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How to Use Drawing as a ‘Creative Break’ From Cancer
Mark is a retired freelance artist and illustrator who has created hundreds of works of art for books, magazines, greeting cards, websites and countless other publications over a long career. After retiring, he hoped to just live a simple life, maybe do volunteer work with his wife at some National Parks and continue to paint, sculpt, and do other creative works – but this time just for art’s sake. However, his wife received a BRCA2-associated cancer diagnosis that shattered that dream. Mark became his late wife’s caregiver as she struggled with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer and all the horrible side effects that come with treatment. In turn, he became a hereditary cancer awareness and prevention advocate. And since his daughter also carries the same germline BRCA2 mutation, he said that his advocacy means even more.
Brielle Benyon, Assistant Managing Editor for CURE®, has been with MJH Life Sciences since 2016. She has served as an editor on both CURE and its sister publication, Oncology Nursing News. Brielle is a graduate from The College of New Jersey. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, CrossFit and wishing she had the grace and confidence of her toddler-aged daughter.
A professional illustrator and former cancer caregiver uses a detailed step-by-step approach using simple shapes such as circles and rectangles to demonstrate how others can easily draw a lion.
When his late wife was diagnosed with BRCA-associated breast cancer, freelance artist and illustrator Mark Hicks turned to drawing as a method of coping.
In this video, Hicks walks patients with cancer, survivors and caregivers through the step-by-step process to draw a lion.
“To try and help me remain grounded during my wife’s cancer struggles, I often turned to my sketchbook when time allowed,” Hicks said in a prior blog post. “None of it will ever hang in a gallery or museum, but doing it helped me cope with the stress and heartache of being a cancer caregiver.”
More drawing instructions from Hicks:
- Create a Cancer-Fighting Superhero
- Cancer, Bears and Fierce Compassion
- Drawing Was a ‘Creative Reprieve’ During My Wife’s Cancer
Transcript
Today I'll show you how to draw a lion using simple shapes to provide a framework for the drawing. You just need a pencil, an eraser and a piece of paper.
Start by drawing a circle for the lion’s head. Have a small rectangle for the snout and a smaller one below it for the lower jaw.
Next comes the body. Add a large rectangle behind the head circle.
Add legs and paws. Again, rectangles work perfect for this.
Add a small triangle for the eye, a small oval for the ear and a curly line for the lion's tail.
Now go back and darken the outline and erase any unwanted lines.
Finally, add in any details you feel brings a sketch alive: teeth, whiskers etc. You can leave it as a lioness, or you can add a mane. Change the sketch however you feel it should look. Add a background or color or another lion. Be creative.
I hope this has given you a creative break until our next creative break together, take care.
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