Which is easier to do: Writing or Drawing?

[Twyce]

I was debating this with my friend earlier today, and I am curious to see what others have to say. Which do you think is the 'easier' talent?

Being able to write well, as in have the desire and a somewhat decent ability to craft stories.

Or

Being able to draw/paint/sketch/etc. well?

Both take skill, but which group would you say have it 'easier?'

Personally, I'm torn. Writing can take a lot of time and setup to deliver a powerful impact/story. For artists it seems they just need a picture something in their head and go to town. I'm not saying their work doesn't take time and talent, I know it takes a ton. But from how see it, they can just get some inspiration and WHAM! start your engines.

Also, I know both mediums require skill/talent and I am not belittling either!

 

[Shaved Apple]

For me, definitely drawing. I'm pretty good at it.

 

[Lionsfan]

I'm gonna say writing. Even if a piece isn't that great, it's easier to practice at it and improve than drawing something

 

[TehCookie]

Everyone can write a simple story, but some people struggle with drawing a simple picture.

 

[teqrevisited]

I'd say it's just a matter of perspective. I used to be good at drawing but I didn't keep it up. Writing, on the other hand, is something I've always done so for me it would be immensely easier to write a few good pages than to properly draw something. Having said that I think it's easier to start drawing than to start writing. Developing a good writing style and being comfortable with it can take quite a long time.

 

[velnalops]

I do like writing both fiction and some journalism resembling nonsense (at this point - only in my native language, though), and it does take a lot of thought, but once I get in the right mood, it seems to go rather smooth. That being said, I think, I haven't written anything worth a damn in my life, although some rather insane people seem to enjoy it (my writing, that being). For me, it seems, that writing is a lot more subjective, so it's hard to determine, what is good, and what is not in it.

There is also the fact, that you have to have some life experience to write interesting characters and situations - you can never describe anything as well as the things you have lived trough yourself. Also - the standards of "engaging", "interesting" or even "good" seem to change rather fast. I mean, if you write a novel in the style of Edgar Alan Poe, most of readers in modern times will probably fall asleep half-way trough. So, keeping that in mind, people have to work really hard to determine, if their own writing is acceptable or not. I guess. Really, I have no clue. Lord of the Rings is still called both genius by some and over-written and boring by others.

On the other hand drawing (which, from my can't-even-draw-a-decent-looking-cube perspective, only the chosen demigods can do) is easier to determine, whether or not is it good. When you see a neat looking picture, you will probably determine it at start, and there won't be THAT many people, who disagree really harshly, at least from the outsider, non-artist side. As far as I know, creating good art is extremely hard and takes a lot of effort, but, when it's all said and done, you can at least look at the thing and say "Well, it's quite nice, isn't it?".

For me, it seems, that the "difficulty" of writing and creating visual art is largely determined by talent. I read a story about a 9 year old wunderkind, who (just for fun, mind you) could easily paint with the precision and elegance of a trained, masterful artist. I couldn't learn to draw/paint well, if my life depended on it. But if I put my mind to it, I can, at times, write an article or two, which are more-or-less readable. Obviously, talent is not the only component, and refining the skill takes years of practice. So, I guess it's all very subjective, especially from someone, who only can aspire to do only one of things at all.

EDIT: It seems that I went a little bit overkill here. Well then, the TL;DR version: It's writing for me.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Both are equally as hard, and equally as easy.

When trying to master something personal skill has actually got very little to do with it. It's all about dedication and time. If you want to become a great artist it's as easy as just keep drawing, and as hard as just keep drawing: always practising, always improving. Leonardo Da Vinci drew 1000 pairs of hands before he was satisfied with his ability to draw hands, and moved onto the next thing he found difficult.
If you want to become a great author it's as simple as just keep writing, and as hard as just keep writing: always practising. Many famous authors before they wrote their own works would have spent their time personally taking another famous author's book and rewriting it, word for word, to see how the other author structured their work, laid out their sentences, used words effectively etc. because there is no better way to really discover the mechanics behind writing a good book.

All it takes is time...

 

[Chemical Alia]

For artists it seems they just need a picture something in their head and go to town. I'm not saying their work doesn't take time and talent, I know it takes a ton. But from how see it, they can just get some inspiration and WHAM! start your engines.

Whoa, what? Maybe if by drawing you mean "doodling", but you're neglecting a ton of shit that goes into a serious 2d piece. Once you have an idea, there's dozens of thumbnails for layout and composition and reference/research gathering even before you really start. Then there's the technical side of understanding two/three point perspective for environments, proportions and anatomy, color theory and lighting, etc, all which take years of practice and which many people are never truly able to just "whip out" in a quick drawing.

