ART/CREATT\rrfY LnanNrNGTo DRAwis very muchlike mastering asportor amusicalinstrument:to advanceyour ability,you mustpractice,practice,practice.But in...
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ART/CREATT\rrfY
LnanNrNGTo DRAwis very much like mastering a sport or a musicalinstrument:to advanceyour ability,you must practice,practice,practice.But in practicing,what, specifically,should you draw? This convenientworkbook containsthe answer:forty basicand new exercisesthat reinforce the fivebasicskillsof drawing.Eachprovides appropriatesubjectmatter,brief instruction, sample drawings,a ready-madeformat in which to draw,and helpful post-exercisepointers.In addition to portrait drawing with pencil, you will explore new subject matter-still life, landscape,imaginativedrawingusing alternativemediumssuchaspen and ink, charcoal,and cont6crayon. If you are taking a drawing class,havealready receivedinstruction through a book or course,or just prefer to learn by doing, this volume of guided practicewill be a permanentrecordof your work that offersthe perfect opporrunity to hone your skills and expandyour repertoire.
r s B N 1- 5 8 5 4 2 - 19 5 - 2
litti r llillilllll
TbeIr'iew Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Workbook
Tarcher/Penguinbooksareavailableat specialquantirydiscountsfor bulk' ,ase forsalespromotions, premiums, fund-raising, andeducational needs. ial booksor book excerptsalsocan be createdto fit specificneeds.For details, write Putnam SpecialMarkets, 36 Hudson StreegNew York, NY roor4. , Jrnruv P. Tancnrn/Penguin a memberof PenguinGroup (USA) Inc. 37yHudson Srreet New York, NY roor4 www.penguin.com Copyright Ozciozby Betty Edwards All rights reserved.This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.Published simultaneouslyin Canada.
Library of CongressCataloging-in-Publication Data Edwards, Betqr. The new drawing on the right sideof the brain workbook: guided pracdce in the five basicskills of drawing / Betry Edwards. P.cm' IsnNr-;8y42-r95:-z r. Drawing-Technique. I. Edwards,Becy. Drawing on the right side of the brain. II. Title. Nc73o.E34 2oo2 74t:-d,czr
zoozoz8769
Cover drawing and instructional drawingsby Brian Bomeisler Book designbyJoe Molloy Typesetin MonorypeJansonand Gill Sansby Mondo Typo, Inc. Printed in Canada 16 15 14 This book is printed on acid-free paper.
TbeIr'iew Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Workbook
Contents
Foreword
vll
List of Supplies
lx
Glossary of Terms The Exercises
Exerciser
Pre-Instruction Self-Portrait
Exercisez
Pre-Instruction Drawing of Your Hand
+
Exercise3
Pre-Instruction Drawing of the Corner of a Room
6
Exercise4
Warm-up and Free Drawing
9
Exercise5
The "Vase/Faces"Drawing
r3
Exercise6
Upside-DownDrawing
17
Exercise7
Pure Contour Drawing
27
Exercise8
Drawing Your Hand on the PlasticPicturePlane
3o
Exercise9
Settinga Ground
tt
Exercisero
Transferring Your Hand Drawing from Picture Planeto Paper
36
Exerciserr
Drawing Your Hand Holding an Object
39
Exerciserz
Drawing a Flower
+3
Exercise13
Drawing an Orange
46
Exerciser4
Drawing I eavesUsing Negative Spaces
+9
Exercise15
Drawing a Chair in Negative Space
tz
Exercise16
Drawing a HouseholdObject
56
Exerciser7
Negative-SpaceDrawing of a SportsPhotograph
Exerciser8
Negative-SpaceDrawing of an Actual Chair
59 6z
Exercise19
Copying a Master Drawing: Man Readingtbe Bibl,e, by Vincentvan Gogh
t
66
,v di
. -.*-**u,*=-:*dsifl
Part lll
Exercisezo
Sightingan Open Doorway
The Perception
Exercisezr
Sighting a Room Corner
t)
of Relationships
Exercisezz
The Knee/Foot Drawing
Exercisez3
Sighting a Still Life of Bookson a Table
7S 8r.
Exercisez4
A Srill Life wiih Eilipses
8+-
Exercisez5
SightingRelationships in a Figure Drawing
87
Exercisez6
Proportionsof the Head in Profile
9t
Exercisez7
Copying a MasterDrawing of a ProfilePortrait
96,
Exercisez8
Drawing a Profile Portrait
IOO
Exercisez9
Still Life with AmericanFlas
I OJt: ,
Part lV
Exercise3o
Drawing an Egg Lighted from Above
ro6
The Perception
Exercise3r
Charlie Chaplin in Light and Shadow
r09
of Lights
Exercise3z
Proportionsof the Head in Full-FaceView
fiz
and Shadows
Exercise33
Copying a Full-FacePortrait
t6
Exercise34
DrawingYour Self-Portraitin Light and Shadow
tzo
PartV
Exercise35
Usinglnk and Brush
rz7
The Perception
Exercise36
An Urban LandscapeDrawing
r30
of the Gestalt
Exercise37
Hatchingand Crosshatching
r33
Exercise38
A Figure Drawingin Crosshatch
\6
Exercise39
An ImaginativeDrawing Basedon Leonardoda Vinci'sAdvice
r+o
Exercise4o
A Four-by-FourDrawing
r+3
Some Suggestionsfor Further Study
r+6
Portfolio and Yideo Ordering
r47
.
VI
.i
Foreword
This workbookis designedasa supplementto my book TheNewDrawing ontbeRightSideof tbeBrarz.Its purposeis to provide convenient,effective guidedpracticefor the five basicskillsof drawing.The exercises in this workbookinclude somefamiliar kindsof drawings(upside-downdrawing for example)and manynew subjectsfor practicingeachskill. For your convenience, the workbookcontainsan essentialdrawingtool, a plasticPicturePlane/Viewfinder,which will help you to makedrawings that givethe illusion of beingthree-dimensionalimagesandscenes. The workbookis portablesothat you canuseit in thoseodd momentsof useful time, suchaswhile waitingin the dentist'sofficeor at the airport.As you completethe exercises in thesepages,you will be creatinga permanent,bound recordof your progressin drawing. Learningto draw is very much like learninga sportor learninghow to play a musicalinstrument.Onceyou havelearnedthe fundamentals, any advancein skillsis basedon practice,practice,practice.In this workbook,I will invite you to venftrreinto working with new subjectmatter anddrawingmediumsbeyondthosecoveredin TbeNewDrawingonthe Rigltt Sideof rheBrain. The exercises in this workbookarebasedon the five perceptualskills of drawing that I havefully describedin TheNewDrawingontheRightSide of theBrain.Drawing is alwaysthe sametask,alwaysrequiring the same five skillsthat,with practice,becomeintegratedinto the whole skillcalledthe "global"skill-of drawing.It is the subiectsandthe mediums that change.Becausethis is true, it really doesnot matterwhat you draw-any subjectwill do, and any medium will do.This is not surprising: all globalskills arecomposedof basiccomponentskillsthat are alwaysactivatedwhen the globalskill is beingused-think of driving an automobileor playingtennis. I havefound,however,that many of my studentswho havelearned the basicskillsfind it difficult to choosesubjectsfor drawing.Often,feeling the urge to draw somethingthat catchestheir eye,they hesitatefor fearthat the subjectmay be too hard to draw or that they will not have time to finish.This workbookis designedto solvesuchproblemsby providing suitablesubjectsfor practicingeachskill, brief instructions,an estimateof the time required(thoughthis will vary somewhataccording to your naturalpacein drawing),andsuitabledrawingpaper,with ready-
Noteto tbe reader: Youwill find moreinformationon therelationshipof drawingto the brainandcreativityin my book TbeNewDrawingontheRiglttSide of theBrain,whichis widely available in bookstores andlibraries.For a two-hourinstructionalvideo on the fivebasicskillsof drawingcovered in this workbook,seethe videoorderinginstructionsin the back pagesof the workbook.
VIII
drawnformatsandguiding crosshairsin correctproportionsfor each remarks I haveaddedpost-exercise drawing.For mostof the exercises, or helpful pointers. that provide additionalinformation,suggestions, I would guessthat the biggestdifficulty you will experiencein working throughthesepagesis findingthe time to draw.Telling yourself that you will draw for an hour eachday,or evenan hour eachweek,rarely works.The commitmentof eventhat much time will probablyseemtoo great.You must rememberthat your brain'slanguagemode-the lefthemisphere,verbal-analyticbrain mod-does not wantyou to draw at all, becauseit becomes"set aside"while you aredrawing.The language modeis very goodat presentingreasonswhy you shouldnot draw:you needto pay your bills,you needto call your mother,you needto balance your checkbook,or you needto tend to business. seamlessly Onceyou actuallygetinto drawing,however,time passes for me: has worked recommend what Therefore,I will andproductively. a versionof the so-called"two-minute miracle,"a techniquephysical therapistsuseto enablepeopleto exerciseevenwhen they do not want "I don't havetime to takea walk to. They aretaughtto sayto themselves, just Oncethey areactually two minutes." right now,b:utl willwalk for walking of course,they forgettheir objectionsand continuewalking. Here is my versionof the two-minute miracle.Keepthis drawing workbookin a convenientplace,alongwith your pencilsand eraser.Sit down for a momentandtakethe workbookin hand,sayingto yourself, "I'm not really goingto draw now,but I'11just turn to the pageof the next exercise."Then, takethe next step:"I'm not really goingto draw,but I'll just pick up the pencil and makea few marksto startthis drawing."Then, "I'm not really goingto draw,but I'll just sketchin someof the main edgesin this drawing..." andsoon.Youwill soonfind yourselfwith a completeddrawing-and unawarethattimehaspassed. I realizethat this may sound,well, stupid,but it doeswork.I have completedentire projectsusingthis technique-a techniqueof (let's faceit) tricking the languagemodeof the brain into letting one do creativework. You may find this hard to believe,but the single most difficult problemfor art studentsand evenfor working artistsis gettingthe work done.One is alwaysfightingthe delayingtacticsof the verbalsystem, whosemantrais "Not now."At its mostextreme,the resultis writer's block or artist'sblock;a milder versionis calledprocrastination. at everystep. Thesedrawingexercisesaredesignedfor success I know you will enjoythe process.
Supplies
The art materialsneededfor the exercisesin this workbook are avaiiable in any art supply store.They can alsobe purchasedby mail orthrough the Internet, by doing a searchfor "art materials"or "art supplies." #z yellow writing pencil with an erasertop #4n drawing pencil, T\rrquoise,Faber Castell,or a similar brand Eraser A white plasticeraser(Staedtler)
or a Pink Pearleraser Pencilsharpener Graphite stick
#4"
Charcoal 6 sticksof natural charcoal
z sticksof synthetic charcoal(CharKole or a similar brand) #4n charcoalpencil Conte crayons r black
r sanguine(reddishbrown) Chalk r pale gray,or r pastel.r"rort !
Erasable felt-tip marker
r black(Crayola,Sharpie,or a similarbrand)
lnk r smallbottle of blackIndia ink
r small bottle of brown writing ink Brush #l or#Swatercolorbrush Alarm clock or kitchen timer Paper towels or tissues White $ping paper About 6 sheets Lightweight cardboard r piece, 8" x rott,to make a frame for the Picture Plane /Viewfinder.
IX
Glossaryof Terms
Abstract drawing.A translation into drawing of a real-life object or experience.Usually implies the {-* *. \ ;
isolation, emphasis,or exaggeration of some aspectof the real world. Awareness.Consciousness;the act of "taking account" of an
Right brain hemisphere.
Left brain hemisphere.
Composition.An ordered relationship among the parts or elementsof an artwork.In drawing the arrangement of
Eye level.In portrait drawing the horizontal proportional line that divides the head approximately in half; the eye-level line is located at this halfway
object,person, or surroundings. Possiblesynonyms are "seeing" or "cognition." BasicUnit.A "startingshape"or "starting unit" chosen from within a composition for the purpose of maintaining correct sizerelationshipsin a drawing. The BasicUnit is always termed "one" and becomespart of a ratio, asin "r:2." Brain mode.A mental state,implying emphasison particular capabilitiesof the human brain, such aslanguage processingor visual spatial processing. Cognitiveshift.A transferenceof the predominance of one mental stateto another,e.g.,from verbal, analytic mode to visual, spatial mode, or vice versa.
forms and spaceswithin the format. Contour.In drawing a line that representsthe shared edgesof shapes,or shapesand spaces. Crosshatching.A seriesof intersecting setsof parallel lines used to indicate shading or volume in a drawing. Also called "hatching." Edge.In drawing, a place where two things meet (for example, where the sky meets the ground); the line of separation (called a contour) between two shapesor a spaceand a shape.
mark on the head. Foreshortening.A means of creating the illusion of projecting or receding forms on a flat surface. Format. The particular shapeof a drawing surface (rectangular, square,triangular, etc); the proportional relationshiP of the length to the width of a rectanzular surface.
f mage.Verb:Tocall up in the mind a mental copy of somerhing not presentto the senses;to seein the mind's eye.Noun: Aretinal image; an optical image received by the visual sysrem
Negative spaces.The areasaround positive forms that, in drawing share edgeswith the forms. Negative spacesare bounded
and interpreted or reinterpreted by the brain.
can be parts of positive forms.
lmagination.A recombination of mental images from past experiencesinto new patterns. Intuition. Direct and apparently unmediated knowledge; a judgment, meaning, or idea that occurs to a person without any known process of reflective thinking; an idea that seemsto "come from nowhere.tt Left-handedness. About ten percent of the population prefers using the left hand for motor activities such as writing or drawing. Location of brain functions may vary in both left and right handers. Left hemisphere.The left half of the cerebrum. For most righthanded individuals, verbal functions are located in the left hemisphere. Light logic.In art, the effect caused by a light source. Light rays, falling in straight lines, can logically be expected to causerhe following: highlights, cast shadows,reflected lights, and crest shadows. L-mode.A mental stare of information processingcharacterized aslinear, verbal, analytic, and losical.
by the outer edgesof the format. "Interior" hegative spaces Pencilgrades.The grade number stamped on drawing pencils indicates the hardnessor softnessof the graphite. "g" indicates"hard;tt"B" (illogically) indicates "black" or "soft." "Hs" divides grades between hard and soft by a middle grade, thusly:8n (the hardest),6u,4u,2H, HB,2r',4r,, 6r,8a (the softest).The #z yellow writing pencil is the equivalent of the sn or, more commonly, the zn drawing pencil. Picture plane.An imaginary rransparent plane, like a framed window, that alwaysremains parallel to the verrical plane of the artist's face.The artist draws on paper what he or she sees beyond the plane asthough the view were flattened on the plane. Invenrors of photography used this concept to develop the first cameras. Realisticdrawing. The objective depiction of objects,forms, and figures attenrively perceived. Also called "naturalism." Relationships.Inart, how the parts of an artwork are organized and connected.Also commonly known asperspectiae andproportion:the relarionship of angles to vertical and horizontal and the relationship of sizes to each other.
Right hemisphere.The right half of the cerebrum. For most righthanded individuals, visual, spatial, relational functions are located in the right hemisphere. R-mode.A state of information processingcharacterized assimultaneous,global,spatial,and relational. Sighting.In drawing measuring relative sizesby means of a constant measure (the pencil held at arm's length is the most usual measuring device); determining the location of one part relative to another part. Also, determining anglesrelative to vertical and horizontal. Symbolsystem.In drawing, a set of symbols that are consistently used to form an image-for example, a face or figure. The symbols are usually used in sequence,one appearing to call forth another, much in the manner of writing familiar words. Symbol systemsin drawn forms are usually set in childhood and often persist throughout adulthood unless modified by learning new ways to draw perceptions. Value.In art, the darknessor lightnessof tones or colors. White is the lightest, or highest, valuel black is the darkest,or lowesr, value. Viewfinden A device used by artists to frame a view and provide bounding edgesto a composition; similar to the device on a camefa that lets the user see what is being photographed.
