Even if you are on pension like a lot of of my educatees, you can use only limited free hours and energy for your drafting hobby. And if you're producing art professionally then hours and energy might be actually more restrained and precious to you!

And so you could be questioning yourself: what ought I center on when sketching? You could work on increasing your potentialsor you could put time in getting rid of your shortcomings.

Quite a delicate decision. It is crucial to think some time on the decision into what to put your hours and energy.

On the one hand you should focus on your strengths. Let's say for example you're great in drafting smooth and realistic blendings. So you should invest a lot of your efforts into additional improving these strengths. Some more time and energy will soon take your skill-level from "great" to "uber-great".

Then again you should put your efforts into fixing your weaker skills. Let's assume you need a lot of additional practice in drawing proportions and perspective more accurately. Investing some effort you would move your abilities in this area to at least average levels.

But wait! If you concentrate alone on decreasing your shortcomings, you'll commit a lot of effort to convert these shortcomings into just average skills. Finally that means you may end up with nearly only average powers, the result is only mediocrity.

You understand there are both rewards and disfavors to both options be it expanding your existing abilities or be it fighting your shortcomings.

A lot of artists try to tell you: leave your shortcomings and concentrate on your top abilities. That's a great advice but as you will recognize only a fraction of the truth.

So what to do?

First it is critical you recognize your shortcomings and you ought to recognize how often your shortcomings spoil your overall results. As illustration: When doing a lot of pencil sketches, below average abilities in proportions and perspective drawing will hinder you a lot more than missing abilities in the coloring. As a matter of fact these skills are absolutely unnecessary as long as you continue creating black and white pencil drawings.

And that's the important thing: only brush aside these shortcomings that don't affect your projects and pictures. But invest a fair share of your efforts into those shortcomings that handicap you from creating better drawings and sketches. Work on fighting these shortcomings - and only these!

And so you will have lot of hours left to work on improving your existing skills even further. And that's what you ought to do, also. If you stick to this strategy you will have the best outcomes possible for your time and energy.

One closing addition: these tips may sound a bit like those efficiency stuff taught in management courses. And yes it is quite similar. But it is not for squeezing the last bubble of creativeness out of you! It is only for doing the right things that help you develop your drawing skills most.

And of course please don't forget the amusing part of drawing. So if you prefer to essay a new technique as it is amusing then just do it! (and don't ask yourself whether it may help you or not ...)