teach my unique drawing technique. Over the years there were always those who were hoping to learn my method and maybe even draw with me. From time to time, he also had people ask him if I ever taught classes so that they could learn how I did it. I told him that there was no doubt in my mind that I could teach the technique, so we decided to start a little class. We decided to run an ad in our local paper, and as a designer, he quickly put one together. I ended up with over thirty people anxious to take the class and so I divided the students into smaller groups of five or six so that I could not only spend as much time with each student as possible, but they could all see clearly what I was showing them.

The students were blown away with how realistic and dynamic their drawings were turning out. As the weeks went by, their friends started asking to join the class.

Over 400 students have since gone through the course.

There were those who hoped that they could just improve their skills, but many of these students had never even drawn before. Many would say, “I can’t draw a stick figure”, or “I can’t even draw a straight line” and they would wonder if there was any hope for them. It has always been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life to witness a student’s excitement and amazement, as they create their own vibrant and engaging images after learning my techniques. Everyone, on their own personal level, was able to vastly improve what they had previously tried to accomplish.

The biggest secret to these student’s successes has simply been having a very specific formula to follow and then having someone encourage them through the process. Dr. Laurence J Peter said, “If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.”

So, the paper, pencils, types of erasers, lighting setup and other materials are very specifically outlined; the motion of the stroke is defined from before the pencil even touches the paper to after it leaves contact with the paper; how to understand and build shadows, contours, utilize contrast and create edges that all make the image seem to lift off the paper giving an illusion of actually being three dimensional.

This is all put together into a concrete and understandable process to follow. With some hard work and consistent practice, there is no doubt that a student will be able to make vast improvements to their drawing abilities and bring their art to a whole new level.

One of my favorite quotes from Thomas Edison is, “Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

You too, can experience the joy and great satisfaction of not only creating something, but then, sharing that with others. It can be profound, originating from the deepest parts of ones being and extending far beyond the surface! 

After years of cajoling from students and friends, I’m finally sharing some of my techniques through video on this website.

I hope you enjoy the ride. And the best reward I could get is to have you share your success story with me.

Darrel Tank