The Journal (The Association of Illustrators) - January 2001
Can You Draw? - Wayne Ford

Drawing is one skill I have always struggled with, but it is an invaluable skill for designer and Illustrator alike.

Throughout my working day I use sketchbooks when solving problems, yet to anyone else my sketches are meaningless doodles. If you look at the work of some of the truly great designers Alan Fletcher, Paul Rand and Milton Glaser they all had/have immense drawing talent, in some cases the line between designer and illustrator is very blurred. Drawing's value to contemporary illustration is the same as it has been to other forms of the genre. It is the basis of all good illustration; it is one of the basic skills that must be learned. While current illustration may be based upon found images, graphic line and flat colour, the ability to draw helps an illustrator understand composition and to come up with the all-important idea.

Look at some of the leading figures in current illustration- Frazer Hudson, Andy Martin, Brian Grimwood and Lawrence Zeegen. Their work continually comes to the fore through the use of strong concepts and ideas. This suggests that these illustrators have a good grounding in the traditional skills, like drawing.

I see far too many portfolios from young illustrators who rely on the computer with work lacking ideas. Looking through their sketchbooks I am always concerned by the lack of drawing skills. (It would be more accurate to call the current sketchbooks, scrapbooks).

Illustration is currently having a long overdue renaissance, not only in its traditional media print, but also in the number of illustrators contributing to television advertising and new media. This will continue only if we are sure that students are being prepared correctly. This means they will have a working knowledge of the computer and also commanding knowledge of traditional skills like drawing.

Wayne Ford
Art Director - The Observer Life Magazine