The Exercises
EXERCISE I
Pre-Instruction Self-Portrait
Purposeoftbeexercise:
mirror tape
sharpener
. '':::
Pre-instruction drawingsprovide a valuablerecord of, your skills:in drawing at the presentmoment, a record that will enableyou to apprec!ateyour advancein skills at a later date. Insttuctions:
,,
Look at page3 of the workbook,"Pre-Instruction Drawing #r, SelfPortrait." nceded: 3ominutes,more if needed
., Placeachairinfrontofamirroronthewall.(IfneceSsarytapea
small-say, frr I grr-11irror to the wall.) Sit at arm'slength from the mirror, leaningyour workbook againstthe wall and resting the bottom of the workbook on your knees'
+. Draw your self-portrait to the bestof your abiliry. t. When you havefinished,date and sign your drawing. Post- exercise remarhs: Peopleare often highly critical of their pre-insuuction self-portrai.qbut if you look closely,you will seeareaswhere you w€re truly dralvingyour l perceptions-perhaps the turn of the eyelid,the shapeof an eaq or the line of a collar.The qualiry of the drawing may surpriseyou: Or, if you can find no more to saythan "Ugh!" aboutyour drawing.be patient Drawing is a skill that can be taught and canbe learned;it is not magic, and it doesnot dependon geneticgood fortune.
EXERCISEI
PRE-INSTRUCTIONSELF-PORTRAIT
Pre-lnstructionDrawing#r: Self-Portrait
EXERCISEI
PRE-INSTRUCTIONSELF_PORTRAIT
E X E R C T S E2
Pre- InstructionD rarruiry of YourHand
Instntctions: writing pencil
Look at paget of the workbook,"Pre-InstructionDrawing#2, My Hand."
il sharpener needed: 15minutes,more if needed
., Sit at a table with the workbook arrangedat a comfortableangle. )' Try out variouspositionsof your non-drawing hand (the left if you are
t
right-handed,or the right if you are left-handed),and choosea position in which you will draw it. 4. Hold your posinghand still and makea drawing of your own hand.
t. Sign and date your drawing.
EXERCISE2
PRD-INSTRUCTIONDRAWINGOFYOURHAND
Pre-Instruction Drawing #z: MvHand
EXERCISE 2
PRE-INSTRUCTION
DRAWING OF YOUR HAND
Part I The Perception of Edges
EXERCTSE 3
Material,s:
Instractions:
#z yellow writing pencil Pencil sharpener Timeneede* About zo minutes,more if needed
Pre-InstructionDrawing of the Cornerof aRoom
r. Look at page7 of the workbook,"Pre-Instruction Drawing#j, A RoomCorner." z. Look aroundthe room in which you are working and chooseone corner to draw.It can be a simple,empty corner,a corner with a few items,or a very complicatedscene. 3. Sit in a chair with the workbook on your lap. 4. Draw the room corner to the bestof your ability. 5. Sign and date your drawing
EXERCISE 3
PRE-INSTRUCTTON
DRAWTNG OF THE CORNER OF A ROOM
Pre-Instruction Drawing #3: A Room Corner
EXERCISE 3
PRE-INSTRUCTTON DRAWING OF THE CORNER OF A ROOM
8
ExERcrsE J
pRE-rNsrRUcrroN DRAWING oF THE coRNER oF A RooM
Part I The Perception ''of Edges
E X E R C I SE
fuIanials:
Purposeof tbe exercirc:
&k-tip markeror #4ydrawing trnncil Peneilsharpener
This exerciseis designedto give you a feel br the very personalexpressivequaliry of pencil lines on paper.You will "try out" the line srylesof , masterartistsand then experimentwith your own marks,both fast and slow.Your personalsryle will emergein the courseof using this workbook.It comesfrom your history your physiology,your personaliry your cultural background,and all the factorsthat make opl,i.you cannot plan your sryle or foretell it, but you can watchfor its emergence.See pagero for an illustration of style differences.
Eiteneeded dboutrominutes
Warm-up andFree Drawing
Instractions: r. Turn to pagerr of the workbook,"Line Styles." z. In Formatr, makevery fast"Matisse"marks(seeExamplea). 3. In Format z, makemedium-fasr"Delacroix" marks(seeExample b). 4. In Format 3,makemedium-slow "Van Gogh" marks(seeExarnplec). y. In Format 4, makevery slow "Ben Shahn"marks(seeExample d). 6. In Format;, makeyour own marks,somefast,someslow. 7. Sign and date your drawings.
EXERCISE 4
WARM-UP
AND,FREE DRAWING
.*:tS
Henri Matisse, StandingNude,rgor-o3.Brush and ink, ro%x 8 inches. Collection, The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Edward Steichen.
Matisse marks.
Vincent van Gogh, Groaeof CXtpreses,figg. Drawing-reed pen and ink, z4%x fi% inches. Gift of Robert Allerton. Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Van Gogh marks.
Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863), EtadesdeBras et detames,ryor--o3.Pen and sepia ink on buff paper,2r7 x 3to mm. Worcester Sketch Fund Income. Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Delacroix marks.
Ben Shahn (1898-1969, Russian-American), Dn
Ben Shahn marks.
rl"
,*sft$,*
f ,* --:a"$tlrlJll
t RobertOppmbeimer,ry54,brushand ink, r9% x rz%inches. The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
1$ ff* EXERCISE 4
WARM-UP AND FREE DRAWING
EXERCISE 4
WARM-UP
AND FREE DRAWING
ffiWT':':: ::":st:":
s@':
f r,+,
,r$$&ffii{
Heather Allen by the author.
Grace Kennedv bv the author.
1
liq
Grace Kennedy by Brian Bomeisler.
These are demonstration drawings by instructor Brian Bomeisler and myself We sat on either side of the same models, used the same drawing materialq and drew for the same length of time. Yet see how diferent our styles of drawing are: my style emphasizes line, while Briants emphasizes form. T2
EXERCISE 4
\ryARM-UP AND FREE DRAWING
Part I The Perception of Edges
ExERCTsE5
Materials:
Purposeof tbe exercise:
#z yellow writing pencil and eraser
This exerciseis designedto demonstratethe possibilityof conflict betweenthe brain'slanguagemode,which I havetermed"L-mode," and its visual-perceptualmode,or "R-mode." The "Vase/Faces" drawingis a visualillusion drawingthat canbe seeneither astwo facingprofilesor asa symmetricalvasein the center. You aregivenone half of the drawing andyour job will be to draw the secondprofile-thus inadvertentlycompletingthe symmetricalvasein the center.
The "VaselF'aces" Drawirg
Pencilsharpener Time needed: About; minutes
fnsffuctions: Tirrn to pagert in the workbook,"Vase/Faces Drawing for RightHanders,"or, if you areleft-handed,to page14,"Vase/Faces Drawing for Left-Handers." 2.
Redrawthe profile alreadyprinted on the page.With your pencil,go over the lines,namingthe partsasyou go:"Forehead.. . nose.. . upperlip.. . lowerlip . . . chin.. . neck."
)' Next, draw the missingprofile that will completethe symmetricalvase.
a
A 't'
When you cometo the point in the exerciseshownin the drawings below,you may beginto experiencea senseof conflictor confusion. Continuethroughthis momentof conflict,self-observingasyou draw to becomeawareof how you solvethe problem..
-et
ExERcIsE t
rHE "vAsr/racrsn
DRAwTNG
^) rt
Post- exercise remarhs: You may havestoppedat the onsetof conflict or confusionand given yourself someinstructionsto solvethe problem,suchaq,'Don't think of the namesof the features.Draw the vaseinstead."There are many other solutions.Somestudentsstart over and work from the bottom up. Some. grid the drawing in squaresor establishpoints where the line turns on the outermost and innermost cufves. The reasonthe exercisecausesconflict is that by askingyou to name the facial featuresasyou redrew them, I strongly activatedyour brain's languagemode.Then I gaveyou a task (to draw the missingprofile in reverseorientation) that can be achievedonly by making a mental shift to the visual,perceptual,relational R-mode.For most people,the struggle to makethat shift is markedby a senseof conflict or confusion.
t6
ExERcrsEt
rHE
nvesr/recrs" DRAwING
.--'*i
Part I The Perception of Edges
EXERCISE
Materials:
Purposeof tbe exercise:
Picasso's rgzodrawingof the composerIgor Stravinsky,page18;oq alternatively:
This exerciseis designedto reduce conflictbetweenbrain modesby causingyour languagemodeto drop out of the task.Presumably,the languagemode,confusedandblockedby the unfamiliarupside-down imageyou will be drawing becomesunableto nameandsymbolizeas usual.In effect,it seemsto say,"I don't do upsidedown," and allows the visualmodeto takeover.R-modeis the appropriatemodefor this drawingtask.
the drawingof the horsein foreshortened(frontal)view,pagezo; the drawing HorseandRideabyan unknownGermanarrist,pagezz; or the figuredrawingby the Austrian artistEgonSchiele,page24. #z yellow writing pencil,sharpener, anderaser Pencil Time needed: 10to 40 minutes
6
Upside-DownDrawitrg
Instructions: The drawing you havechosen(the PicassoStraainskjt,the frontal view of the horse,theHorseandRideror the figuredrawingby Egon Schiele) is printed upsidedown.Your copywill alsobe doneupsidedown.The accompanyingpagefor your drawingis side-by-sidewith eachupsidedown image.Startinganywhereyou like-most peoplestartin the upper left-handcorner-begin to copythe drawingyou havechosen.Note: I adviseagainstdrawingthe wholeoutline.If thereis any error in the outline, the parts will not fit together.This is quite frustrating to Rmode,which is specializedfor perceivinghow partsfit together. z. Moving from line to adjacentline, spaceto adjacentspace,fit the parts togetherasyou go.Try not to nameparrsasyou aredrawing.Draw the linesjust asyou seethem,without trying to figureout what you are drawing.When you cometo partsthat seemto forcetheir nameson you-such asthe handsandthe fac-try to focuson thosepartsasjust unnamedshapes. When you havefinishedyour drawing,turn it right sideup. I think you will be surprisedandpleasedby what you see.Justbe sureyou don't rurn the drawingright sideup until you havecompletelyfinishedit. Signanddateyour drawing.Includethe notationalwaysusedfor a copieddrawing:"After Picasso,""After Anonymous"(for the German drawingor the frontal view of the horse),or'After Schiele."
i il
:t
t. Time permitting it is extremelyhelpful to do a secondand evena thild upside-downdrawing,usingthe drawingsyou did nor choosethe first time.
EXERCISE O
UPSIDE-DOWN
DRAWING
17
EXERCISE 6
UPSIDE-DOWN
DRAWING
r9
EXERCISE6
UPSIDI,_I)O\,VNDRA\,VING
EXERCISE O
UPSIDE-DOWN
DRAlryING
a1
ExERcrsE 6
upsron-oowN
DRAwTNG
25
: Post-exercircrEmaib
',
It goesagainstcommensense&at it iggasier"t-o fraw.g upsideifoSrrr,' downthdn right sidqrip. Whtiir anirnagp,!.s verbalbrain mode is disorientedin itp attedptto ufevisu
it aftarendf' nameandc*eEiae.Therefore,
sesttri
the visual mode to'talireover;Sincewe,car*tgirn the w4
gain'r our maintaskin learnifugmdrawis to learnhow'"to ' visual mode evenwhen things are right sideup.
sNrncrsn 6
uPsr,DE:EowNDR*wING
Part I The Perception of Edges
EXERCTSE 7
Materials:
Purposeof tbe exercise:
#z yellow writing pencil, sharpener, anderaser
The aim of this.exercise,aswith the previous one,is ro causeyour brain'slanguagemode to drop out asyou draw,this time by presentingit with a taskthat seemsboring repetitive, and unnecessary. A secondpurposeis to introduce the first basicskill of drawing the skill of perceiving edges.
Pure Contour Drawing
Maskingtape Alarm clock or kitchen timer Time needed:
Instractions:
About 15minutes I.
T\rrn to pagezg of the workbook.
) Tape the workbook to a tabletop.
)' Setyour kitchen timer for 5 minutes.
1
4. Sit at the table with your drawing hand holding the point of your pencil in the middle of the workbook page,ready to draw.
t. Now turn aroundin your seatso that you are facing in the opposite direction. Gaze ata single wrinkle in the palm of your non-drawing hand. 6. Begin to draw that wrinkle, definedin drawing asan."edge."Move from wrinkle to wrinkle (edgeto adjacentedge),confiningyour drawingto what you seein the center of your palm, in an areaof about a square inch. Dcv.notaftempt to outline your whole hand,and do not flrrn to look at the drawing you are creatingon the page.
l-*-
EXERCISE 7
PURE CONTOUR
DRAWING
27
7. As your eyesvery slowly track the edgeof eachtiny wrinkle in your palm,one millimeter at a time, your pencil will recordyour perceptions simultaneously.Your hand and pencil will function like a seismograph, recording every detail of what you are seeing. 8. Continueto drawuntil the timer signalsyou to stop.Then turn andlook at your drawing.
'.\
9. Signand dateyour drawing.
/': {,*,
Tbe Fiae PerceptaalSkills of Drawing
,v
!'i,
The global skill of realistic drawing includes thesefive perceptualskills: I.
Tbeperceptionof edges,expressed through "line" or "contour" drawing.
2.
Tbeperceptionof spaces,indrawing called "negativespaces."
)
Tbeperceptionof relationsbips,knownasperspectiveand proportion.
+' Tbeperceptionof l,igbtsand shadows,often called "shading." 5. Tbeperceptionof tbegestah--that is, the whole, or the "thingness"of the thing. With practice,thesecomponentskillsbecomeintegratedinto a single, globalskill, enablingyou to draw whateveryou see. Post- exercise remarks:
Studentsoften laugh when they seetheir drawings:tanglesof indecipherablelines.This exercise,however,is one of the mostimportanrin the workbook.Many artistsdo a bit of Pure Contour drawing(sometimes called "blind" contour drawing) every time they sit down to work. Pure Contour drawing is the most efficientway I know of preparing the brain for visualtasks.The verbalbrain mode,which is seeminglyeasily bored,findsthe taskso tedious(andso "useless'intermsof producing a recognizable, nameableimage)that it quickly dropsout, enabling the visualmodeto comeforward.R-mode,however,seemsto find detailed complexity fascinatingand will keepon with the drawinguntil the timer sounds.If at somepoint in your Pure Contour drawing you found yourself becominginterestedinyourperception of the tiny areain your palm, that indicatesa shift to the visual mode.If not, try another shortsession. Examples of students'pure contour drawings.
z8
EXERCTSE7
PURE CONTOUR DRAWTNG
Pure contour drawing.
E X E R C I S E7
PURE CONTOUR DRAWING
29
Part I The Perception of Edges
E X E R C I S EB
Materiab
Purposeof the exercise:
#z yellowwriting pencil,sharpener, anderaser
This exerciseintroducesthe conceptof the "picture plane,"one of the key conceptsin learningto draw The picture planeis an imaginary, transparentplane,like a sheetof imaginaryglassthat alwayshangsin front of an artist'sface.An artistusesthe picture planeto flattena perceivedimage(like a photograph)in order to translatethe actualthreedimensionalsceneinto a drawingon two-dimensional(thatis,flat) paper. In this exercise,you will useyour actualPicturePlane/Viewfinder to draw your handwith the fingerspointing towardyour face.This is calleda "foreshortened"view,andit is one that mostbeginningstudents regardastoo difficult to draw.The PicturePlane/Viewfinderwill provide an actualsurfaceon which you will draw the flattenedimageof your three-dimensionalhand,and,in addition,a viewfinderto framethe image.Like magic,your flat drawingon the actualplasticplanewill appearthree-dimensional.
