Just to let you know, being “skilled” in drawing is something anyone can learn, if he desires to. The most important thing in drawing something that looks authentic, is to be able to SEE. The book “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” by Betty Edwards makes that very clear. Only if you are able to really SEE things as they are, you will be able to draw things as they appear.
If YOU always dreamed of drawing authentic, then take my advice and get this book. It is fantastic, especially for those that have always believed they cannot draw.
I have read about 20% of the book in 2006. I have done some excercises, but since I was travelling for long, I didn’t really use the opportunity to go further into it.
Now, I am actually not drawn to follow those excercises anymore. All I do right now, when the pencil is calling me, is just to feel the moment. I let things flow, and I am often surprised about the outcome. Besides SEEing, which I realized to be essential to make my drawings look more authentic, I believe that FEELing is even more important in these matters. I feel it necessary to be aware of the right moment for creating something. Only if I do art out of my feeling it becomes a beautiful piece, which – for me – will have eternal value.