Is drawing a natural talent bestowed upon a lucky few or is it a skill anyone can learn, like foreign languages or how to smoke a cigarette stylishly? At school I used to be “the kid that could draw”, and as a result my classmates would ask me to churn out all sorts of stupid drawings for them. At the time this was pretty remarkable, mostly because we went to an uptight French Catholic school where the kids were brainwashed into become bankers and expressing yourself was strictly forbidden. About ten of us in the whole school, of any age, chose to do art. Music wasn’t even on the menu.
Then I finally arrived at art school and realized that I had absolutely no idea of what I was doing. I coudln’t draw. I was amateurishly scribbling at best and the amazing Japanese kids on my course put me to shame with their A1 super-realistic coloured pencil masterpieces. In contrast, my big brother never had any particular interest in the arts or music (he briefly listened to Cypress Hill and then bought a Beastie Boys album, but that was about the limit of his cultural exploration) and he’s a drawing genius. He can draw anything or anyone in a flash and it always comes out stylish, recognisable and funny. But the joke is, with all this natural talent he’s never bothered to dedicate himself to it. What the hell? I’m the one who went to art school when he now works in football!
In order to catch up with the people on my course I practiced like a motherfucker for a while and eventually improved, but still what I produced wasn’t glorious to look at, so I quickly tuned into other disciplines. At university I managed to find every possible way to avoid drawing and still get to pass on an illustration course. Of course eventually I got busted. In fact, on the rare occasion that one of my tutors complemented me it was when she said “Anna, you have a great talent at finding interesting means to avoid drawing”.
But returning to my original question, I guess the answer is that it’s a combination of both. If you’re family name is Da Vinci good for you, but you’ll get nowhere without motivation. You need to put the hours in drawing fat people stuffing their fat faces in cafes for five hours (we only drew ugly people at art school. Why draw pretty people? We have magazines for that). And I suppose style can’t really be thought, it has to come out naturally throught practice.
Drawing isn’t like riding a bike, if you happen not to do it for the whole winter the next time you meet a blank piece of paper you are going to freeze up and find yourself back at square one. But don’t worry, it comes back after a good tantrum and 20 or so frustrated sketches.
One person who is clearly blessed with natural talent and an impressive work ethic is Winnie Truong. She makes colossal pencil and pastel drawings, which are both realistic and surreal – hairy, enigmatic, fascinating creatures starring into oblivion.
Winnie answered our questions as well as sending us pictures of her studio in Canada. (There are a lot of big deers in Canada and thankfully she didn’t draw any of them)
Age, sex, origins, location?
21, Female, Chinese-Canadian, Toronto.
Describe to us your latest work.
Hairy, heroic, glassy-eyed, gap-toothed and glorious.
How did you learn how to draw? Are you self-taught or did you take classes?
It all began in kindergarden with doodling from my imagination: girls with long eye lashes daintily eating ice cream and playing tennis. My parents wouldn’t pay for art classes so I tried to learn what I could here and there by drawing from photographs and magazines for practice. I eventually went to a high school for arts, which provided a lot of technical training and a strenuous life-drawing program. I saw my first live naked human under the guise of arts education.
What is your opinion on drawing? Do you think everyone can actually learn how to draw properly if taught or that some people do just have the ability?
It’s definitely a bit of both. My own drawing practice can be easily reduced to repetitive, obsessive mark making. I can only speak on behalf of my own experience that you have to enjoy both the process and the labour in order to hone ability.
You are currently graduating. What did you learn at university? What are you exhibiting for your degree show?
It’s difficult to sum up… but I guess learning how to focus, and how to be convincing is what I’ll take away from it above all else. I exhibited this series of monumental portraits at my grad show.
Where do you get your reference?
I loosely source my subjects from the fashion and hair magazines that I’ve compiled over the years, the focus on the hair and the unreal transformations that take place are from my imagination.
How did you make the hairy series of coloured pencil drawings? They are big! How long does it take you to make one of them? And what are they about?
I work from a sketch, which I blow up into a quick chalk pastel under-drawing and then layers of colour pencil strokes in alternating colour relationships. They take approximately 3 weeks to a month to do. As for what they are about, I want the portraits to work in collaboration with one another to conceive of their own notion of beauty.
Are hair and teeth your current inspiration/focus? Have you noticed a recurring theme in your peers work at university?
Not necessarily. I am interested in hair and teeth as organic extensions of the subject and the discomfort in the familiar that takes place when they behave unnaturally.
What artists influence you?
Lady Gaga… most of the fun is in figuring out what the hell I am looking at. Maybe my artwork could strive to ensnare that same enigmatic interest?
Have you done any commissioned work yet?
I am currently working on private commissions, as well I’ve just finished one on show for a Canadian design company at the ICFF in New York just over this weekend.
What’s next?
More time in the studio. Then I have two shows coming up in Toronto: at Katherine Mulherin Contemporary Art Projects in the summer and a solo show at Show and Tell Gallery in the fall.
Could you draw an auto-portrait for us?
Ok.
Thanks Winnie.