PicturePlane/Viewfinderinserted into this workbook.(Removeit as directed.To makethe Picture Plane/Viewfindermore rigid, cut a narrowframe-about an inch and a half wide-from cardboardanduse tapeto attachit to the backof the PicturePlane/Viewfinder.) Erasablefelt-tip markingpen Slightlydampenedtissueor paper towel
DrawittgYour Hand on the PlasdcPicturePlane
Time needed: About5 minutes
JamesMontgomery Flag, I WantYou,r9r7, 3ox 4o inches. Poster by Walter Rawls. Imperial War Museum, London, England.
ExERcrsE 8
onewtNc
youR HAND oN THE pLAsrIc prcruRE pLANE
Note: To makecorrections.setthe marker down andusea dampenedtissueto eraselines withoutmlaingyourposed band.Beawarethat the felt-tip markerwill makea line that is somewhat rough and shaky. You may want to try this exercise again,with your handin anorher position.Simply wipe offthe Picrure Planeand do anotherdrawing.Try t really "hard" view-the more complicated,the better.Saveyour last drawingfor the next exercise.
Instructions: I.
Uncapthe felt-tip markerand hold it in your drawinghand.
z. Restyour other handon the edgeof a table,with your fingerspointing
toward your facein foreshortenedview. Balanceyour plasticPicturePlane/Viewfinderon your "posed"hand. SeeFigure8-r. Closeone eyeso that you arelooking at your handwith only one eye. This removesbinocularvision-literally, "rwo-eyedvision"-which producestwo slightly differentimagesthat aremeldedrogerherby the brain to providedepth perception.Closingone eyeproducesa single image,a flat image,of your hand.
t. With the marker,beginto draw the edgesof your handon the plastic PicturePlane/Viewfinder.Draw the edgesjust asyou seethem,without trying to figure out why they are the way they are.Be sure nor ro move eitheryour handor your head.You must keepa constanr,unchanged view.Draw the edgeswith asmuch detail aspossible(recallthe lessonof Pure Contour drawing).Allow the edgesof your wrist to touch the edges of the format.SeeFigure B-3. 6. When you havefinished,placethe plasticplaneon a pieceof white papersothat you canseethe drawingon rhe plastic. Post-exerciseremarks:
Figure 8-r.,.
With relativelylittle effort,you haveaccomplishedone of the truly difficult tasksin drawing-drawing the humanhandin foreshortened view How did you accomplishthis so easily?You did what a trained artistdoes:you copiedwhat you sawflattenedon the picture planein this instance,an actualplasticplane.Understandinghow ro usethe imaginarypicture planeis the secretro portrayingthree-dimensional formsin realisticdrawing. More than any other exercise,this is the one that mostfrequently causesstudentsto experiencethe "Aha!Sothat'show it's done!"of learning to draw.I can now definedrawing for you: Drawingiscoplingusltatjtou see,fanened onthepictureplane.
Figure 8-2.
EXERCISD U
DRAWING YOUR HAND ON THE PLASTIC PICTURE PLANE
31
r7 7
1a
ExERcIsE 8
onewrNc YouR HAND oN THE PLAsrIc PIcruRE PI-{NE
Part I The Perception of Edges
EXERCISE
Settinga Ground
Materiah
Purposeof tbe exercise:
#z yellow pencil ot #48 drawing pencil,sharpeneqand eraser
"Settinga ground,"which meanstoning the paperyou will draw on by rubbingit with graphiteor charcoal,providesseveraladvantages. First, the tonedgroundprovidesa middle valueor shadeto which you can addlights andshadowsby erasingthe lighted areasand darkeningthe shadowedareas.Second,I find that studentsseemmore comfortable startinga drawingwhen they havealreadyworkedon the paperto tone a ground.For some,a blank white pagecanseemintimidating.Third, tonedpaperis very forgivingin termsof correctingerrors.It allowsyou to makecorrecrionsinvisibly by just erasinga mistakeand rubbingto restorethe tone.
#4n graphitestick Dry papertowel or tissue Tirne needed: t to ro minutes
Instructions: I.
2.
Turn to page3t of the workbook.You will seea pre-drawnformat (a line definingthe edgeof a drawing)with crosshairs, faint verticaland horizontallinesthat divide the format into four equalquadrants. on a sheetof scratchpaper,rub down one of the sharpedgesof your graphitestick to createa roundedcorner.
)' Usingthe roundededgeof the graphite,lightly shadethe areawithin the 1
format.use the dry papertowel or tissueto rub the graphite-covered area,pressingvery firmly,until you haveachievedan even,silverytone on the paper.SeeFigures9-t and 9-2. If you wish,usean eraserto cleanup the edgesof the format;o! you may wantto leavethe softtoned areaaroundthe format that is often left from the rubbingprocess.
t. Practice"makinga mistake"andfixing ir. Make a pencil mark on the toned area,eraseit, andrub the tone againuntil the erasermark disappears.You may needto add a bit of graphitefrom the graphitestickor from your pencil andthen rub again.
EXERCTSEg
SETTTNG A GROUND
1)
))
Figure 9-2.
Post-exerciserem&rks: Your paperis now readyfor the next srep-a beautiful drawing of your hand.Learningto set a groundis a usefulskill. At times,however,you will wantto draw directly on untonedpaper.In this workbook,you will useboth methods.
34
EXDRCISEg
SETTTNG A GROUND
L@*
EXERCISE g
SETTTNG A GROUND
3t
E X E R C I S EI o
Part I The Perception of Edges
TransferringYour Hand Drawittgfrom Picture Planeto Puper
Materials:
Parposeof the exercise:
PicturePlane/Viewfinder,with the drawingof your handin foreshortenedview from Exercise8
In drawinga perceivedimage,an artistcopiesonto PaPerthe flattened ,,seen,, on a real or imaginarypicture plane.In Exercise8,drawing image youi ha.rdon the plastic,I madethe imaginarypicrureplaneinto an a.toal planeon which you drew your handwith your felt-tip marker. You will nor^/copythat drawingfrom the plasticPicrurePlaneonto paper.Thus,we haveinsertedan extrastep-drawing on an actual pi.,,tt. plane-to accustomyou to the processof drawing,which,by iefinition, is copyingdirectly onto paperwhat the artistseesflattened "on the plane."
#z yellow writing pencil,sharpener, anderaser Time needed: Joto 40 minutes
Instructions: First Part of the Exercise
r. T\rrn backto pageIt of the workbook,with the printed format,the faint andyour tonedgroundfrom Exercise9' crosshairs, z. Setthe plasticPicturePlanewith the drawingof your handon it alongsideyour tonedformat.You will seethat the formatsof the Picture Plane/viewfinderandyour toned ground arethe samesize,andthe crosshairsdivide the spacein the sameway'SeeFigure ro-I' on plasticto your tonedpaperby 3. The first stepis to transferthe drawing Note wherean edgeof lightty sk"t.hi.rg in the main edgesandspaces. yoo, wri.t touchesthe e4geof the format.with your pencil,mark that point on the paper.Follow the directionof the line on plastic.Ask yourself;what is its angle?within the quadrant,wheredoesit changedirection?SeeFigureIo-2. rhe sprce above rh€ 6ngernail
the space between
fingers
(
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,\
It
r \\ \,/.J
Figure ro-2.
iL ,
Figrrre ro-3.
Figure Io-4.
36ExERcIsEIoTRANSFERRINGYoURHANDDRAWINGFRoMPICTUREPLANEToPAPER
Try not to namethe parts,suchasfingersandfingernails.The edgesof the fingernailsandthe shapesaroundthe fingernailsaredefinedby a sharededge.Shift your focusro rhe shapesaroundthe fingernails,and draw thoseshapes. The shapesareeasyto seeanddraw becauseyou have no memorizedsymbolfor them,asyou havefor fingernails.By this means,you will haveinadvertentlydrawnthe fingernails,andyou will find that they arecorrectlydrawn.SeeFiguresro-3and ro-4.
t, As you transferthe drawingfrom plasticonto your papel continueto checkall the pointswherethe linestouch the format lines andthe crosshairs. Then continuero copy all the anglesand curveswithin each quadrant,noting whereeachpoint touchesor crossesa crosshairor wherea point falls within a quadrant. Instructions: SecondPart of tbe Exercise I.
When you havefinishedcopyingthe main edgesof your handdrawing from the plasticplaneonro pape! you arereadyro startturning the sketchinto a more detaileddrawing againusingyour handasthe model. First, setasidethe plasticPicturePlaneand rerurn your "posing"handto the positionin which you originally drew it on the PicturePlane. Closeone eyeto flattenthe image.Carefully look at eachcontouredge of your hand.Adjust and refineeachedgein your drawing,recallingthe lessonof Pure Contour drawing.SeeFigure ro-5:. Half closeyour eyesto seethe largeshapesof lights andshadowsin your hand.
+' Useyour eraserto "draw out" the light shapesandyour pencil to darken the shadowshapes. The exampledrawings,Figuresro-6 and ro-7,will guide you. 5. Signand dateyour drawing. Figure ro-6. Drawing by student Mark Dalgaard.
Post-exerciseremarks: This is your first "real" drawing and I can assumewith someconfidence that you arepleasedwith the resuks.The conceptof sharededges-that is, a placewheretwo thingscometogetherto form a single,sharededge that,in drawing,is representedby a "contour" line-is an important concept.It helpsyou to escapethe influenceof memorizedsymbolsby enablingyou to draw easy,unnameablepartswhile simultaneouslyand effortlesslyportrayingthe difficult parts.On page17is an additional format for practicingthis exerciseagain,drawingyour handin a different position. Returnto the Pre-InstructionDrawing of Your Hand (Exercisez, p.5) to appreciatehow your skillshaveadvanced. The next rhreeexercises will providepracticebasedon rhe aboveinstructionsbut usingdifferentsubiect matter.
Figure ro-7.Drawing by instructor RachaelThiele. EXERCISE IO
TRANSFERRING YOUR HAND DRAWING FRoM PICTURE PLANI To PAPTR
77
?8
EXERCISE IO
TRANSFERRING YOUR HAND DRAWING FROM PICTURE PLANE TO PAPER
Part I The Perception of Edges
EXERCISE II
Materials:
Purposeof tbe exercise:
#z writing and#4n drawingpencils, sharpener, anderaser
In this exercise,you will againdraw your hand.This time, however,your handwill be holding an object,thus addingcompositionalinterestand providing a new challengewhile encouragingyou to practicethe skills you havejust learned.
DrawingYour Hand HoldinganObiect
Felt-tipmarker PicturePlane/Viewfinder
Instructions:
#4n graphitestick
Turn to page42 in the workbook,with the pre-drawnformat andfaint crosshairs.
Dry papertowel An objectto hold: a pen or pencil,a setof keys,a handkerchief,a small toy,a glove,or anythingelsethat appeals to you Time needed:
z. Useyour graphitestick andpapertowel to set a ground.You may wantto
try a slightly lighter or slightly darkergroundthan the one you usedfor the lastexercise. ))' Uncapyour felt-tip markerso that it is readyto use. ,'l
30to 40 minutes
Hold the objectyou havechosenin your non-drawinghand andtry several posesto find one that you like.
t. Balancethe PicturePlane/Viewfinderon your posinghand.Pick up the felt-tip marker,closeone eye,andusethe markerto draw the edgesof your handandthe objecton the plasticplane. When you havefinished,placethe plasticplaneon a sheetof white paperso that you canseethe markerlinesof the drawing.Setyour toned format alongsidethe drawingon plastic. 7. Usingyour pencil,copythe main edgesof the picture-planedrawing onto the tonedpaper. When you havesketchedthe whole hand and objectonto the paper,set the PicturePlane/Viewfinderasideandreturn your posinghand,holding the object,to its original position. 9. Again,closeone eyeto flattenthe imageandcarefullyredraweach contouredge,adjustingandrefiningthe drawingasneeded. IO.
When the edgesaredrawn,look for the shapesof lighted areasandshadowedareasby squintingyour eyesto maskout fine detail.Erasethe lighted shapesanduseyour #4n drawingpencil to darkenthe shadowed shapes. When the drawingis finished,signand dateit. EXERCISE II
DRAWING YOUR HAND HOLDING
AN OBIECT
,j
\*t -' G,qi - +Jl
Drawing by student Mark Gray.
Drawing by student K.M. Lee.
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ir!^,iA
Drawing by student Laurie Kuroyama.
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Drawing by student EtJrel Branham. Drawing by student Diane Hahn.
4o
EXDRCISE II
DRAWING YOUR HAND HOLDING
AN OBIECT
Drawing by Alice Picado.
Post-exerciserema.rks: This drawingprovidesopporftnities to differentiatetextures-here, the differencebetweenthe fleshof the handandthe objectit is holding. I havefound that studentsarevery inventiveat usingthe pencil in a varietyof waysto showthe differencesbetween,say,a metalobjectand the handthat holdsit. Intuitively,they vary the thicknessof lines,the smoothness or roughnessof pencil marks,andthe lightnessor darkness of tone. This is a challengingdrawing,but eachtime you practicethe routine of drawing-that is,choosinga subject,selectinga poseand composition, seeingthe imageflattenedon the plane,anddrawingthe flattened imageonto paperusingthe conceptof sharededges-the processwill becomemore familiar to you andwill be more smoothlyintegrated.
Drawing by the author.
Drawing by Brian Bomeisler.
Drawing by Grace Kennedy.
EXERCISE II
DRAWING YOUR HAND HOLDING
AN OBIECT
+r
A) -T-
EXERCISE II
DRAWING YOUR HAND HOLDING
AN OBIECT
Part I The Perception of Edges
EXERCISE
T ) LLJ
DrawirtgaFlower
Materials:
Purposeof tbe exercise:
#z writing and#4s drawingpencils, sharpeneqanderaser
This drawingwill showyou the beautyof simplepencil lineson ungroundedpaper.You will be drawinga flowerwith its stemandleaves. Flowers,of course,arethree-dimensional, andthe leavesare arranged in differentdirectionsaroundthe stem.How to portray this threedimensionalityoften mystifiesstudents.As you haveseenwith your hand drawings,however,usingthe picture planeis the key to realistically depictingthis beautifulform on paper.Paradoxically, you must first flattenthe form in order to depict its true volume asa three-dimensional form existingin space.
PicrurePlane/Viewfinder Felt-tip marker Freshflower(or a silk floweqif necessary), with the stemand a few leaves Time needed:
Instructions:
rt to zo minutes I.
Turn to page+t of the workbook.
z. Lightly draw a setof perpendicularcrosshairs into the blankformat.
From hereon, you will be drawingthe crosshairsin pencil sothat you canerasethem later if you wish. Leanthe flower againsta plain backgroundprop,suchasa box or a book coveredwith white paper.You may alsoplacethe flower in a vaseif you wish. Hold the PicturePlane/Viewfinderverticallyin front of the flower. Closeone eyeanduseyour felt-tip markerto draw the edgesof the flower,stem,andleavesjust asyou seethem flattenedon the plane. Be awarethat the line will be somewhatshakyanduncertain. (. Using yorr #z pencil and drawing with a light, thin line, transferthe
main pointsof your plasticplanedrawingonto the paper. Setthe PicturePlane/Viewfinderto one side.Look closelyat eachpart of the floweqstem,and leaves,and,usingyour #4n drawingpencil (whichis softerthan the #z writing pencil),redrawall of the edges. Rememberthe lessonof Pure Contour drawing:pay closeattentionto details and to how the parts fit togetherto form the whole.
7. Erasethe crosshairsif you wish;signand dateyour drawing.
EXERCISE 12
DRAWING A FLOWER
+3
Post - exercise remarks: You haveiust completed a "line" drawing-that is, a drawing in pure line without shading.Yet, asI am sure you can see,your drawing of the flower appearsto be fully three-dimensional,because jtoudreatthesbared just edges of yar subJect asJoa sa.wthemontbeplane.Line alone can give your drawingthe illusion of three dimensions,and line alonecanmakea beautiful drawing.
