Does drawing really have to be lifelike?

Why does this cat have three eyes?

"Why is Dad so big?"

Why is the tree purple?

Many parents who have seen their children's drawings have probably had similar questions.

We are used to understanding a painting by its resemblance to reality. A person should look like a person, a tree should look like a tree, and the colors should ideally be similar to those in the real world.

But does a painting that doesn't completely follow reality mean it's "badly painted"?

"Drawing realistically" is just one of the abilities.

If a person can carefully observe the objects in front of them and accurately draw their shape, proportion, light and shadow, and details, that is certainly a skill.

But there is more than one path to artistic creation.

Some people like realism, while others prefer simplification; some value color, while others like exaggerated shapes; and some even deliberately rearrange the real world.

In the same park, some people can draw the details of the trees and benches, while others can use only a few simple shapes and colors to express their feelings about that place.

Both paintings have their own value.

Sometimes, it's the "unlikeness" that's interesting.

Imagine a child drawing a person.

Its head is very big, its body is very small, its hands are exaggeratedly long, and its shoes are bigger than its legs.

If our first sentence is, "Your drawing doesn't look like the subject,"...

The other person is likely to only remember one thing:My painting is bad.

But if we rephrase the question:

Why did you draw the other person so big?

The answer may be completely different.

Perhaps that person was the most important person to him. Perhaps those shoes were the most special thing in the story. Perhaps he just thought it was more interesting to draw them that way.

A seemingly "disproportionate" place may be hiding something the creator wants to express.

Don't rush to "beautify" it.

When we see a painting that doesn't meet our standards, we naturally want to help.

"It should be drawn more rounded here."

"The sky isn't this color."

"The eyes should be here."

If a child is learning basic skills, you can certainly teach him to observe proportions, shapes, and structures gradually.

However, when allowing for free creation, it's good to leave some room for him to make his own decisions.

Because "drawing more realistically" and "drawing with more of your own ideas" are two different things.

These questions do not require the other party to redraw, but they do give the creator an opportunity to explain their choices.

Skills are important, but they are not the only answer.

Of course, this doesn't mean that skills aren't important.

Learning how to observe, master proportions, and use lines and colors are all part of art training.

Techniques can help us express our ideas more accurately.

But when technique becomes the only standard, art easily degenerates into a comparison of "who paints the most realistically".

What's really interesting is that once someone starts to master a skill, they can choose how to use it.

You can draw it very realistically, or you can deliberately make it look unlike anything you intended.

You can follow the rules, or you can try to break them.

The key points are:He knew what he was doing and why he was doing it.

The most important question to ask about a painting is probably not whether it "looks like" the subject.

The next time you see a painting, try to hold back your question of whether it looks "similar" to the original.

You can ask:

What are you trying to say?

Or even simpler:

"Do you prefer drawing your own borders?"

The answer may not be complete; it might even be just a simple "because I like it."

But that's precisely what makes art so interesting.

A painting is not just lines and colors on paper, but also a way of observing the world, choosing and expressing oneself.

Therefore, it is certainly possible to pursue "likeness" in painting.

But it doesn't have to be "similar" to be worthy of appreciation.

Sometimes, the most unrecognizable painting is the one that best reveals the creator's own ideas.