Drawing -101

I've decided to teach myself to draw. I have no ability whatsoever, which has always been frustrating because I get the concept of drawing and I can see the lines or shapes involved in objects but I can not get my hand to put down what my eye is seeing. There is a total disconnect. Now, I have tried to teach myself in the past using the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. I've owned this book for some fifteen years, have started it at least three times that I can remember and always stop by about page 50 because, quite honestly, I get bored.

I pulled out the book again and picked up where I had a bookmark stuck from the last time I tried to do it. I really couldn't bear to do that upside down drawing or other stuff again so I began with pure contour drawing. And after only doing two exercises I'm very close to putting the book down again. I can't go as slow at Ms. Edwards wants the budding drawer to go. I get so fidgety. But I did persevere and here's my first exercise:

The exersise was to draw your hand without looking at the paper. You were to follow the lines of your hand moving very slowly. It looks like a hand, I'll give myself that but probably the fattest hand in existence. Here's the real thing:

Not as chunky. I've also done the second exercise which was drawing a flower without looking at the paper.

It started out okay but fell apart. I tried my darndest to really get into it and at certain points I felt like I slipped over to the bright side but it only lasted a few seconds. I'm so impatient and I've no ability to turn off my brain. I can not stop thinking. I'm not saying I'm thinking of anything particularly deep and meaningtul, usually it's about noting more complex than when I'm going to have my next snack, but still it is an intrusion. I also have crazy floaters in my eyes so the more I try to focus the more the floaters zip by and distract me.

I will try and keep learning. I'm telling myself just 15 minutes a day. I really think I could be a decent artist if only I could draw. Anyone else want to do the book with me?