,"1 oa\
fi
Drawing by the author.
4+
EXERCISE 12
DRAWING A FLOWER
EXERCISE 12
DRAWING
A FLOWER
Part I The Perception of Edges
E X E R C I S E1 3
Materials:
Purposeof tbe etcerc$e:
#z writing and#4n drawingpencils, anderaser sharpener,
This exercisegivesyou further practicein usingthe PicturePlaneto draw a "difficult" view of an object.In this case,you will be drawinga half-peeledorange,with the peelsmovingin three dimensions'
Drawitrgan Orange
PicturePlane/Viewfinder Instructions:
Felt-tip marker An orange,with the peel cut into triangularsectionsandpeeled halfwayback(asin the example drawing)
r. Tirrn to page48 of the workbook. z. Using yot:ir#z pencil,lightly draw crosshairswithin the format,dividing the format into four equalquadrants.
Sheetof white papet about9" xrz" Time needed: 20to 30minutes
3. Setthe orangeon a pieceof white paper.Composeyour drawingby holdingup the plasticPicturePlane/Viewfinderandmovingit backand forth and up and down in front of your setupuntil the orange,framedby the viewfinder,forms a compositionthat you like. 4. Using your felt-tip marker,draw the orangeon the Picture Plane/Viewfinder.Alwaysrememberto closeone eyein order to flamen the image. y. Usingthe crosshairsto guideyou, with your #z pencil copythe main contoursof your plasticplanedrawingonto your drawingpaper. 6. Setthe PicturePlane/Viewfinderaside.Usingthe orangeasyour model, refineandrevisethe drawingby seeingand drawingasmany detailsas possible,recallingthe lessonof Pure Contour drawing.If you wish,use your #4n pencil for this detailed drawing.When you find yourself marveling at the beauty of the objectyou are drawing you will have madea mentalshift to the visualmode. 7. Erasethe crosshairsif you wish; sign and date your drawing.
46
EXERCISE rl
DRAWING AN ORANGE
Post - exercise remark s: The lastfive exercises havefocusedon the first componentskill of drawing:the perceptionof edges.By definition,an edgein drawing is a sharededge.Recallthat by drawingthe edgeof the facein the Vase/Faces exercise,you simultaneouslydrew the edgeof the vase. Additionally,when you drew your hand,drawingthe shapesaroundthe fingernailscausedyou to inadvertentlydraw the fingernails.By using edgesasthey aredefinedin drawingandby usingthe conceptof the picture planeto draw varyingsubjects,suchasyour hand,a flower,and an orange,you are gaining knowledgeof wbatdrawingisandof howtodoit.
Drawing by the author.
EXERCISE 13
DRAWING AN ORANGE
47
4B
EXERCISE r3
DRAWING AN ORANGE
Part ll The Perception of Spaces
E X E R C I S E1 4
Materials:
Purposeof tbe exercise:
#z and#4n pencils,sharpener,and eraser
This exercisebuildson your new ability to seeanddraw edgesby introducingyou to one of the mostimportantskillsin drawing: seeingand drawingnegativespaces. Negativespacesareimportantfor three reasons:
Drawirg LeavesUsing N.gative Spaces
Felctip marker PicturePlane/Viewfinder
A sheetof 9" x rz" white paper
r. Seeingnegativespacesmakesit easyto draw difficult views,especially foreshortenedviews.Negativespacesbuild on the conceptof edgesin drawingassharededges:if you draw the negativespacesarounda foreshortenedform, you will haveinadvertentlyalsodrawnthe form, and you will find that it is drawncorrectly.
Time needed:
z. An emphasison negativespacesstrengthensandimprovesthe unity of your compositions.
Stemof a plant,ro" to 12"tall, with medium-sized leaves(seethe drawingfor an example)
About3ominutes
3. Focusingon negativespacescausesthe languagemodeof the brain to drop out, allowingaccess to the visualbrain mode,which is suitedto the taskof drawing.When you focuson an "empty" space,the language modeseemsto say,in effect,"I do not dealwith nothing."It takesa momentfor a negativespaceto "pop" into focusasa shape.This increment of time may be the languagemodeobjecting "what areyou looking at?I can'tnamethat.If you aregoingto gazeat nothing I'm dropping out."Perfect.Justwhat we want. Instructions: r. Tirrn to page5r of the workbook,with the printed format. z. Lightly draw the crosshairswith your #z pencil. 3. Lay the stemwith leaveson a pieceof white paperand coverit with your plasticPicrurePlane/Viewfinder. 4. Ratherthan thinking of drawinga lea{ look at the white shapes surroundingthe leaves.Focuson one of thoseshapesandbeginto draw that first "negativespace."Then draw an adjacentnegativespace. t. "Copy" all of the white spacesonto your paper.Do not draw the leavesat all, but be awarethat in drawingthe edgesof the negativespaces, you will haveinadvertentlydrawnthe edgesof the leaves.
49
EXERCISE 14
DRAWING LEAVES USING NEGATM
SPACES
49
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tl
1r".
I
.+@
Where one leaf crossesanother,ignorethat edge.Your concernis with the negativespacesonly. 7. As in drawingyour hand,note wherethe edgesof the white shapes touch the format edgesandwherethey encounterthe crosshairs' useyour pencil to fill them in so 8 . When you havedrawn all of the spaces, that the negativespacesaredark andthe positiveforms (the stemand leaves)areleft untouched. 9. Erasethe crosshairsif you wish;signand dateyour drawing. Post-exercise remarks:
tI . .'lliq l I
J li;.
From the imageyou havejust created,I am sureyou canseethe power drawing.Drawingsthat emphasizenegativespaces of negative-space area pleasureto look at,perhapsbecausethe compositionsarestrong (emphasison negativespacesalwaysimprovescomposition)and hasbeen the spacesandshapesareunifed,meaningthat equalattention
7i: :...{t :l i::-ai
paid to both.
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Drawing by the author.
to
EXERCISE 14
DRAWING LEAVES USING NDGATIVE SPACES
EXERCISE 14
DRAWING LEAVES USING NEGATM
SPACES
t1
Part ll The Perception of Spaces
EXERCISE I f
Materials:
Purposeof the exercise:
J
Drawitrgachair in NegativeSpace
#z pencil,sharpeneqand eraser PicturePlane/Viewfinder Felt-tip marker #4r graphitestick andpapertowel, for settinga ground Photographof a chaiqabout5" or 6", cut from a newspaperor magazineadvertisement (or usethe one on paget+of the workbook)
One commonproblemin startinga drawingis decidinghowbigtomnketlte frst shape.Ifyou draw the first shapetoo large,the subiectof your drawing will go offthe page.If you draw the first shapetoo small,the subject will sit in the centerof the pageandyou mustthen dealwith theunintendedempty surrounding arca.Choosingwhat I call a "BasicUnit" asa startingshapewill solvethis problemandenableyou to end with the compositionyou intendedto draw. Instructions: r. T\rrn to page5y of the workbook,with the printed format. z. Lightly draw the crosshairswith your #z pencil.
Sheetof white paper,9" x rz".
3. Seta groundwithin the printed format,following the directionsin Exercise9. +. Lay your PicturePlane/Viewfinderoveryour chair photograph,moving it arounduntil you find a compositionyou would like to draw
Time needed: About 3ominutes
5z
EXERCISE If
DRAWING A CHAIR IN NEGATIVD SPACE
t. Look at the variousnegativespacesof the chair.Chooseone to useas a BasicUnit or startingshape.The shapeshouldbe roughlymedium in sizecomparedto the other negativespaces-neithertoo largenor too small.You needa manageable unit of a simpleshape.SeeFigurer5-rfor an example. With your felt-tip marker,draw the shapeof that spaceonto the plastic PicturePlane/Viewfinder. 7. Placethe PicturePlane/Viewfinderon a sheetof white papersothat you canseethe shapeyou havedrawn.
Il
8 . With your #z pencil,copythat shapeonto your tonedformat,usingthe crosshairsto guidethe sizeandplacement.SeeFigure r5-2. 9. Setthe PicturePlane/Viewfinderasideandbeginto draw the remaining negativespacesof the chair by referringto the photograph.Make sure that you sizeand shapeall of the spacesin relationshipto the BasicUnit. In this way,you will end with the compositionyou chosein the first place.SeeFigure ry-3. When you havefinisheddrawingthe negativespaces, useyour eraser to removethe tone of eitherthe spacesor the chair itself. Erasethe crosshairsif you wish;sign anddateyour drawing. Post-exerciseremarks:
Figure ry-2.
This exercisein using a BasicUnit is the key to startingdrawings.If you havea chanceto watcha professionalartistwork, it might seemto you that the artist"just startsdrawing."On the contrary,by the time an artist makesthe first mark on the paper,the subjecthasbeenscannedandthe BasicUnit hasbeenmentallychosen.The artistthen locatesthe Basic Unit within the format,perhapswith somequick handmovementsover the paper(sometimescalled"phantom"drawing),in order to ensurethe correctsizingandplacingof the BasicUnit within the format.It happens sofast,however,that it seemsto someonewatchingthat the artistiust startsdrawing. In the exercises to come,if choosinga BasicUnit seemsslow and somewhattediousto you, rememberthat with practicethe processwill soonbecomeautomaticandvery rapid.Then, you will no longerneed the plasticPicturePlane/Viewfinderor the marker.The processwill be entirely mental,andsomeonewatchingyou will think that you "just start drawing." The BasicUnit alsodemonstrates that drawing in its own way,is beautifullylogicalin its spatialaspects. When the spacesandshapesare drawnjust asthey appearon the picture planeandin correctrelationship to the BasicUnit, they fit togetherin a logicalrelationshipthat seemssatisfting andfascinating.To me,this is one of the delightful aspectsof drawins.
Figurer5-3. EXERCISE rt
DRAWING A CHAIR IN NEGATM
SPACE
t3
,4
EXERCISE rJ
DRAWING A CHAIR IN NEGATM
SPACE
EXERCISE If
DRAWING
A CHAIR IN NEGATIVE
SPACE
_-, ))
EXERCISE16
Part ll The Perception of Spaces
Drawittg aHousehold
Obiect
Material,s:
Purposeof tbe exercise:
#z and#4n pencils,sharpener, anderaser
This exerciseprovidesfurther practice in using both negativespaces andthe BasicUnit in order to help "set"theseskills.You will be drawing on an ungroundedpapet to againdemonstratethe beautyof pencil line on paper.
PicturePlane/Viewfinder Felt-tip marker A householdobject,suchasa corkscrewbottle opener,eggbeateq whisk,scissors, or any gadgetthat appealsto you.
Instructiont: I.
T\rrn to page58of the workbook,with the printed format.
) Lightly draw the crosshairs in the format with your #z pencil. ))' Setyour chosenobjectin front of you, proppingit upright if you wish.
Time needed:
4- Hold your Picture Plane/Viewfinder up in front of the object.
About zo minutes
Now, closeone eye and movethe Viewfinder arounduntil you find a compositionyou like. Choosea negativespaceto useasa BasicUnit. This canbe,for example,a spacein the handleof the scissors, a space betweenthe wiresof the whisk,or the spacebetweenthe handleand arm of a corkscrewbottle opener.
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DRAwTNGA HousEHoLD oBIEcr
t. Holding the PicturePlane/Viewfinderassteadilyaspossible,useyour felt-tip markerto draw your BasicUnit on the plasticplane. 6. Usingthe crosshairsto guideyou,use your#zpencil to transferyour BasicUnit to your format on the paper. ,7
Set asidethe Picture Plane/Viewfinder.Now draw the rest of the negativespacesof the object,usingeither your #z or #4n pencil. The #z pencil producesa thin, light line; the #4n, a wider,darkerline. Be sureto closeone eyeto removebinocular vision, so that you cansee the object asthough it were flattenedon the plane.
8 . Continue until you havedrawn all of the negativespaces,thus drawing the obiectitself. Erasethe crosshairsif you wish; sign and date your drawing. Post-exercircremarks: One of the striking characteristicsof negative-spacedrawingsis that no mafter how mundaneyour subject-a chaiq a bottle opener,an eggbeater-your drawing will seemsomehowbeautiful andsignif.cant This demonstrates,I believe,the power and importanceof negative spacesin art.When you look at classicartworksin museumsor in books on art, I guaranteethat you will seestrong emphasison negativespaces over and over again.
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Drawing by student Kenneth Mclaren.
rxnnclsr
16
DRAWING A HousEHoLD oBIEcr
t7
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EXERCISE 16
DRAWING A HOUSEHO!-D OBIECT
Part ll The Perception of Spaces
E X E R C I S E1 7
Materials:
Purposeof tbe exercise:
#z and#4n pencils,sharpener,and erasef
The five componentperceptualskillsof drawing-seeing edges,spaces, relationships, lights andshadows,andthe gestalt-apply to every drawing no matterwhat the subjectmatter.For the purposeof these exercises, we aretakingup theseskillsone by one. In this exercise,the emphasisis againon negativespaces, with the subjectthis time a sportsfigure.The purposeis to demonstratethat foreshorteningin figuredrawing-one of the truly difficult aspects of learningto draw-is madeeasyby shiftingfrom the foreshortened formsto the negativespacesaroundthem.We areusing a sportsphotographbecausesuchphotographsvery ofteninclude foreshorteningand arereadily availablein everydaynewspapers (whereasfinding a modelto posefor you in a foreshortenedpositioncanbe quite difficult).
Negative-Space Drawitgof aSports Photograph
PicturePlane/Viewfinder Felt-tipmarker A sportsphotographfrom a newspaper or magazine,preferablyone that includesa foreshortenedview of an athlete,andpreferablyone aslarge or largerthanthe openingof the PicturePlane/Viewfinder Time needed:
Instructions:
About3ominutes I.
Turn to page6r of the workbook,with the printed format.
z. Lightly draw the crosshairswithin the format with your #z pencil. )' Lay your PicturePlane/Viewfinderoverthe sportsphotograph,moving the planearounduntil you find a compositionyou like.
1
4. Choosea negativespaceto useasa BasicUnit-perhaps the space betweenthe arm andbody of a figure,or betweenthe figureandthe edgeof the format.The shapeshouldbe of medium sizeand asuncomplicatedaspossible.
I
tr
EXERCISE 17
NEGATM-SPACE
DRAWING OF A SPORTS PHOTOGRAPH
t9
Photograph by Joe Kennedy
5. Draw the BasicUnit on the plasticplanewith your felt-tip marker. 6. Transferthe BasicUnit to your format. 7. continue to draw the negativespaces(thusinadveftenrlydrawingthe outsideedgesof the athlete). 8. If you wish,draw the shapeswithin the figure(edgesof clothing helmet,andso on) until you aresatisfiedthat the drawingis complete. 9. You may wantto addsomelights andshadows,but your negative-space drawingwill standon its own asa beautifulline drawing. ro. Erasethe crosshairsif you wish;signand dateyour drawing. Post-exerciseremarks: Looking at your completeddrawingshouldhelp you rcalizehowseeing and drawingnegativespacesmakesdrawingeasy.Becauseedgesin drawing aresharededges,drawingnegativespacesaroundthe positiveforms givesyou the difficult forms-the foreshortenedviews of formswithout your havingto draw them.Drawing foreshortenedformsis alwaysproblematic,becausewe all havepreconceived, memorizedinformation and symbolsfor forms-human armsandlegs,for example. Foreshortened viewscontradictthat informationandthus aredifficultto seeanddraw asthey appearon the picture plane.on the other hand,we haveno preconceived, memorizedsymbolsfor negativespaces, and thereforeit is easyro seeand draw them.This is one of the important secretsof drawins. 6o
EXERCTSE17
NEGATTVE-SPACE DRAWTNG OF A SPORTS PHOTOcRApH
EXERCTSEr7
NEGATIVE-SPACE DRAWING OF A SPORTS PHOTOGRAPH
6t
Part ll The Perception of Spaces
EXERCISEIB
Material,s:
Purposeof tbe exercise:
#z and#4n pencils,sharpener,and eraser
Time needed:
Drawing an actualchair,asopposedto a photographof a chair,is a good way to summarizeall the skills you havelearnedso far.In a photograph, the imageis alreadyflattened.In drawing a real chair,which existsin three-dimensionalspace,you will call on all of the previousexercises. First, you must flatten the imageby viewing it on the Picture Planef Viewfinder and closeone eyeto removebinocular vision. Then, you will choosea BasicUnit from the negativespacesyou seeon the picture plane.Usingthe conceptof sharededges,you will draw the negative spacesjust asyou seethem on the PicturePlane/Viewfinder,confident that you are simultaneouslydrawing the edgesof the chair.
