The Four Stages of Learning to Draw

Xavier Denia Valls describes the different phases an artist goes through when learning something new

When an individual decides to pursue an artistic skill, they are encouraged to take the time to understand the learning process: in other words, the different stages they will go through and how their attitude will evolve.

Artist and educator Xavier Denia (@xavi_denia) has an expert understanding of the learning process. There are four very identifiable stages that everyone will usually go through. Below, Xavier, who is also a teacher at the Barcelona Academy of Art, explains how we feel during each phase.

Stage 1: Unconsciously incompetent

When we begin to learn something, the first stage is being unconsciously incompetent: we really don’t know anything about what we don’t know. Not knowing anything means we don't realize how much we don’t know, and we are happy because we haven’t yet encountered any problems. We are filled with enthusiasm.