--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: First draw dog, then fleas. First paint…" description: "\"First draw dog, then fleas. First paint apple, then worm holes.\" — Sergei Bongart" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/sergei-bongart-30562_apples_first-draw-dog-then-fleas-first-paint-ap_2038655.jpg" --- # First draw dog, then fleas. First paint apple, then worm… ![“First draw dog, then fleas. First paint apple, then worm holes.” quote by Sergei Bongart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/sergei-bongart-30562_apples_first-draw-dog-then-fleas-first-paint-ap_2038655.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/sergei-bongart-30562_apples_first-draw-dog-then-fleas-first-paint-ap_2038655.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ac/sergei-bongart-30562_apples_first-draw-dog-then-fleas-first-paint-ap_2038655.jpg) > “First draw dog, then fleas. First paint apple, then worm holes.” [Sergei Bongart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-bongart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Begin with simple forms (dog, apple) before adding complexity (fleas, worm holes) to build depth and detail in artwork. **In simple terms:** Start simple, then add intricate details. Key Takeaway Master fundamentals before tackling complexity. Themes artistic process composition detail learning progression Mood inspirational educational practical Type artistic instructional When to use this quote - painting classes - illustration workshops - creative practice Key Concepts foundational drawing layered complexity visual storytelling Questions to Reflect On - How does mastering basics improve advanced work? - When should an artist introduce complexity? A Different Perspective Complexity can overwhelm if fundamentals are weak. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apples/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Dog Fleas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog-fleas-3678171/) [Draw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draw/) [Draw Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draw-dog-2704024/) [Draws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draws/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Fleas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fleas/) [Fleas Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fleas-paint-3782303/) [Holes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holes/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Paint Apple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint-apple-3782304/) [Worms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worms/) ## Related quotes > [A professor must have a theory as a dog must have fleas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/a-professor-must-have-a-theory-as-a-dog-must-have-fleas/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [It's a good thing for a dog to have fleas; keeps his mind off being a dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-s-a-good-thing-for-a-dog-to-have-fleas-keeps-his-mind-off-being-a/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [It is very easy to get fixed in affairs/problems, but tough to with draw. dog is a living example.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yssubramanyam/it-is-very-easy-to-get-fixed-in-affairs-problems-but-tough-to-with/) [Yssubramanyam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yssubramanyam/) > [My son's a painter. All through school his teachers tell him he's a genius. I tell him to paint me an apple that looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-mingus/my-son-s-a-painter-all-through-school-his-teachers-tell-him-he-s-a/) [Charles Mingus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-mingus/) > [Don't paint the apple; paint the red.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-lismer/don-t-paint-the-apple-paint-the-red/) [Arthur Lismer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-lismer/) > [“NATURAL FLEA PROTECTION FOR DOGS An easy way to protect your dog from fleas is to apply a drop or two of eucalyptus essential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/editors-of-storey-publishing-s-country-wisdom-bulletins/natural-flea-protection-for-dogs-an-easy-way-to-protect-your-dog-from/) [Editors of Storey Publishing's Country Wisdom Bulletins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/editors-of-storey-publishing-s-country-wisdom-bulletins/) > [Oh senseless man, who cannot possibly make a worm or a flea and yet will create Gods by the dozen!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/oh-senseless-man-who-cannot-possibly-make-a-worm-or-a-flea-and-yet/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [Through three cheese trees three free fleas flew. While these fleas flew, freezy breeze blew. Freezy breeze made these three trees freeze. Freezy trees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/through-three-cheese-trees-three-free-fleas-flew-while-these-fleas/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [I sting like a butterfly and punch like a flea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/si-robertson/i-sting-like-a-butterfly-and-punch-like-a-flea/) [Si Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/si-robertson/) > [The god who is reputed to have created fleas to keep dogs from moping over their situation must also have created fundamentalists to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-hardin/the-god-who-is-reputed-to-have-created-fleas-to-keep-dogs-from-moping/) [Garrett Hardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-hardin/) > [I always like my trailer or hotel room to have fresh flowers or pillows I find at a local flea market - anything to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-sevigny/i-always-like-my-trailer-or-hotel-room-to-have-fresh-flowers-or/) [Chloe Sevigny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-sevigny/) > [When I find something at a flea market or an antique store, it feels more special and I'm more inclined to want to wear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-wasson/when-i-find-something-at-a-flea-market-or-an-antique-store-it-feels/) [Erin Wasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-wasson/) > [ Every writer since the beginning of time, just like other people, has been afflicted by what \[a\] friend of mine calls "the fleas of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-styron/every-writer-since-the-beginning-of-time-just-like-other-people-has/) [William Styron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-styron/) > [“Don't get mad about the infestation of fleas if you keep shopping at the dog pound.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-j-lewis-coleman/don-t-get-mad-about-the-infestation-of-fleas-if-you-keep-shopping-at/) [Valerie J. Lewis Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-j-lewis-coleman/) > [I have a real low tolerance for parasites, and you're so close to the limit that I'm already reaching for the flea powder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-howard/i-have-a-real-low-tolerance-for-parasites-and-you-re-so-close-to-the/) [Linda Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-howard/) ## More by Sergei Bongart > [Most important... develop your technical ability. You are handicapped if you do not develop well enough to hold the subconscious process so as not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-bongart/most-important-develop-your-technical-ability-you-are-handicapped-if/) [Sergei Bongart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-bongart/) > [If you paint from 35mm Kodachrome, you end up with a 4x5 foot Kodachrome!