An Art Critic Tries Drawing Instead of Writing

If you have to put up with family members and friends who are forever critical of your painting but never lift a pen or brush themselves, you'll enjoy the attempts of Guardian art critic Jonathan Jones to draw. He decided "after years spent dissecting the works of the great artists ... to put his money where his mouth was" and headed to the National Gallery with a pencil and sketchbook. His ultimate aim was to be able to create a portrait of his young daughter (rather than photograph her). The result is an entertaining article called It's Not as Easy as It Looks. (Indeed!)

If anyone (and let's be polite and not call them a moron) asks why you bother to paint or draw in this age of digital photography, Jones's answer is worth repeating: "The answer is precisely because it is difficult. In wrestling with how to translate a physical object into line and shade you ram your head against the mystery and wonder of the visible world." (So there!) Read more about an art critic's attempts to be an artist...