30to 40 minutes
Instructiont:
N.gative-Space Drawitrgof an Actual Chair
Graphitestick andpapertowel for setting a ground PicturePlane/Viewfinder Felt-tip marker Chair of any shapeor size
I.
T\rrn to page65of the workbook.Set a ground in the printed format.
2.
Lightly draw the crosshairsin the formatusing yotr #z pencil.
))' Setup your model:a chair. A '?'
Figure r8-r.
Hold your PicturePlanein front of your faceto chooseyour composition. Move the Picture Plane backward,forward, and from sideto side,as thoughyou werecomposinga photograph.The chair shouldalmostfill the Viewfinder,so that it will takeup most of the format when you draw it on your paper.
Figure r8-2.
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Figure r8-3.
DRAwING oF aN AcruAL CHAIR NEGATTVE-SpAcE
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A student'suninstructed drawing of a chair.
t. Choosea medium-sizednegativespaceto useasa BasicUnit-for example,a spacebetweenthe slatsof a chair backor a spacebetween rungs.Next, usethe felt-tip markerto draw your BasicUnit on the PicrurePlane/Viewfinder.SeeFigure 18-r. Useyour #z pencil to transferthe BasicUnit to your tonedpaper.See Figurer8-2.
7. Draw the negativespacesadjacentto your BasicUnit, rememberingto closeone eyeto flattenthe three-dimensionalimageof the chair.See Figure18-3. Work from part to part,negativespaceto positiveshape,putting the drawingtogetherlike a jigsawprzzle.SeeFigure r8-4. beginto work on the When you havecompletedthe negativespaces, chair itself andits surroundingspace.You caneraseout or darkenany highlightsor shadows.SeeFiguresr8-5,18-6,and r8-7. Prop your drawingup andstepawayfrom it a bit to seeit from a fresh point of view.Make any changesthat you feel areneeded. Erasethe crosshairsif you wish;sign anddateyour drawing.
Figure 18-4.
Figure r8-5.
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Figure 18-6.
NEGATIVE-spAcEDRAWING oF AN AcruAL cHAIR
63
Post- exercise remarks: Congratulationson completinga very difrcult drawing.Chairsaresuch familiar objectsthat we carry in our mindshard-to-erasevisualsymbols for chairsthat we havememorizedfrom childhood drawing.For example,we knowthatchairlegsare all the samelength.In the PicturePlane flattenedview, however,eachchair leg may haveappearedto be a different length,andyou may havehad trouble acceptingthat perception. Paradoxically,if you drew the chair legsjust asyou sawthem on the plane,they will appearto the viewer of your drawing to be appropriately all the samelength.This is the magicof drawing.
Figurer8-7.Drawingby the author.
64
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NEGATIvE-SpAcEDRAwING oF AN acruAr- cHArR
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NEGATIvE-spAcE DRAwING oF AN AcruAL cHAIR
65
Part ll The Perception of Spaces
E X E R C I S E1 9
Materials:
Purposeof the exercise:
#z and#4n pencils,sharpener,and erasef
a schoolof During and afterthe decadesof AbstractExpressionism, was paintingoriginatingin New York in the r94os,copyingmasterworks out of favor asa way of training artistsin America.Now, however,new appreciationof drawingskillsis bringingthe practicebackinto art schools.Copyingmasterdrawingsis an excellentwayto practiceyour drawingskills,andyou will learn a greatdealfrom copyingthis wonderful artwork. Note that the format of Man Readingthe Bible(the proportions,width to length, of the outsideedge)is slightly different from the one you have beenusing,and differentfrom the format of your PicturePlane/ Viewfinder.Wheneveryou copy a drawing, makesurethattheproportions of tbeformataretltesame. Your drawing format canbe a different size,but it must be in the sameproportions.If you think it through, you will see why.The spacesand shapesfit togetherto fill the format: if'you were to use a different format for this drawing-say, a square-neither the shapesnor the spacescould matchthe original.
Copyinga Master Drawing:Man Readingtlt Bible,by Vincentvan Gogh
The reproductionof the Van Gogh drawingon page68 Time needed: 45 minutesto r hour
Instructions: I.
T\rrn to page69of the workbook,with the printed format in the same proportionsasthe original drawing. You may wantto lightly draw crosshairson the original drawingand on your format,measuringcarefullyto makesurethe crosshairsfall at the midpoints of the drawing.This will help you to keepyour copy in proportion by seeingwhere the variouspoints fall. You may want to turn this drawingupside down to makea start.Whether it is right sideup or upsidedown,beginby drawingthe negativespaces aroundthe seatedman and chair.
4. Usethe conceptof negativespaceswithinthefigureaswell.For example, the shapebetweenthe man'stwo forearmscanbe seenanddrawn asan "interior negativeshape."The shapeof his lower right trouser beneathhis left handcan alsobe seenanddrawnasan interior negative shape.
66
EXERCISE 19
COPYING A MASTER DRAWING: MAN READING THE BIBLE
t. Check the anglesof the negativespacesof the chair rungs relativeto the horizontalandverticaledgesof the format and crosshairs. As you progress,checkeachspaceandeachshapeto seeif you havematched the original. Useyour #4n pencil to darkenthe shadowshapesof the vestand trousers-You may want to turn the Van Gogh drawing upside down to betterseethe shapesof tHEshadows. 1. Erasetlre crosshairsif you wish; sign and date your drawings.Because it is a c
EXERCISE 19
COPYING A MASTER DRAWING: MAN READING THE BIBLE
67
EXERCISE 19
COPYING A MASTER DRAWING: MAN READING THE BIBLE
Part lll The Perception of Relationships
EXERCISE 20
Materials:
Parposeof tbe exercirc:
#z and#4e pencils,sharpeneqand efaser
In this exerciseyou will practicethe third componentskill, the perceptionof relationships,alsocalled"sighting."This is a two-part skill: sightinganglesrelativeto vertical andhorizontal,andsightingsizes relativeto eachother.Commonly known as"perspectiveandproportion," sightinghasbeenthe Waterlooof many an art student. It is a complicatedskill, both to learn andto teach,but the Picture Plane/Viewfinderis extremelyeffectivein clarifyinghow to seeand draw relationships. You will useyour pencil asa sightingtool, just asartistshavebeen doing for centuries.Look at the accompanyingsketchesto seehow to do this. Practiceby holding your pencil ararm'slengthwithjtoarelbow locke toestablish a.cznstant scalaclosingone eye,aligning the blunt end of your pencil with the horizontaltop edgeof a doorway,and placingyour thumb to mark the other edgeof the doorway(seeFigure zo-r).This measuredwidth is your BasicUnit, or "r." Now, keepingyour thumbin the sameposition,turn the pencil to verticalandfind the relationship
Sightingan Open Doorwalr
PicturePlane/Viewfinder Felt-tip marker Time needed: About 3ominutes
a-1
16
EXERCISE 2O
,
SIGHTING AN OPEN DOORWAY
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(the ratio or proportion) of width to height of the doorway.SeeFigures 2o-z,zo-3, andzo-4.Inthe sketches, the ratio is "One (BasicUnit) to one andtwo-thirds,"expressedasmllYou will transferthis ratio into your. drawing by using your pencil to measureyour BasicUnit inyoar drawing then repeatingthe measuringof the vertical edgeof the doorwayin the drawing anddrawingthe verticaledge.SeeFigures2o-t, zo-6,andzo-7. Your pencil is alsoyour sighting tool for determining angles. Angles are sightedrelative to vertical and horizontal. To practice,hold your pencil perfectly horizontally with both hands,closeone eye,and comparean anglein a corner of the room you are in with horizontal. SeeFigure zo-8.Rememberthe angleanddraw it on your paperusing the horizontal crosshairsand the horizontal edgesof the format as
Figure zo-5.
EXERCISE 20
SIGHTING
AN OPEN DOORWAY
7r
guidesto drawingthe angleyou sawin the room corner.SeeFigure zo-g. Be sureyou stayontheplaneintaking sights.Your sightingpencil alwaysstayson the surfaceof the imaginaryglasspicture plane.Justas recedingedgeslie flat on the faceof a photograph,the imageyou are drawingliesflat on the picture plane.You cannot"pokethrough"the planeto takea sighton a recedingedge.SeeFigureszo-roand zo-rr. Instructions: Turn to page7+.The format will be left untoned,asthis will be a line drawing.
Figure zo-8.
Choosea sitefor your drawing-an opendoorwayleadinginto another room or into a closet,or a door opento the outside.Seethe example drawingsfor ideas. Seatyourself in front of the site.Useyour PicturePlane/Viewfinderto find a compositionyou like. SeeFigure zo-rz. +. Hold the PicturePlaneassteadilyaspossibleand choosea BasicUnit. I suggestyou usethe shapeof the doorway.
t. Useyour felt-tip markerto draw the BasicUnit on the plasticplane. If you wish,you can alsodraw someof the main edges,suchasthe ceiling anglesor the floor angles,but be awarethat the line will be very shaky,andit is easyto makeerrorsin the drawing.All you really needis the BasicUnit.
Figure zo-9.
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72
Figure zo-ro.
Figure uo-rr.
Figure zo-r3.
Figure zo-r4.
EXERCISE 20
SIGHTING
AN OPEN DOORWAY
6. tansfer the BasicUnit to your format.SeeFigure zo-rJ. 7. Usingyour pencil asa sightingtool, beginto sightthe anglesandpro-
portionsof the doorwayandthe surroundingwalls,floor,andceiling. Draw in all of the mostimportant edges:the edgesof the doorway, the opendooq andthe edgeswherethe wallsmeetthe ceiling andwhere the wallsmeetthe floor.Do not forgetto emphasizenegativespaces whereverpossible,especiallyfor smallformslike door handles,light fixtures,andpotted plants.SeeFigure zo-r+. If any areaof the drawingdoesn'tquite "look right," hold up your PicturePlaneagain,matchup the Basicunit drawnon the plasticwith the doorway,and comparethe anglesor proportionsyou seeon the plane with your drawing.Make any necessarycorrectionsand completethe drawing. 9. Erasethe crosshairsif you wish;sign anddateyour drawing. Post- exerciseremarrts: You havejust completeda drawingthat manyuniversiryart students would find daunting.Sightinganglesandproportionsis a complicated skill, requiringthat you learn first how to "rakesights"andthen how to transferthem to your drawing.once learned,the skill quickly becomes automatic,andyou will be takingsightswithout havingto remind yourself how to do it at everystep. Every globalskill seemsto havea componentsimilar to sighting relationshipsin drawing-for example,learninggrammarin writing learningthe rulesof the roadin driving learningmusicalnoration, learningthe rules of the gamein chess.Thesecomponentsseemdifficult andmuch too complicatedat first,but later they becomeautomaticand providethe structureneededto practicethe skill. Sightingrelationshipsis requiredin everydrawingandfor every subject.Becauseof its complexity,srudentoften leavesighting unlearnedor half-learned,ensuringthat they will makeerrorsin their drawingsthat they will not know how to correcr.Sightingrelationshipsis well worth the effort ro learn andbecomessurprisinglyenjoyableonce learned.
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EXERCISE 20
SIGHTING
AN OPEN DOORWAY
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74
EXERCISE 2o
SIGHTING
AN OPEN DOORWAY
Part lll The Perception of Relationships
EXERCISE ZT
Materials:
Purposeof tbe exercise:
#z and#4e pencils,sharpener,and eraser
For this exercise,choosea room cornerthat is complicatedby including a bed or sofa,tables,lamps,and curtains.Alternatively,choosea cornerof Because your kitchen,with its countertop,cupboards,and appliances. this subjectis more intricatethan the opendoorway,this exerciseis a goodway to demonstrateto yourself how much progressyou havemade. Remember,however,that realisticdrawing(asopposedto abstract, nonobjective,or imaginativedrawing)is alwaysthe sametask,always requiringthe sameskills.Subjectsandmediumsvary but not the basic skillsof drawing.
SightingaRoomCorner
Picture PIane/Vi ewfinder Felt-tip marker Graphitestickandpapertowel for settinga ground Time needed: 30to 40 minutes
Instructions: r. Turn to page77of theworkbook,with the printed format.Seta toned groundand lightly draw in the crosshairswith yolut#z pencil. Choosea sitethat includesfurniture or countertopsand cupboards. )' Usethe PicturePlane/Viewfinderto chooseyour composition.Choose
I
and draw your BasicUnit on the plasticwith the felt-tip marker.If you wish, carefullladda few of the main edgesand angles. A 't'
Transferthe BasicUnit to your tonedground.
t. Check all anglesandproportions,usingyour pencil to "takesights." all anglesandproportionsaresightedontheplane.Think of the Remenbe4 planeasan invisiblepaneof glassbetweenyour eyesandthe "model" in front of you. Work from edgeto adjacentedge,putting the imageof the room corner together like a fascinatingjigsaw ptzzle.Avoid naming parts asyou draw them, anddo not forgetto emphasizenegativespaces. 7. When you havedrawnthe edgesandspacesof the corner,"squint"to see Eraselighted areasanddarken the largeshapesof lights andshadows. shadowedareas.Stepawayfrom your drawingoccasionallyto view it from a distanceandto checkfor errors. 8. Erasethe crosshairsif you wish;sign anddateyour drawing.
Drawing by Grace Kennedy.
EXERCISE 2I
SIGHTING
A ROOM CORNER
75
Post-exercise remarks: Sightingrelationshipsof anglesand proportionsby the methodyou are learningis called"informal perspective,"asopposedto "formal perspective," which is the method requiring horizon lines,converginglines,and vanishingpoints.Professionalartistsareusuallytrainedin both methods, but nearly all useinformal perspectivewhen paintingor drawing.Formal perspectiveis simply too cumbersomeandunnecessarily complicated for today'sartists,andinformal perspective, when well practiced,is amazinglyaccurate. Many studentsfind eveninformal perspectivedrawingpainfully difficult at first,but it soonbecomeseasyandevenquite engaging. When friendsseeyour drawingof a room corner,they may askin amazement, "How did you dothat?"Your reply might be,"I've just discoveredI have sometalent for drawingD-after which you cantell your friends how you really did the drawing!You may be interestedto compareyour justcompletedperspectivedrawingwith your pre-instructiondrawingfrom Exercise3.I feel confidentthat you will be pleasedwith your progress.
Drawing by Lizbeth Fermin.
76
E X E R C I S E2 I
SIGHTING A ROOM CORNER
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EXERCISE 2I
SIGHTING
A ROOM1CORNER
V V.
Part lll The Perception of Relationships
E X E R C T S E2 2
The Knee|FootDrawirtg
a. ?
Materials:
Parposeof tbe exercise:
#z and#4n pencils,sharpeneq anderaser
Sightingrelationshipsof anglesandproportionsis neededfor every drawing,not just drawingsof buildings and interiors. This exercise providesexcellentpracticefor seeinganddrawingedges,spaces, and relationships, the first three componentskillsof drawing.
