Having said that, let's qualify it a bit: anyone can learn to draw, but some people will be able to draw better than others. That might not sound very encouraging, but it is. You don't have to be the best quarterback in the NFL to toss the ol' pigskin around; the same applies to drawing. (And you should see how some of those NFL players draw - ! But that's another story.)

Not everyone will be able to draw like Michaelangelo. On the other hand, there are a lot of people who draw like Cathy Guisewhite, and look how far she's gotten not drawing like Michaelangelo! (For those who don't know, Cathy draws the comic strip 'Cathy' for Universal Press Syndicate.)

The point isn't whether you can draw like Michaelangelo; the point is that anyone can learn to draw well enough to please themselves, and probably well enough to impress other people, too. How well you do depends on how well you want to do, and how much time you can (and are willing) to put into it. It's not a matter of talent; it's a matter of interest.

Don't feel bad if you sit down to draw something and its obvious you're not being a Disney-level animator or a Marvel Comics artist or the next Picasso. Everyone has to start somewhere.

We can't telepathically implant permission into your head to allow you to draw; no one can. But we can direct you to some good starting points:

Mark Kistler's Imagination Station - Mark is a clever fellow who has created an entire PBS series based on simple tricks that anyone can learn. Sort of a How To for the terminally art-shy, these tricks will at least get you to pick up a pencil and try - and that's the hardest part with some people! He has a slightly-confused Web page that's currently under reconstruction; if you can't find his book or the TV series, click here to see the Web site.

Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain by Betty Edwards - a book geared not at drawing so much as on learning how to see, and how to link your drawing hand to your eyeballs. (In Ozfoxes terminology this would be illustrating rather than drawing - but hey: whatever works!) This book is often used as a textbook to teach novices that they can draw what they see. Click here to see what it looks like on Amazon.com.

There are lots of other books and courses for the 'hopeless' artist. This mostly goes to prove that people who know what they're doing think it's far from hopeless; and the size of the marketplace for How To material shows that there are a lot of people who think they can't draw but wish they could - so you're in good company. The single biggest step is to tell yourself it's okay to be crummy at it for awhile. You will get better if you really try and if you stick with it. Michaelangelo went through a lot of crayons before they let him touch the Sistine Chapel.

The important point is that you can draw if you want to. But just like the lightbulb: you really have to want to!