We drew everything when we were kids. What made us stop?

November 12, 2026 — 7:00pmEach week Good Weekend’s how-to column shares expert advice on how to navigate some of modern life’s big – and small – challenges. This week: how to draw.Illustration by Drew Aitken I can’t draw horses. Whenever I try, they end up looking like an Irish wolfhound with a sagging back and an oversized head that looks like Jeff Kennett’s.Many of us lack confidence in our ability to draw. When we’re young, our parents proudly attach our artworks to the fridge with a magnet provided by the local plumber, but it doesn’t stop the self-doubt. And so we give up. Which is a shame because drawing can be a very relaxing pursuit.Rod Holdaway is a Sydney-based artist and drawing teacher. He says the key to drawing is observation. “Most people draw the idea of the object that’s in their heads, rather than carefully observing the object and drawing what they see,” Holdaway says. “Take an apple. Your idea of an apple is different to the object you’re looking at. Draw what you’re actually looking at – it may surprise you.”Before you get started, you’re going to need some tools of the trade. Holdaway recommends a pad of A3 acid-free cartridge paper and no pencil harder than a 2B; he suggests also buying a 4B and a 6B. Now you’re ready to tap into your inner Hans Heysen. “Hold your apple, feel its shape, notice how it’s not perfectly spherical,” he says. “Place it on the table in front of you and position a light source to one side to create shadow. Start by simplifying the shape of the apple by drawing a circle, rendering it in soft, gentle marks.”Draw a horizontal line at the base to represent where it sits on the table, then the little hollow at the top of the fruit where the stem sits. The apple is round, with part of it coming towards you; draw these “rounds” in both the vertical and horizontal. Then shade the darker side of the apple that’s furthest from the light source. “Is there also a shadow on the tabletop?” asks Holdaway. “Draw that shadow – it will be like a squashed circle that’s slightly darker than the rest of the table’s surface.”Now you’re ready to make the shape of the apple more defined. Are there places on the apple that are flat, rather than curved? Observe, and draw, these straighter lines. “Don’t worry about errors,” he says. “Leave them there as part of your journey of discovery; they make this apple uniquely yours.”Holdaway suggests, finally, that you might not be as bad at drawing as you believe. “Your opinion simply isn’t an informed one at this early stage,” he says.Stephen Lacey – Zealous cyclist, keen student of design and style, and purveyor of fine drinking experiences. Once stepped into the ring with a man of the cloth and copped a cracked rib for his trouble - all in the name of getting the story, of course.Connect via X or email.From our partners