PicturePlane/Viewfinder Felt-tip marker
Instructions:
Time needed:
Turn to page8oof the workbook.Leavethe formatuntonedandlightly draw the crosshairs.
20to 30minutes
Usethe PicturePlane/Viewfinderto choosea view of your own knee and foot, of your feet, or of one foot, with or without shoe(s). Use your felt-tip marker to draw the main negativespacesand edgeson the plasticplane. +. Usea pencil to transferthe main edgesto your paper,usingthe
crosshairsto guideyou.
t. Setthe PicturePlaneto one side,in a spotwhereyou canstill seeit. Completethe drawing checkingbackto the PicturePlaneif necessary. The sizechangefrom the kneeto the foot seemsincredible,but doublecheckit the foot in this perspectiveview really is that small!If you draw the proportionsjast astheyappearf.attened ontheplane,theywill look correct when the drawins is finished.
Drawing by charlotte Doctor.
78
EXERCISE 22
THE KNEE/FOOT
Drawing by student BobJean.
DRAWING
6, Be sure to emphasizenegativespacesasyou work on the drawing.
Shoelaces, for example,arebeautifulwhen drawnusingthe negative spacesin and aroundthe laces. 7. Erasethe crosshairsif you wish; sign and date your drawing. Post- exercise remarks: This is one of the bestexercisesfor convincingstudentsto accepttheir perceptionswithout second-guessing. The struggleto accepta sighting that contradictsstoredknowledgecan be difficult. I havewatched studentsrepeatedlytake sightson an angleor proportion rhar rhey questioned.SometimesI hearthem sayto themselves, "It can'tbe," and they checkthe sight againand againuntil they finally acceptit. Then, on seeingthat the questionableproportionor anglemadetheir drawing look right, they find it easierto acceptthe next questionable sighting.This is one of the mostimportant lessonsin drawing:ro see, accept,and draw just what you seeon the plane.
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Drawing by student Ernest Kirkwood.
Drawing by student Lonnie Lewis.
EXERCTSE22
THE KNEE/FOOT
Drawing by studentJoyce Canfield.
DRAWTNG
79
8o
ExERcrsEzz
rur rNor/roor
DRAwTNG
Part lll The Perception of Relationships
EXERCISE23
Materials:
Purposeof tbe exercise:
#z and#4n pencils,sharpener, anderaser
Becauseyou areso familiar with what the shapeof a book lookslike, it canbe hard to acceptthe apparentshapechangesthat occurwhen you draw booksthat arelying flat on a table andrecedingfrom your planeof vision.In certainpositions,and at certainangles,a book lying flat on a tablemay appearon the picture planeto be impossiblynarrow or impossiblyshort.The hard part of this exerciseis to draw books lying on a tablein the unexpectedshapesthat they presenrwbenseen onthepictureplane.
Sightinga Still Life of Bookson aTable
PicrurePlane/Viewfinder Felt-tip marker Graphitestick andpapertowel for settinga ground Severalbooks,spreadat random on a table Time needed: About 3ominutes
Instructions: I.
Turn to page83of the workbook,with the printed format.Tone the groundto a paletone andlightly draw the crosshairswith your #z pencil.
z. Usethe Picture Plane/Viewfinderto find a compositionyou like and
choosea BasicUnit-either a negativespacebetweentwo booksor a positiveform (oneof the books). ))' Hold the PicturePlane/Viewfinderassteadilyaspossible,andwith the
felt-tip markerdraw your BasicUnit on the plasticplane.
+. Usingthe #4r
pencil,transferthe BasicUnit to your drawingpaper.
5. Setthe PicturePlaneasideand work from shapeto adjacentspace, putting the drawingtogetherlike a puzzle.Rememberto closeone eye to flattenthe image. 6. Pauseeveryoncein a while to checkthe shapesof the bookson the
Picture Pl ane/Viewfi nder. 7. Look for the shapesof lights andshadowsby squintingyour eyesto mask out fine detail.Eraseout the lighted shapesand darkenthe shadowed areaswith your #4n pencil. 8. When you arefinished,erasethe crosshairsif you wish,then signand dateyour drawing.
I I i
EXERCTSE 23
i
SIGHTTNG A STILL LIFE OF BOOKS ON A TABLE
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Drawing by the author.
8z
EXERCISE23
S T G H T T N GA S T I L L L I F E O F B O O K S O N A T A B L I
f I I
EXERCTSE23
STGHTTNG A STILL LrFE OF BOOKS ON A TABLE
83
Part lll The Perception of Relationships
EXERCTSE 24
Materials:
Purporc of the exercise:
#z and#4n pencils,sharpener,and efaser
Still-life setup:The breakfasttable is alwaysa good still life, or you may wish to setup a teapot,a cup andsaucer,and a glasshalf-filled with water.Any objectswith circular topswill provideellipsesfor your still life.
An ellipseis an ovalshape,like a stretched-outcircle with slightly flattenedsides.When you look at a circularobject,suchasa coin,with one eyeclosed,it appearsto be not circularbut elliptical in shapewhen tilted at an anglerelativeto the picture plane.When you increasethe angle,the ellipsechangesshapeuntil the objectappearsto be a flat shape. This "perspectiveof ellipses"often seemsbafling to students,because, again,the shapeseenon the picture planecontradictswhat we know aboutcircularshapes. Ellipsesplay an important role in drawingstill lifes,landscapes, anddrawingsinvolving architecture.This exercise,therefore,focuses on ellipses.As always,the solutionis to draw them just asyou seethem flattenedon the plane.
Time needed:
Instructions:
A Still Life with Ellipses
PicturePlane/Viewfinder Felt-tip marker
jo to 40 minutes
o o O
I.
T\rrn to page86of the workbook,with the printed format. If you wish, lightly tone the paperbeforeyou addthe crosshairs.
2.
Useyour PicturePlane/Viewfinderto choosea composition.
))' Hold the Picture Plane/Viewfinderassteadilyaspossibleand choose
a BasicUnit (perhapsone of the objectsin your still-life setup).
O
+. Usingyour #4n pencil,transferthe BasicUnit to your paper.
O -
t. Rememberto closeone eyewhen drawingthe ellipsesof the tops(and oq better bottoms!)of cups,glasses, andplates.Try to seethem asshapes, stlll, seetheshapes of tbenegttiuespaces strrounding the ellipses.
---/
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O
6. As always,work from shapeto adjacentspace,putting the partstogether
like a puzzle.If you startedwith a cup,for example,checkthe negative spacenext to the cup.That spacewill be boundedby the edgeof the next object.Draw that objectandmoveto the next space.
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o 84
7' As you are drawing,be sureto step awaya few times and checkto see that the perspectiveandproportion"look right." If somethingseemsofl hold up the PicturePlane/Viewfinder,matchup the BasicUnit on the Viewfinderwith the object,andthen look at the areascausingproblems.
EXERCISE 24
A STILL LIFE WITH ELLIPSES
Henri Matisse . Stufu for StillJrf" ofu, deHeem,ryt5,Graphite on two sheets of paper. zo%x zr%inches. Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection.
Comparewhat you seeon the Viewfinderwith whatyou havedrawn. If what you havedrawn doesnot matchwhat you seeon the picrure plane,makethe corrections. B. Erasethe crosshairsif you wish,then signand dateyour drawing. Post-exerciseremarks: The mostcommonerrorsin drawingellipsesaredepictingthe ellipse endsastoo pointed anddepictingrhe upper curve asgreaterthan the lower curve.Theseerrorscanbe avoidedby looking very closelyar the shapeyou aredrawing. Drawing ellipsescanbe either mind-bendinglydificult or incredibly easy,dependingon whetheryou are ableto acceptthe elliptical shapes asyou seethem on the picture plane.The ellipsesar the bottomsof cups, saucers,and glasses areparticularlydifficult to see,becauseyou know the objectsarerestingon a flat surface.A commontendencyfor beginnersis to makea straightline acrossthe bottomsof cupsandglasses, presumablysothey won't tip over!Shiftingto drawingadjacentnegative spaceis extremelyhelpful in drawingellipses.
E X E R C I S E2 4
A STILL LtFE WITH ELLTPSES
85
86
EXERCISE 24
A STILL LIFE WITH ELLIPSES
Perception .rif'Relationships
EXERCISE ) IL)
Sighting Relations,hips, in aFig,rreDrawing
Parposeof the exercise: and #4n pencils,sharpener, eraser Plane/Viewfinder -tip marker neede*
3ominutes
In this exercise,you will seehow sighting works in drawing a human figure.You will be copying a sketchof a life-size sculpture of the writer EdgarAllen Poe,which is situatedon the campusof the University of Maryland.With the sketchis a diagramof the sightsI took to make the drawing. Insttactions: Turn to page89of the workbook,where you will find the sketchand diagramof the Poe sculpture.on page89,you will find a printed format. ., Using you,r #zpencil, lightly draw the crosshairswithin the format ))' Placeyour Picture Plane/viewfinder over the sketch.The crosshairswill
help guide your copy of the sketch. Use your marker to makea mark at the top of Poe'shead and at the bottom of the chin on the plasticPicturePlane/viewfinder.This is your BasicUnit. Useyour #z pencil to rransferthe BasicUnit to your paper. Thesetwo marks are all you needro start your drawing on the paper. You will usethis Basicunit in sighting all of the anglesand proportions of the figure.
t. Usingyour #4r pencil,draw the headon your paper,checkingthe placement of the featuresrelative to the whole head. Now begin to sight the figure: a. Sight the angleof the arm againsthorizontal.Draw the upper edge of the arm. b. Sight the length of the arm to the elbow With your pencil, measure the Basicunit, then the edgeof the arm.The proportion (the ratio of the BasicUnit, which is your "r") to the length of the upper arm is r: z (seethe diagram).Draw the edgeof the upper arm to the elbow. c. Sighl the angleof the forearm againstthe horizontal (the ledgeis horizontal).Draw that edgeand the edgeof the ledge.
Instructionscontinaeonpage:gz.
EXERCISE 2t
SIGHTING
RELATIONSHIPS
IN A FIGURE DRAWING
87 .-
i:";**ilti$
';
:.!;:-
88
&'*
EXERCTSE 2t
STGHTTNG RELATIONSHTPS rN A FTGURE DRAWING
-
't"''*i
EXERCISE 2t
SIGHTING
RELATIONSHIPS IN A FIGURE DRAWING
89
Practice sighting the figure in tlis drawing. I suggest using the length of the head as your Basic Unit Henri Matisse, Two Skacbesof a Nude Girl Playinga FhtePencil on white papenry%x8% inches, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. Gift of Mr. and Mrs.Joseph Kerrigan.
9o
k',,
EXERCTSE 2t
STGHTTNG RELATIONSHTPS rN A FIGURE DRAWING
EXERCISE 2t
SIGHTING
RELATIONSHTPS rN A FIGURE DRAlryING
9r
d. Sightthe lengthof the hand againstthe BasicUnit. The rariois r:r. (Checkit twice if you find that hard to believe!)Draw the handby usingthe negativeshapesaroundit. Draw the negativespacein front of the chestandthe shapeof the far ledge. Drop a "sightline" (seethe diagram)from the front of the headto the point of the knee.Determinehow far down that point is by going backto your BasicUnit and checkingthe ratio ro the point of the knee.The ratiois r:3. 6'
Having locatedthat point, checkthe angleof the upper leg anddraw in that edge.
h. Drop another"sightline" ro determinewherethe point of the shoe toe is located,and checkthe position(the anglerelativero verrical). Go backto your BasicUnit, then comparerhe distance.The ratiois r:y and a little bit more. Having locatedthe shoe-toe,usethe negativespacein front of the lower leg to draw that edge. Sightthe lengthof the shoeagainsryour BasicUnit. The ratio is r:r%.Double-checkif you find that hard to believe.
k. Usenegativespacesto draw the other shoe,but sightthe length. The ratio is r:r becausethe shoeis slightly foreshortened.
l. F'inishyour drawingby addingshadowsanddetails. m. Erasethe crosshairs if you wish;signand dateyour drawing.
Post-exerciseremarhs: The sightingprocess,asyou havenow experiencedit, may seemtedious. Remember,however,that learningany new skill requiresslowprocessing in the early stages. For example,asmenrionedearlier,learningthe rules of grammarwasa complicatedtaskthat,when learned,becameautomatic andindispensable. Sighting,I believe,canbe regardedasthe "grammar"of drawing.Learningit now will preventfrustratingerrors in future drawings.Trust me:sightingwill soonbecomerapid andauromatic,enjoyableandeasy.
9z
EXERCISE 2'
SIGHTING
REI-ATIONSHIPS IN A FIGURE DRAWING
_.t
Part lll The Perception of Relationships
E X E R C I S E2 6
Materials:
Purposeof tbe exercise:
#z and#4n pencils,sharpeneqand eraser
The proportionsof the humanheadarevery difficult to seeclearly. I venfureto saythat only someonetrainedin perceptionor in drawing is ableto bypassthe brain processes that maketheseproportionsdifficult to perceive.For reasonsthat areuncleaqa personuntrainedin seeing relationshipsapparentlyseesthe featuresof the faceasbeinglargerin relationto the whole of the headthan is actuallythe case.This exercise will providescaffoldingfor seeingthe correctproportions.
Proportionsof the Head in Profile
Diagramof the proporrionsof the headin profile Blankdiagramof the profilehead Note:Yo.u will needto asksomeone to modelfor y minutesfor this exercise. Time needed: About20minutes
Instructions: I
Tirrn to pages94 and95of the workbook,with the diagramshowingthe proportionsof the headin profile andthe headproportion diagram.
) Working carefullyand memorizingasyou draw,copythe proportions
shownin the printed diagramonto the partially drawndiagramon page9t. Now find someoneto act asa measuringmodel.Ask that personto sit for you for five minutesin profileview.Look carefullyat your model's headandfeatures.Then, using a pencil to measure,checkeveryproportion that appearson the diagram,payingparticularattentionto the curl)e proportion "Eye level to chin equalsey leaelto thetopof theoutermost of tbehead,"andthe proportion "Eye level to chin equalsbackof tlteey to the backof the ear."Thesearethe two key proportionsfor successful profile portraits.
Drawing by student Tom Nelson.
nxtnclsn z6
pRopoRTIoNs oF THE HEAD IN pRoFILE
93
Profile view: General proportions of the head and placement of the ear. Portrait of Sconby instructor Beth Fermin.
Drawing by student Heather Tappen.
Demonstration drawing by the author.
94
EXERCISE 26
pRopoRTIoNs
oF THE HEAD IN PRoFILE
EXERCISE 26
PROPORTIONS OF THE HEAD IN PROFILT
9t
Part lll The Perception of Relationships
E X E R C I S E2 7
Copying aMaster Drawirg of a Profile Portrait
Materials:
Purposeof tbe exercise:
#z and#4n pencils,sharpener,and eraser
This beautiful1883 drawingMme.PierreGautreau(also known as MadameX), by EnglishartistJohnSingerSargent,providesperfect practicefor seeingand drawingedges,spaces, and relationshipsespeciallythe proportionsof the headin profile.
PicturePlane/Viewfinder Time needed:
Instructions:
zo to 30minutes I.
T\rrn to page98,with the reproductionof the Sargentdrawing,andsee the accompanying diagramon page97.
