--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can only learn to paint by drawing…" description: "\"You can only learn to paint by drawing, for drawing is a way of reserving a place for color in advance.\" — Andre Lhote" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/andre-lhote-65696_artist_you-can-only-learn-to-paint-by-drawing-f_821437.png" --- # You can only learn to paint by drawing, for drawing is a… ![“You can only learn to paint by drawing, for drawing is a way of reserving a place for color in advance.” quote by Andre Lhote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/andre-lhote-65696_artist_you-can-only-learn-to-paint-by-drawing-f_821437.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/andre-lhote-65696_artist_you-can-only-learn-to-paint-by-drawing-f_821437.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/andre-lhote-65696_artist_you-can-only-learn-to-paint-by-drawing-f_821437.png) > “You can only learn to paint by drawing, for drawing is a way of reserving a place for color in advance.” Andre Lhote ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Learning to paint requires drawing first, as drawing reserves space for color later. **In simple terms:** Draw first to make room for color later. Key Takeaway Start with outlines before adding detail. Themes creativity process learning Mood thoughtful inspirational Type instructional philosophical When to use this quote - art classes - design projects - illustration practice - creative brainstorming Key Concepts drawing painting visualization Questions to Reflect On - How does planning affect your creative outcomes? - What does “reserving a place for color” mean to you? A Different Perspective Skipping drawing may limit artistic depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) ## Related quotes > [You will learn to paint trees only by understanding them, their growth, their nature, their movement - and realizing that they are conscious living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/you-will-learn-to-paint-trees-only-by-understanding-them-their-growth/) [John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) > [It takes 25 years to learn to draw, one hour to learn to paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-auguste-dominique-ingres/it-takes-25-years-to-learn-to-draw-one-hour-to-learn-to-paint/) [Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-auguste-dominique-ingres/) > [I've felt that in the past, where I just felt like I had to keep drawing in the same way to maintain this sameness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/i-ve-felt-that-in-the-past-where-i-just-felt-like-i-had-to-keep/) [Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/) > [Drawing is a way of coming upon the connection between things, just like metaphor in poetry reconnects what has become separated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/drawing-is-a-way-of-coming-upon-the-connection-between-things-just/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [Think of drawing as a way of talking about the things that interest you. Think of those wonderful documents, drawings made on scraps of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-french-sloan/think-of-drawing-as-a-way-of-talking-about-the-things-that-interest/) [John French Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-french-sloan/) > [Drawing is not only a way to come up with pictures: drawing is a way to educate your eye to understand visual information, organizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vik-muniz/drawing-is-not-only-a-way-to-come-up-with-pictures-drawing-is-a-way/) [Vik Muniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vik-muniz/) > [Drawing is a way for me to articulate things inside myself that I can't otherwise grasp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/drawing-is-a-way-for-me-to-articulate-things-inside-myself-that-i-can/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [People ask me, 'What happened in your life that might have pushed you as an artist to get to where you are today?' I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-lee/people-ask-me-what-happened-in-your-life-that-might-have-pushed-you/) [Jim Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-lee/) > [For me, drawing is a way of navigating the imagination, and it remains the fundamental vehicle of my practice. Drawing allows me to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahzia-sikander/for-me-drawing-is-a-way-of-navigating-the-imagination-and-it-remains/) [Shahzia Sikander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahzia-sikander/) > [Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing? Can one really explain this? no. Just as one can never learn how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/why-do-two-colors-put-one-next-to-the-other-sing-can-one-really/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Everything in nature is formed upon the sphere, the cone and the cylinder. One must learn to paint these simple figures and then one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/everything-in-nature-is-formed-upon-the-sphere-the-cone-and-the/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [“Artists have to learn how to paint what's in the mirror, even if what they see is a total (expletive) show...If you can't paint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-david-hutchinson/artists-have-to-learn-how-to-paint-what-s-in-the-mirror-even-if-what-2/) [Shaun David Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-david-hutchinson/) > [If you want to learn how to paint, go to Caravaggio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gianfranco-zola/if-you-want-to-learn-how-to-paint-go-to-caravaggio/) [Gianfranco Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gianfranco-zola/) > [“Artists have to learn how to paint what's in the mirror, even if what they see is a total shit show.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-david-hutchinson/artists-have-to-learn-how-to-paint-what-s-in-the-mirror-even-if-what/) [Shaun David Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-david-hutchinson/) > [Why sit on your butt watching 'Jersey Shore' when you can learn to paint a beautiful picture?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leven-rambin/why-sit-on-your-butt-watching-jersey-shore-when-you-can-learn-to/) [Leven Rambin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leven-rambin/) ## More by Andre Lhote > [To use color well is as difficult as for a fish to pass from water to air or earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-lhote/to-use-color-well-is-as-difficult-as-for-a-fish-to-pass-from-water-to/) Andre Lhote > [You must be classic. Put yourselves before the model in a workmanlike spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-lhote/you-must-be-classic-put-yourselves-before-the-model-in-a-workmanlike/) Andre Lhote > [Drawing is the sum of directions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-lhote/drawing-is-the-sum-of-directions/) Andre Lhote Explore all 4 Andre Lhote quotes ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can only learn to paint by drawing, for drawing is a way of reserving a place for color in advance.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andre Lhote" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-lhote/you-can-only-learn-to-paint-by-drawing-for-drawing-is-a-way-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-lhote/you-can-only-learn-to-paint-by-drawing-for-drawing-is-a-way-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/andre-lhote-65696_artist_you-can-only-learn-to-paint-by-drawing-f_821437.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/andre-lhote-65696_artist_you-can-only-learn-to-paint-by-drawing-f_821437.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/andre-lhote-65696_artist_you-can-only-learn-to-paint-by-drawing-f_821437.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can only learn to paint by drawing, for drawing is a way of reserving a place for color in advance.” — Andre Lhote", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Andre Lhote", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-lhote/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can only learn to paint...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-lhote/you-can-only-learn-to-paint-by-drawing-for-drawing-is-a-way-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-lhote/you-can-only-learn-to-paint-by-drawing-for-drawing-is-a-way-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```