Though I think how easy these things are for people usually come down to which they feel more comfortable with, and most importantly, which they do more often. I personally hate writing, so it's not something I seek out to practice unless I have to.

Some people find greater enjoyment in the challenge of one over the other, but it's only practice that makes things easier. At a basic level, most things seem simple, and if you never go beyond the surface, you might never see how complicated it gets.

 

[Lucem712]

I'm going to go with drawing since writing is a skill taught in school therefor most people (while maybe not being talented writers) have a solid foundation on writing.

But drawing, takes years and years to have even a decent amount of skill in it. (From a personal experience) I've been drawing for over a decade (all self taught) and I'm only becoming decent now. Though, those things change because people are more drawn to one skill over the other. (Though, I prefer drawing and it has always been far more difficult for me to draw than to write)

Also, drawing (for me, again) is very hit and miss. Somedays I can draw something amazing and beautiful, the next day, I can't even draw a straight line. Inspiration and muse plays a-lot into both.

 

[IndomitableSam]

Whichever one you're personally better at. For me? Writing. My twin sister? Drawing.

I can't draw a stick person. My sister is okay, but not great. She was pretty good until she developed carpal tunnel and gave up on it, which upsets me. And her. I can write a few lines that'll drive people to tears bring or a heartwarming smile. My sister? Not so much. However, I never have the drive to really sit down and write... so it's a wasted talent on my end, too.

 

[Twyce]

Whoa, what? Maybe if by drawing you mean "doodling", but you're neglecting a ton of shit that goes into a serious 2d piece. Once you have an idea, there's dozens of thumbnails for layout and composition and reference/research gathering even before you really start. Then there's the technical side of understanding two/three point perspective for environments, proportions and anatomy, color theory and lighting, etc, all which take years of practice and which many people are never truly able to just "whip out" in a quick drawing.

Though I think how easy these things are for people usually come down to which they feel more comfortable with, and most importantly, which they do more often. I personally hate writing, so it's not something I seek out to practice unless I have to.

Some people find greater enjoyment in the challenge of one over the other, but it's only practice that makes things easier. At a basic level, most things seem simple, and if you never go beyond the surface, you might never see how complicated it gets.

Personally, I'm stronger in writing. I couldn't draw to save my life. So I don't know what exactly goes into an art piece. Like I said in my original post, I am not discounting the heavy duty work that goes into art. I may not have a handle on the whole process, but I know it isn't easy or quick!!

I guess, what I was trying to say is that, although it is equally time consuming to draw/research/etc a piece, I view writing as more difficult (more specifically novels). I say that because after everything is done by the artist they can get straight to work on what they consider the end goal of their work (does that make any sense?). While with writing a novel, you may have some great story/scene, but you have to fill and bring to life the characters and environments around it, even if you aren't particularly interested in focusing on them.

For example, lets say I have this great scene in my head that I have to get down on paper. For an artist, they would do everything you said and after all their hard work (including all the steps you listed), they would have the scene they imagined right in front in of them.

Now with writing, at least in my case, I have this awesome scene I want to write, but...Who are my characters? Why is it cool it is happening to them? Even if I wrote the scene, it would have little meaning because I don't know who these people are or how they are connected or what the hell is going on with them. Of course, I am using an example of where it is an original idea and not something with preexisting characters, so everything is from scratch.

Did that make any sense? I wasn't trying to discount the effort artists put into their work, but I always felt they could get satisfaction from an idea faster than a writer could. Of course, that's a whole other discussion.

 

[Vegosiux]

Writing for me. I can't draw to save my life, seriously.

I wish I could.

 

[Aerosteam]

I'm an artist, and I know writing requires more effort which makes it far harder.

Drawings can look really shit to one person but still be a masterpiece to another.

When it comes to writing it either looks shit to everyone or doesn't look shit to everyone.

Drawing is easier. Because whatever you do, someone's going to like it.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I bias to say drawing since that where my former talent lie and it was a pain to learn the different vocabulary, grammer and punctuation!

 

[thesilentman]

Am I really the only one to say that they're equal? Mostly writing for me, but I've always been good at drawing and I decided to get better over the school year. OP, it really depends on who you are; some will find drawing better, others will take writing.

 

[wulf3n]

depends on the makeup of your brain.

 

[glyngaris]

Is this really a question people are asking? Writing and drawing are different skills that use different parts of the brain. The difficulty is decided on a person to person basis. Your question may as well have been: what is easier, being a calculus professor or being a martial arts master.