') On page of the workbook, you will find the printed format. 99
)' Using a pencil,lightly draw the crosshairson the format.
a
+. Lay your PicturePlane/Viewfinderdirectly on top of the Sargent reproductionandnote wherethe crosshairsfall on the portrait profile.
t. Choosea BasicUnit. I suggesrusingthe lengthof the nose(from the innermostcurveto the outermosttip) for comparingall other proportionsin the drawing.For example,the proportionof the noselengthto the foreheadis the ratio one to one and a half,or rtYr.Make two marks, one at the innermostcurve and one at the tip of the nose. Using yorr #z pencil,transferthe two marksof your BasicUnit to the paper. 7. I suggestthe following sequenceof steps,correspondingwith the numberedstepsin the diagram: r. In the upper right quadrant,find the point wherethe foreheadmeets the hairline.Double-checkit, usingyour BasicUnit to measurethe placement.Mark that point, andusethe negativespacein front of the foreheadto draw the forehead'scurve. z. You locatedthe tip of the nosewhenyou markedyour BasicUnit. Double-checkthe positionof the mark againstthe crosshairs. 3. Draw the shapeof the negativespacein front of the nose/forehead. Recallthe conceptof sharededges. +. Imaginea line that touchesthe tip of the noseandthe tip of the chin in the reproductiondrawing.Lighdy draw that sightline on your papet checkingthe angleagainstvertical.Compareyour BasicUnit 96
EXERCTSE27
COPYING A MASTER DRAWTNG OF A PROFILE PORTRAIT
to the length from nose-tip to chin-tip. The ratio is yt%.Markthe tip of the chin on your sight line. t.
Draw the shape of the negative spacedefined by your sight line. This will give you the shapeof the upper lip, the lower lip, and the chin.
6. Relative to the crosshairs,find the innermost curve of the chin/neck. Mark that point on your drawing. 7. Look at the shape of the negative spacemade by the chin and neck. Draw that shape. 8. Relative to the crosshairs,locate the back of the head and draw the edge. 9. Locate the back of the ear and draw the ear. ro. Locate the back of the neck and draw that edge. rr. Observe how small the eye is relative to your Basic Unit. Draw the eye,locating it relative to the innermosr curve of the nose. rz. Draw the eyebrow relative to rhe eye,checking rhe curve of the eyebrow by looking at the negarivespacebeneath the eyebrow. 13. Observe the size of the mouth relative to rhe eye and draw the mouth. 4.
Locate the ear relative to rhe crosshairsand compare the length of the ear to your Basic Unit. Surprisingly, the ratio is nearly r:r %. Draw the ear,checking the negative spacebehind the ear.
rt. Draw the shapeof the head and hair. ft.
When you are finished, erasethe crosshairs.Sign and date your drawing with the noration'After Sargent."
Post-exerciseremarks: If you lay one fingeroverthe fearuresin the Sargentdrawing,you will seewhat a smallproportion of the wholeform is occupiedby the featuresof the face.It is often quite surprising when you first really seethe proporrionsof the humanhead. This exercisehasprovidedpracticein flexibly movingthroughthe first threeskills of drawing:edges, spaces, andrelationships. As you will find with further practice,these strategiesof seeingaresomewhatinterchangeable.If you arehavingtrouble drawingan edge,the adjacentnegativespacewill solvethe problem.If you arehavingtrouble assessing an angle,envisionthe angleasa negarivespace boundedby an imaginaryverticalor horizontal edge.This redundancyof strategieshelpsto makedrawingeasyandenjoyable.
EXERCISE 27
COPYING A MASTER DRAWING OF A PROFILE PORTRATT
97
John Singer Sargent. Madame X. Graphite on oG white paper. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Frances Ormond and Miss Emily Sargent, r93r.$r.43.3).
98
EXDRCTSE27
COpyrNG A MASTER DRAWTNG OF A PROFTLE PORTRAIT
EXERCISE 27
COPYING A MASTER DRAWING
OF A PROFILE PORTRAIT
99
.-,.----:::
Part lll The Perception of Relationships
EXERCISEZB
Materials:
Purposeof the exercise:
#z and#4n pencils,sharpener,and erasef
Now that you havelearnedthe proportionsof the headin profileby copyingthe two-dimensionalimageof theJohnSingerSargentdrawing the next stepis to draw a profilefrom life, using a model.Drawingfrom life is alwaysmore challengingandthereforemore satisfying.
Drawinga Profile Portrait
PicturePlane/Viewfinder Felt-tip marker
Instractions:
Graphitestick andpapertowel for settingthe ground Note:Forthis exercise,you will need a modelwilling to posefor 3oto 6o minutes(with breaks,of course;the model.canbe readingor watching television). Time needed: About r hour
Turn to pagero2of the workbook,with the printed format. 2.
Seta groundandthen lightly draw in the crosshairs.
) Seatyour modelin profile view,and seatyourself fairly closeto the
model.(Four or five feet awayis a gooddistance.)SeeFigurez8-I. Usingthe PicturePlane/Viewfinder,composeyour drawingsothat the model'sheadis framedwithin the edgesof the Viewfinder.
t. Choosea BasicUnit: I suggesteyelevelto chin for this drawing.Mark the BasicUnit on your PicturePlane/Viewfinderwith your felt-tip marker.Two marks,one at the model'seyelevel and one at the bottom of the chin, areenoughto establishyour BasicUnit. You may wishto draw the outline of the head.but be awarethe line will be shakv.See Figuresz8-z andz83. Next, transferthe two marksdefiningthe BasicUnit to your format.See Figure z8-4.
Figure z8-1.
Be sure to check the proportions you learned in Exercise 26.
EXERCISE 2E
DRA\ryING A PROFILE PORTRAIT
Figure re z8-3.
Figure z8-4.
Start with the featuresin profile by drawing the negztiae tpaceinftont of the forehead,nose,lips, andchin. SeeFiguresz8-5and z8*6. 8. Now, follow steps4 through 15in Exercise26. 9. If you wish,erasethe ground aroundthe head.This helpsgreatlyin seeingthe large form of the head and the relationshipof the featuresto the wholehead.
II.
In drawing the model'shair, squint your eyesto seethe larger highlights and the shadows.Aztoiddrawingsymbol,ic hair-repeatedparal,l,el or carlylines. Hair forms a shape.Focuson drawingthat shape. , Be sure to include the model'sneck and shoulders,which provide a support for the head,and include someindication of the model'sclothing.
tz. When your drawing is finished,erasethe crosshairsif you wish. Sign and
date the drawing,addingthe model'sname. Post- exerciseremarks: Ideally,you would havetwo or three sittingswith your model, and during eachsitting you would maketiny adjustmentsto rhe edges, spaces,and relationships.Sometimes,changinga line by iust the width of a pencil lipe will be the movethatsuddenly capturesthe likeness. Be alert for thesemomenrs:they aretruly satis$ring.
t
*u:*.'50".r,
Figure z8-6. Draw the negative shapes around eyeglasses. rxnncrsn
z8
DRAwING A pRoFILE poRTRAIT
EXERCISE 2U
DRAWING A PROFILE PORTRAIT
Part lll The Perception of Relationships
E X E R C I S E2 9 .tl
Still Life with AmericanFlag
Materials:
Purposeof tbe exercise:
Charcoalandpapertowel,for setting a ground
Sofaq you havebeenfocusedon the first three componenrskillsof drawing:edges,spaces, andrelationships. This exerciseis a rerurn to still-life drawing emphasizingthe samethreeskillsbut using a different subject-the Americanflag. The flagis usefulasa subjectbecausewe know it so well. We havean embeddedknowledgethat the flag'sstripesarestraightand all the same width, andthat the starsare all the sameshape.Becausewe "know" this, when we try to draw the flagit canbe dificult for us to acceprthe perceptionof crossedstripesthat occurswheneverthe flagis foldedon itself.Equally difficult ro acceptareperceprionsthat the stripewidths appearto changedue to ripplesin the fabric,andthat the starscan appearto be variedin their shapesdependingon how the fabricis folded. For this reason,the flagis a goodsubjectfor practicingdrawingexactly what you seeon the plane,without second-guessing the visualdata.
Charcoalpencil and eraser PicturePlane/Viewfinder Felt-tipmarker An Americanflagof any size (or,if a flagis not available,a striped towelor shirt) Time needed: 30to 40 minutes
Instructions: I.
Turn to pagerot in the workbook,with the printed format.
2.
Tone your paperto a palegroundwith your charcoal,rubbingwith a papertowel to a smoothtone.Lightly draw the crosshairswith your charcoalpencil. Arrangean Americanflagon a table,hangingat an anglefrom a flagpole, or drapedover a chair,sothat the stripesappearro cross.
A student's pre-instruction drawing of a flag.
EXERCISE 29
l
L-.
A post-instruction drawing of aflag
STILL LIFE WITH AMERICAN FLAG
ro3
Usingthe PicturePlane/Viewfinder,composeyour drawing.Choosea BasicUnit-perhaps the width of the field of stars-and draw it with your felt-tip markeron the plasticplane.
t. Transferyour BasicUnit to your tonedpaper.With your charcoalpencil, startyour drawingby completingthe edgesof the field of stars. Useyour pencil to sightthe anglesof the stripesasthey appearon rhe plane.Anglesarealwaysassessed relativeto verticaland horizontalon the plane.If you arenot sureof your sights,hold up the PicturePlane and checkthem relativeto the vertical andhorizontaledgesof the plane andthe crosshairs. Draw the anglesjust asthey appearon the plane. 7. If your flaghasripplesin the fabric,closeone eyeandobservethat the widthsof the stripesappearto change(seethe accompanyingdrawing). Draw thesewidth changesjust asyou seethem. 8. Note that the starsin the flagwill appearto changeshapebecauseof the effectsof perspectiveon them.They may not alwaysbe symmetrical; they may appearto be quite distortedin shape.Draw the starsjust as they appearon the plane. 9. Sign anddateyour finisheddrawing.
Post - exerci se remark s: Often,the seeminglysimplestsubjectsprovidethe bestlessonsin drawing.This is true of the flag.This drawingmay seemdifficult at first,but onceyou acceptwhat you seeon the plane,it becomeseasy. Learningthat is an importantlesson. Drawing shouldbe easy,andit is easy, oncewe stopfightingour storedconceptualknowledgeabout how things"shouldbe" andsimply acceptperceptionsasthey appear on the plane. The next exercises will focuson the fourth skill: seeinglights and shadows. After the rigorsof sighting joy returnsto drawing,becauselights and shadowsarepowerfulelements in depictingthe three-dimensionality of forms-or in "makingthings look real,"asmy studentssometimes put it.
Drawing by the author.
ro4
EXERCISE 2g
STILL LIFE WITH AMERICAN FI-tc
EXERCISE 29
STILL LIFE WITH
AMERICAN
FI/,G
rot - ." .,:.;;"riLS
Part lV The Perception of Lights and Shadows
EXERCISE 30
Materials:
Purposeof tbe etcerctse:
Charcoalandpapertowel,for toning a ground
This exerciseintroducesthe fourth skill, the perceptionof lights and andrelationshadows,andbuildson the first threeskills (edges,spaces, ships).You will seethe edgesof the shapesof lights and shadowsas either negativeshapesor positiveforms,andyou will seethe shapesof lights andshadowsin relationshipto eachother andto the wholeof the drawing. Lights andshadowsareusuallynot perceivedat a consciouslevelin ordinary life. We seelights and shadowssubconsciously; they tell us the shapesof things,but we aregenerallynot awareof this mentalprocess. In drawing however,we needto seelights and shadowsat a conscious level.They arevery beautiful,andseeinganddrawingthem is extraordinarily satisfying.SeeFigure 3o-r. In traditionalart instruction,there arefour aspectsof light and shadow.Together,thesearecalledthe logic of light, or, in short,light logic.Theseaspectsare:highlight,castshadow,reflectedlight, andcrest shadow.SeeFigures3o-r)3o-2, and3o-3. Highlights arethe lightestlightsin a picture. Castshadowsarethe darkestdarksin a picture. Reflectedlights arenot aslight ashighlights. Crestshadowsarenot asdark ascastshadows.
DrawinganEggLighted from Above
Charcoalpencilanderaser PicturePlane/Viewfinder Felt-tipmarker White-shelledeggor eggs,in an egg carton Pieceof whitepaper,9"x 12" Lampor spotlight Time needed: About z5minutes
gles
Note;Thelightestlight you canachieveis the white of the paper.The darkestdark you can achieveis the darkestmark your pencil or charcoal will make. In this exercise,you will be drawingan eggoEif you prefer,several eggs.Becausethe useof light logic appliesespeciallyto roundedforms, an egglighted from aboveeffectivelydemonstrates the four characteristics of lights and shadows. Instructions:
Figure 3o-r.Drawing by student Elizabeth Arnold.
to6
r. T\rrn to pagero8of the workbook,with the printed format.Look at the accompanyingdrawingof an egg,pointing out the four areas-highlight, castshadow;reflectedlight, and crestshadow.Light rays,bouncing offthe flat surfacethe eggsitson andsoftly lighting the undersideof the egg,createareasof reflectedlight. Light raysbypassingthe eggresultin crestshadowson the outermostcrestof the egg'scurvedform. EXERCISE 30
DRA\ryrNG AN EGG LTGHTED FROM ABOVE
Figure 3o-2.
1.\
t
'7 r* !t
z. Usingyour charcoal,tone the paperwithin the format to a palegray. Rub it to a smoothtone.Lightly draw crosshairsin the formatusingyour charcoalpencil. j. Arrangea still life with an eggor severaleggson a pieceof white paper. Usethe lamp or spotlightto illuminate rhe still life from aboveand slightly to one sidein order to producecastshadows,meaningthe shadowsproducedwhen objectsblock light rays. 4. Usingthe PicrurePlane/Viewfinder,chooseyour compositionandthen choosea BasicUnit; I suggestthe width or lengthof one egg. y. Useyour charcoalpencil to transferyour BasicUnit to the format. 6. Now draw the main edges,spaces, andrelationshipsof the eggsandthe shadowsthey cast.The negativespacesaroundthe eggsandcastshadows will help you to seethe shapesaccurarely.
I Figure 3o-3.The two drawings above demonstrate how lights and shadows change when the light source is moved. Where is the light coming from in Figure 3o-zl In Figure 3o-3? In Figure 3o-4?
7. Squint your eyesand searchthe still life for the lightesilightsand the darkestdarks. Erasethe highlightson the eggsanddarkenthe castshadowswith your charcoalpencil. 8. Carefullyobservethe crestshadowsandthe reflectedlights on rhe eggs. SeeFigure 3o-r.Usingyour eraserand charcoalpencil,slightly lighten the reflectedlights andslightly darkenthe crestshadowsto approximate the valuesyou seein thoseareasof the eggs. signand dateyour drawing. 9. Carefullyerasethe crosshairs; Post-exerciseremarkr More than anything,I believe,studentswanrto know how ro "shade" their drawingsso that formslook three-dimensional. The abiliry ro see subtledifferencesin values(the lightnessor darknessof one areacomparedto another)is one of the key requirementsfor achievingthis goal. The four aspectsof light that you havelearnedin this lessonwill help you to seethosedifferencesby knowingwhat to look for andthen bringing them to your consciousawareness. Onceyou canseethe four aspects of light, you candraw them.
Figure 3o-4.
EXERCTSE30
DRAWING AN EGG LIGHTED FROM ABOVE
r07
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lEI i I
E E;I tt-
EXERCISE 3I
Part lV The Perception of Lights and Shadows
CharlieChaplinin Light and Shadow
hi
g fr
= b
= fh
=! h
= h
= b
i-
Materials:
Purposeof tbe exercise:
Charcoal,naturalor syntheric
In the exerciseson edges,spaces, and relationships, you wereencouraged to seeanddraw fine detailsin order to increaseyour ability to discriminateslight changesin edges,shapes,angles,andproportions. With the fourth skill, the perceptionof lights andshadows, the focus shiftssomewhat. The visualsystemof the humanbrain canvisualize-that is,seein the mind'seye-missing informationfrom incompletecues.In drawing this meansthat if you giveyour viewerjust enoughcluesaboutthe subject of a drawing,the viewer canenztision the missingparts,andviewers of drawingsseemto greatlyenjoythe envisioningprocess. The photographof Charlie Chaplin you will be copyingin this exerciseis a good exampleof allowingshadowsto obscuredetails,thus requiringthe viewer to fill in the missingparts. Norr.'Because of the harshlight usedin the Hartsookphotoof Chaplin,reflectedlights and crestshadows(which you drew in the previousexercise)areobscured.
