Story and sketch from Ron W.
Growing up, I always had a bit of an adversarial relationship with art - a combination of cheap art supplies, and a lack of structured instruction made me quickly lose interest in "art classes", and pushed me to focus on other, more rewarding interests and topics. I, like many others, came to believe that the ability to represent the world around me was a talent that I lacked. About ten years ago, an artist I met finally got it through my thick head that art is a set of skills that can be learned like any other. Since then, I have off-and-on, studied and taught myself, learning that while quality materials do not make you a better artist, DO make the experience of making art more enjoyable, and thus make it more likely to want to continue practicing, learning, and creating art.