ABSTRACT
Chapter 7 describes the various ways in which practitioners seek solitude for drawing. Quoting artists who speak of drawing as a “soliloquy” or “private dialogue,” I elaborate on the idea of drawing as a private activity and drawings as private works, referring to the traditional purposes of drawing as practice and the making of preparatory works, in addition to the accessibility of materials, intimate scale, and personal touch that characterize drawing. Feeling alone, whether literally or not, helps drawing practitioners to take risks and feel released from internal as well as external critique. Using accounts of drawing experiences, I describe how artists, hobbyists, and students find solitude in places: a studio or designated space at home or at work; in solitary time set aside from other commitments and free of interruptions; in the act of listening to music and in concentrated attention, even when surrounded by others.
