We are told, and rightly so, that it is great fun to be able to draw and paint.

Every manual of painting stresses this, and then proceeds to make the whole thing seem so difficult that we are discouraged before we begin.

Of course it is difficult. But should that really concern us ?

There is a saying that goes: if a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly. Which means, in essence, that whatever you do, do it for the enjoyment it gives you. If you are concerned only with doing it well you may feel so inadequate that you won't do it at all. And look at all the pleasure you will miss. If we knew how complicated it is to take one simple breath, we might give up and suffocate. Yet breathing comes so easily to us we do it without thinking.

It is the same with drawing and painting. It is easier than we think. All we need to know is what to use and how it behaves when we use it. And that is the purpose of this book.