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-bongart/if-you-paint-from-35mm-kodachrome-you-end-up-with-a-4x5-foot/) [Sergei Bongart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-bongart/) > [Practice like good musician; draw every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-bongart/practice-like-good-musician-draw-every-day/) [Sergei Bongart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-bongart/) > [Never become an artist if you can't learn to draw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-bongart/never-become-an-artist-if-you-can-t-learn-to-draw/) [Sergei Bongart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-bongart/) > [Once you set out to copy another painter you can never be more than number two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-bongart/once-you-set-out-to-copy-another-painter-you-can-never-be-more-than/) [Sergei Bongart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-bongart/) > [Art is more than a product of your efforts - it should be about feeling, life, attitude, soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-bongart/art-is-more-than-a-product-of-your-efforts-it-should-be-about-feeling/) [Sergei Bongart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-bongart/) > [Watercolor is like life. Better get it right the first time--you don't get a second chance!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-bongart/watercolor-is-like-life-better-get-it-right-the-first-time-you-don-t/) [Sergei Bongart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-bongart/) > [There is no one just like you, and there never will be anyone just like you, so there's no reason not to be original.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-bongart/there-is-no-one-just-like-you-and-there-never-will-be-anyone-just/) [Sergei Bongart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-bongart/) > [All students need to know about color is the basic color wheel and complimentary colors. There are many books on color theory; do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-bongart/all-students-need-to-know-about-color-is-the-basic-color-wheel-and/) [Sergei Bongart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-bongart/) > [First trust your eyes... then check by rules. Many times something else is happening, and the rules will not apply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-bongart/first-trust-your-eyes-then-check-by-rules-many-times-something-else/) [Sergei Bongart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-bongart/) > [Contrast warm to cool. Make color sing, ring like a bell. Work from big to small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-bongart/contrast-warm-to-cool-make-color-sing-ring-like-a-bell-work-from-big/) [Sergei Bongart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-bongart/) > [The most horrible question students ask: 'How do you paint copper?' 'How do you paint flesh or glass?' You paint everything the same way:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-bongart/the-most-horrible-question-students-ask-how-do-you-paint-copper-how/) [Sergei Bongart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-bongart/) > [Always keep your best work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-bongart/always-keep-your-best-work/) [Sergei Bongart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-bongart/) > [Train yourself: It is not by accident an artist becomes a good painter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-bongart/train-yourself-it-is-not-by-accident-an-artist-becomes-a-good-painter/) [Sergei Bongart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-bongart/) > [The less inhibited you are the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-bongart/the-less-inhibited-you-are-the-better/) [Sergei Bongart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-bongart/) [Explore all 17 Sergei Bongart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-bongart/) ## More Apples quotes > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I named my son Noah for the same reason Chris Martin named his apple: we're asses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-named-my-son-noah-for-the-same-reason-chris-martin-named-his-apple/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [I think, however, that Astaire's coordination is better than Kelly's... his sense of rhythm is uncanny. Kelly, on the other hand, is the stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyd-charisse/i-think-however-that-astaire-s-coordination-is-better-than-kelly-s/) [Cyd Charisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyd-charisse/) > [“In the back of the fridge I checked out some stewed apples destined to fester. I examined them closely and reckoned they had only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-brown/in-the-back-of-the-fridge-i-checked-out-some-stewed-apples-destined/) [Helen Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-brown/) > [Fortunately, like most children, I had learned what is most valuable, most indispensable for life before school years began, taught by apple trees, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/fortunately-like-most-children-i-had-learned-what-is-most-valuable/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [I'm not only a fan of Apple products, I have stock in the company. I think Steve Jobs has started one of the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-rock/i-m-not-only-a-fan-of-apple-products-i-have-stock-in-the-company-i/) [Kid Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-rock/) > [I love to eat an apple after a meal, just to cleanse my teeth - they always look polished afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-zeta-jones/i-love-to-eat-an-apple-after-a-meal-just-to-cleanse-my-teeth-they/) [Catherine Zeta-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-zeta-jones/) > [I have a friend who is a juggler. If I'm at his house, I don't like to take food from him, if it's in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-have-a-friend-who-is-a-juggler-if-i-m-at-his-house-i-don-t-like-to/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [A comely sight indeed it is to see, a world of blossoms on an apple tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/a-comely-sight-indeed-it-is-to-see-a-world-of-blossoms-on-an-apple/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [Like a satellite in orbit, Apple is perpetually falling. It just happens to miss Earth every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-dediu/like-a-satellite-in-orbit-apple-is-perpetually-falling-it-just/) [Horace Dediu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-dediu/) > [I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-have-always-said-if-there-ever-came-a-day-when-i-could-no-longer/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Positive thinking is so firmly enshrined in our culture that knocking it is a little like attacking motherhood or apple pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srikumar-rao/positive-thinking-is-so-firmly-enshrined-in-our-culture-that-knocking/) [Srikumar Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srikumar-rao/) > [Therein lies the rub of a place like Berkeley Bowl. You get seduced by an 11-pound apple that turns out to be a fake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jad-abumrad/therein-lies-the-rub-of-a-place-like-berkeley-bowl-you-get-seduced-by/) [Jad Abumrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jad-abumrad/) > [Now it is autumn and the falling fruit and the long journey towards oblivion. The apples falling like great drops of dew to bruise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/now-it-is-autumn-and-the-falling-fruit-and-the-long-journey-towards/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [The next time you're looking at a charity, don't ask about the rate of their overhead; ask about the scale of their dreams -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pallotta/the-next-time-you-re-looking-at-a-charity-don-t-ask-about-the-rate-of-2/) [Dan Pallotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pallotta/) [Browse all 1,262 Apples quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apples/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "First draw dog, then fleas. 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