What Percentage % Of The Population Can Draw? ( a surprising many)

As an art university graduate, I’ve been surrounded by incredible artists for years. Yet, it made me wonder – what percentage of the population can draw?

I did some research, and the answer is more complicated than the question itself.

SHORT Answer:

99.99% of the population can draw at a certain skill level. Drawing things such as smiley faces, emojis, arrows, and symbols (sun, moon, stars, etc.) proves to be an easy task for many, and is still considered a form of drawing.

When we narrow down to how many people can draw well, the percentage becomes hard to define.

Let me explain…

Is it true that everyone can draw?

If it’s true that 99.99% of the population can draw at a certain skill level, that makes it basically everyone, right?

If you were to ask a bunch of kids who can draw – all will raise their hands. But as years go by, there will be fewer and fewer raised hands.

Why so?

• 1. The understanding of what it means to be able to draw changes with age.

For kids, drawing means putting a tool on paper and making marks. It’s a form of communication, expression and fun!

Yet, as adults, we tend to think of drawing as a technical skill that believably represents objects and stories. The product of such drawings is to be admired, hung on a wall, sold and valued.

And if we don’t practice art and get better, then our drawings won’t match these criteria we made up in our heads.

• 2. Self-criticism and self-imposed rules.

A kid drawing a few scratch marks on a piece of paper will run to their parents or teachers to show off this masterpiece.

However, as we grow up and see the works of professional artists, we begin the game of comparison.

Looking at incredible artists on Instagram, or seeing paintings hung in various galleries across the world, we can’t help but compare them to a doodle we made on a piece of paper.

“It looks nothing like this,” – a common thought of comparing your work to your reference, or to someone else’s art.

So, of course, the logical answer to “Raise your hand if you can draw” – is to sit quietly and not move.

Yet, as Graham Shaw says…

“When you say you can’t draw – it’s an illusion.”

Graham Shaw

Watch this Ted Talk “Why people believe they can’t draw” to see for yourself what he means.

Is it impossible for some people to draw?

There may be some specific disabilities that could make it impossible for someone to draw, but I haven’t stumbled upon any.

After all, drawing doesn’t necessarily have to be done by holding a pencil in your hand and drawing on paper.

You can hold any tool that’s capable of making a mark, with anything you want (try it with your mouth, now that’s a challenge!) and make a mark on anything.

Just like the first documented drawing of a ‘Hashtag’ pattern drawn on a rock in a South African cave, that is 73,000 years old. Check out the image of it on Nature “World’s oldest drawing is Stone Age crayon doodle”.

Making marks is part of human nature.

Patterns, abstract art, doodles, shapes – everyone is capable of doing them, and therefore of drawing.

Just pull out a napkin and a pencil, draw two dots “:” and a rounded line beside it, like this “)“

You got a smiley face 🙂.

See, you can draw too!

Is drawing a rare skill?

Yes, and no.

Drawing, as we’ve already established, is doable by most people in this world.

Yet, drawing skilfully is a rare skill indeed. It takes hours of dedicated practice, patience and passion to be able to achieve remarkable results.

So, drawing at the level of Peter Paul Rubens or Raphael is definitely a rare skill.

Just look at the level of craftsmanship shown through their strokes.

To complete drawings such as the ones above requires an insane amount of hours of learning and practicing art.

What’s more, you must also observe and learn about human anatomy, light and shadow, texture, composition, negative space, and all sorts of other art elements.

But when it comes to drawing in a symbolic way, like emojis, signs, and shapes, it is an ordinary task.

How many people can draw well?

How well the average person can draw is a hard thing to define. Just imagine what the research would have to look like:

• You’d have to first define what drawing well means.
• Then find a way to measure it.
• And find hundreds of people to do the task in a controlled environment.

Not an easy research task at all, as there are so many caveats.

For example, I consider myself to be pretty good at drawing people. But if you asked me to draw a car or a dragon, my drawing would be similar to that of a child.

So, if you graded me on portraiture, you’d say that I can draw well. But if you graded me on the other things, you’d say that I cannot.

So, there is no definitive answer to this question.

But, there is hope!

Scientists say, “…while some are born with natural talent, anyone can learn to draw well.” (“Art of the matter: Mystery of why some people are good at drawing and others aren’t finally revealed”, DailyMail).

So, if tomorrow everyone suddenly decides to practice drawing every day – in a few years we will be able to say that EVERYONE in the world can draw well.

Catch my meaning?

How many artists are there in the world?

How many artists are there in the whole world is unknown.

But there is some data that can guide us.

According to research, 1.99 million Americans identified an artist occupation as their primary job. And 11% of them are fine artists, art directors, and animators. (“Artists in the Workforce 1990–2005” by National Endowment for the Arts)

But that’s just in America, up to the year 2005. And people who identified art as their primary job.

How many more artists are self-employed, work as artists part-time, or reside in other countries is hard to count.

But you can do your own estimations.

Just look at how many art accounts are created on Instagram daily, and how many artists of various ages publish speed paintings and other art-related videos on YouTube.

THERE ARE SO MANY!

And that’s because everybody has an artist in them. Your parents, lawyers, police officers and, yes, even your dentist.

We are all capable of drawing as a way of communication and expression.

Just some of us chose it as our career, and others as a secret hobby or something to do while on the phone.

Don’t believe me?

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” – Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

What do YOU think?

Let me know in the comments below!