I get asked this a lot, usually by someone hovering on the edge of starting. Should I book private lessons, or find a group? I never push anyone one way or the other. It's a personal thing, and the honest answer is "it depends," so I'll give you an honest one, not a neat one. Why I Always Lean Toward the Group (Even Though It's Not Right for Everyone) If you'd pushed me for a genuine leaning, though, it would be group, especially when you're just starting out. Not because it teaches better...

Some of the most naturally gifted people I've ever taught stopped drawing within a few months. And some of the most hesitant, the ones who apologised for their pencil before they'd even used it, are still going years later. I used to think talent explained that. It doesn't. What explains it, almost every time, is whether someone was learning completely alone or not. It took me a while to properly notice the pattern, because it doesn't show itself. Nobody tells you they're quitting because...

Nobody's nervous halfway through a session. It's the doorway that gets people. I see it most weeks. Someone arrives to actually start, properly start, and before they've even sat down they'll tell me, often more than once, that they're rubbish. That they can't draw. Some go quiet instead, hoping to melt into the background so nobody asks what they're working on.