Charcoalpencilanderaser h
;l
PicturePlane/Viewfinder
h
=
Time needed:
h
-l
30to 40 minutes
b
.t h
=l E
=l L-r
-h.
-b
: bi
-
Instructions: b
-I.
T\rrn to pagerrrof the workbook,with the printed format.
2.
Tone your format to a fairly dark shadewith charcoal,rubbingto smooth the tone.The naturalcharcoalis soft and easyto usefor settinga ground, but it smearseasily.Syntheticcharcoalmakesa darkertone andis less subjectto smearing,but it doesnot eraseaseasilyasthe naturalcharcoal Try both on somescratchpaperand choosethe one you like best.
b
-h
EI h
EI
l
b
ET i
Usingyour charcoalpencil,lightly draw crosshairs both within your format and on the reproductionof the Chaplin photo.
r
-r hr
=l -
Choosea BasicUnit andtransferit to your drawingusingthe charcoal pencil.The width of the crown of the hat would makea goodBasicUnit.
>.
E= i
5. Usingthe crosshairsandyour BasicUnit to guideyou,copythe main edgesof the portrait,payingcloseattentionto the shapesof the negative spacesaroundthe figureaswell asthe interior negativeshapes.
b ?
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Charlie Chaplin. Photograph by Hartsook. International Portrait Gallery.
EXERCISE 3I
CHARLIE CHAPLIN IN LIGHT AND SHADO\ry
ro9
With your erase!beginto eraseout rhe lightedshapes,leavingthe shadowshapesin the dark tone of the ground.It may help to rurn the drawingupsidedown for part of your drawingtime. 7. Notice how little detail is requiredin the fearures.Draw only what you see.Chaplin'sright eye,for example,is almostentirely portrayedby the largedark shapearoundthe eyeandthe tiny shapeof the white of the eye. Regardlines asnarrowshadowshapes: seethe edgesof the vestandthe shadowsaroundthe mouth. 9. Useyour charcoalpencil to finishthe drawing but be carefulnot to overdraw the image.Do not addwhat is not there. IO.
When you arefinished,erasethe crosshairs. Signanddateyour drawing adding "Charlie Chaplin,aftera photo by Hartsook." Post - exercise remarks: In light/shadowdrawing,the lighted shapesandthe shadowedshapescan be thoughtof aspositiveandnegative spaces: if you draw (or erase) one,you havesimultaneouslydrawn the other.If there seemsto be an error somewherein your drawing comparefirst the lighted shapesand then the shadowedshapesin your drawingof Chaplin with thosein the originalphotograph.If one or the other doesnot matchthe shapesyou seein the photograph,makethe necessaryadjustments. One of the secretsto successful light/shadowdrawingis to allow your viewerto envisionwhatis left out. As mentioned,this givesthe viewer greatpleasure,and the viewer is gratefulfor beingallowedto "see into" the drawing.Don't giveaway the gameby addingtoo much detail.
EXERCISE 3I
CHARLIE CHAPLIN IN LIGHT AND SHADOW
I
$ b, I
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q.ffiffie&Edeffi#ffieiwP:w::asr444'
EXERCISE3I
CHARLIE CHAPLIN IN LIGHT AND SHADOW
Part lV The Perception of Lights and Shadows
EXERCISE )'' 1: J
Materials:
Purposeof tbe ercerctte:
#z and #4n pencils,sharpener,and eraser
In Exercisez6,yottlearnedto draw the proportionsof the headin profile.The next challengeis to draw a portrait in full-faceview,incorporatingthe fourth skill, the perceptionof lights andshadows. This exercisein learningthe generalproportionsof the humanheadin fullfaceview is helpful in portrait drawing,becausetheseproportionsseem to be difficult to seewithout training.The mostfrequenterror is enlarging the featuresrelativeto the wholeshapeof the head.It is well worth takingthe time to memorizeandthen practiceseeingthe correctproportionsin order to avoidpersistenterrorsin drawingfaces.
Proportionsof the Head in Full-FaceView
Time needed: About ry minutes
Instructions: I.
Turn to pagesu4 and rryin the workbook,which showthe full-face diagramandthe blank diagramsideby side. Working carefully and memorizing asyou go,draw in the proportions of the featuresin the blank diagram.Go backoverthe diagramsat leasr onceto help you rememberthe main points,especiallythese: a. Eye level to chin equalseyelevelto the top of the head. (Note that the thicknessof the hair is addedto the upper proportion.) b. The spacebetweenthe eyesequalsthe width of one eye. Checktheseproportionson your own faceby lookingin a mirror.Use your pencil to measurethe key proportions.If possible,find someone who is willing to be a measurementmodelfor you andcheckthe proportions again,measuringdirectly on the model'sheadwith your pencil. You canalsousefull-facephotographsasmeasurement models.
EXERCTSE 32
PROPORTTONS OF THE HEAD IN FULL-FACE VIEW
Pre-instruction drawing by Howard Rhodes, Septemberr, r984.
l,,lFqFf.**llf sf * €frl" :,'?iiF'K{i**ffi*$&s ' ,llwreh*eq 1*j- ?$*4
Post-instruction drawing by Howard Rhodes, December ro, 1984.
EXERCISEJ2
PROPORTIONS OF THE HEAD IN FULL-FACE VIEW
II3
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GENERAL PRopoRrroNs oFmE Hm
JrH
usEAsA Gr,rrDE ro pRopoRrroNs
SPACEBETWEENTI{E EYES = ONE EYE
EYELEVEL
wrDrHoFyr \
(
CORNERSOFMOUTH
t
WIDTHOFNECK
EYE TO TI{E CHIN = ErrETO TTG TOp OF THE SKIJLL
t
t
rr4
EXERCISE
J2
PROPoRTIONS
OF THE HEAD rN FULL-FaCE
vIEw
EXERCTSEl2
pRopoRTIoNS
OF THE HEAD IN FULL-FACMEW
u5
EXERCISE 33
Part lV The Perception of Lights and Shadows
CnpyingaFull-F'ace Portrait
Materials:
Purposeof the exercise:
Charcoalandpapertowel,for toning a ground
In this exercise,you will be usingcharcoalto copy a full-faceselfportrait by Picasso,alsodrawnin charcoal.You will gainpracticenot only in drawingthe proportionsof the head,but alsoin usingcharcoal to createa rangeof dark and light values. Portrait drawingrequiresprecisediscriminationsin termsof edges, spaces, relationships,and lights andshadows.Beforeyou startyour drawing comparethe generalizedproportionsof the headasshownin the Exercise3zdiagramwith the proportionsof Picasso's head.You will find minute variations.For example,Picassodrew his left eyeslightly lower than his right eye.The mouth is slightly wider on the right sideof his facethan on the left. His right earis slightly higher than his left ear. By makingthesevery fine visualdiscriminationsand drawingyour perceptionsjust asyou seethem,you will capturePicasso's likeness.
Charcoalpencil and eraser PicturePlane/Viewfinder Time needed: About3ominutes
Instructions: I.
Ttrrn to pageu8 in the workbook,the reproductionof Picasso's SeF Portrait,Barcelona, r899-r9oo. On pagerr9is a format with approximately the sameproportionsasthe original. Tone your paperlightly with charcoal,rubbingit to a smoothtone with the papertowel.Lightly draw crosshairswith charcoalpencil and,if you wish,draw crosshairson the reproductiondrawing.If you prefer,you canlay your PicturePlane/Viewfinderdirectly on top of the reproduction to providethe crosshairs.
l. Choosea BasicUnit eyelevelto chin,the lengthof the nose,the distancefrom the outsidecornerof one eyeto the outsidecornerof the other eye,or any BasicUnit you prefer.tansfer your BasicUnit to your tonedground,usingthe crosshairsto guidethe placement. Usingthe crosshairsto guideyou,beginto draw the headon your toned paperwith your charcoalpencil.You may startwith the featuresor the largeshapeof the head.
t, Checkall the proportionsasyou draw.Youwill find that thoughthey closelyconformto the full-facediagramproportions,there areslight differences. Paycloseattentionto thosedifferencesanddraw them just as you seethem. n6
EXERCTSE 33
COPYTNG A FULL-FACD PORTRATT
6. Use the shapesof the negativespacesaroundthe head-for example,the dark shapeon the left side of the reproduction,which will definefor you the shapeof the jaw,ear,and hait Use your charcoalstick to darkenin thosenegativespaces.
7. Try using the whites of the eyesasinterior negativeshapes,rather than drawing the irisesof the eyes.This will help you to placethe irises correctly. 8. Once you havesketchedin the main features,begin erasingout lighted areasand darkeningshadowedareas.Squint your eyesto seethe lightest lights (the highlights) on the nose,the temple, and the shirt. Draw the castshadowsbesidethe nose,under the brow,the cheekbone, the upper lip, and the chin. Softly erasethe reflectedlight on the rightiaw and darkenthe crestshadowson the right cheekboneand jaw.Be surenot to add more detail than you seein the drawing. 9. When your drawing is finished,carefully erasethe crosshairs.Sign and datethe.drawing,noting that it is "After Picasso."Sincecharcoaldrawings smeareasily,you may want to sprayyour drawing with charcoal fixative,but be awarethat the fixativewill slightly changethe appearance of the charcoal. Po$- exercise retnark s: This exercisehasprovided practicein four of the basicperceptual skills-seeing and drawing edges,spaces,relationships,and lights and shadows-as well aspracticein seeingand drawing the headin correct proportion andin usingcharcoalasa drawingmedium. The Charlie Chaplin drawingwasin two valuesonly: blackand white. The Picassodrawing hasa wider rangeof values-very light, light, medium, and dark-and thereforehasgiven you an opportunity to seeand draw the four aspectsof light logic highlights,castshadows, reflectedlights,andcrestshadows. All of this is helpful preparationfor the next challenge,drawing your self*portrait.
EXERCTSEJ3
COPYTNG A FULL-FACE PORTRATT
T17
Pablo Picasso (r88r-r91), Self-Portra't,Barcelona, r895r9oo. Charcoal on paper, zz.5x16.5 cm.. Picasso Museum, Barcelona. @zoozEstate of Pablo Picasso/Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York. II8
EXERCTSE 33
COPYING A FULL-FACE PORTRAIT I
-id
EXERCISE 11
COPYING A FULL-FACE PORTRAIT
II9
Part lV The Perception of Lights and Shadows
EXERCISE 34
Materials:
Purposeof tbe exercise:
Mirror
Self-portraitsareoften describedasone of the mostdifficult tasksin drawing but they are actually neither different from nor more difficult than other kindsof drawing.All drawingsrequirethe samebasiccomponent skillsthat you havebeenstudying:seeingedges,spaces, relationships,andlights andshadows. I believethe real problemis that eachof us hasa stronglyembedded,memorizedsetof symbolsfor the human face,developedduring childhood.Settingthis symbolsystemasideis the difficult part.Moreover,we havebeliefsaboutour own appearance (both positiveandnegative),aswell asmemoriesof how we appeared in the past,andthesecanaffectour perceptions. As always,the solution is to draw just what you see,always checkingrelationshipsagainstone another.A reminder:in drawing your self-portrait, rememberto include seeingand drawing negative spacesin order to strengthenyour compositionandthe unity of spaces andshapes.
#z and#4n pencils,sharpener, eraser Felt-tip marker Dampenedtissuefor corrections Graphitestick andpaperrowel, for setting a ground Note:Yotwill needa floor lamp or clip-on light to illuminate one side of your head. Time needed: r to z hours
DrawingYour Self-Portrait in Light and Shadow
Remember, drawing is not photography. Self-portraits drawn by the same artist vary greatly one from another as shown in these drawings by instructor Brian Bomeisler. While still portraying a likeness, the setting and mood change.
EXERCTSE34
DRAWTNG YOUR SILF-PORTRATT IN LIGHT AND SHADOW
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e6 Above: Self-portrait before instruction, by Rebecca Feldman, age r4,June u,rggg. Right: Self-portrait after instruction, Jlune25,1999.
Above: Self-portrait before instruction, by Patrick O'Donnell,June il, 1999. Right Self-portrait after instruction, June 25,1999.
EXERCISX 14
DRAWING YOUR SELF.PORTRAIT
IN LIGHT AND SHADOW
Above: Pre-instruction drawing by Tony Schwart z, July n, ry89. Right Self-portrait after instruction, July 16,1989.
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Before and after self-portraits by a student in a five-day workshop.
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EXERCTSE34
DRAWTNG YOUR SELF-PORTRATT rN LrcHT
AND SHADOW
Instructions: r. Turn to pageDSof the workbook,with the printed format.Using graphiteand a papertowel,seta groundwith a medium-darktone. Lightly draw a setof crosshairswithin the format with your #z penEil. z. Sit in front of the mirror. Reachforward,andwith the felt-tip marker' and a ruler, draw a format edgeon the mirroq about6" x8Yr".Now,draw crosshairson the mirror within the format.When you aredrawinga self-portrait,the mirror becomesthe picture plane.The mirror {lattens your image.SeeFigure 34-r. Figure34-r.
3. Gazeat your reflectionin the mirroq trying variousposirionsof your headto composethe drawing.Choosea BasicUnit-perhaps two marks that designateeyelevel andthe bottom of your chin.SeeFigure 34-2. 4. Using yo:ur#z pencil,transferthe marksof your BasicUnit ro your format.This will ensurethat the drawingof your headwill be correctly sizedwithin the format,neithertoo largenor too small.Then, lightly sketchin the main edgesandspacesof your headandface.It is not necessary to draw in everydetail of your features:sometimesthe parts you leavefor the viewerto envisionrurn out to be the bestpartsof a drawing. t. Now, look for the shapesof lights andshadowsin your image.Work mainly with the eraserto start,erasingout the largelighted shapes. For example,you might eraseout the negativespacesaroundyour head; alternatively,you might darkenthe negativespaces, asPicassodid in his self-portrait.Establishingthe shapeof the headhelpsyou ro envisionthe features. 6. squint your eyesandlook at your imagein the mirror to find the lightest lights,the highlights,andthe darkestdarks(which areoftenthe cast shadows). Erasethe highlightsanddarkenthe castshadowswith your #4n pencil.SeeFigure 34-3. 7. Squintyour eyesagainto find any areasof reflectedlight-for example, light reflectedunder the jaw or chin from a light-coloredshirt or blouse. Softly erasethe areasof reflectedlight. 8. Squintyour eyesagainto find any areasof crestshadows,oftenfound on the nose,the cheekbone, the jaw,or the chin.Carefullydarkenthe crest shadows. 9. Usethe whitesof your eyesasinterior negativespacesto correctlylocate your irises.You will probablyfind that the whitesof your eyesarenor as light ashighlights.carefully eraserhe whitesanddarkenthe irises,comparingthesetonesto your lightestanddarkestvaluesbeforedrawing them. ro. Find and eraseany highlightsyou seeon your hair.This will help to establishthe characterandshapeof the hair. rr. In continuingto draw the features,leavesomedetailsfor the viewerto envision,especiallyin the shadowedareas.SeeFigure 34-4. rz. When the drawingis finished,signand dateit.
Figure34-4. EXERCTSE34
DRAWTNG YOUR SELF-PORTRATT rN LrcHT
AND SHADOW
I2J
Post-exerciseremarhs: You will find it interestingto comparethis drawingto rhe pre-instruction self-portraityou drew in Exerciser. I feel surethat you will be pleasedat the comparison.In the past,I havehad studentswho literally did not recognizetheir pre-instructionself-portraitsastheir own work, becausetheir skillshad advancedso much farther. As you comparethe two drawings,think about what you have learnedsincethe first drawing andhow that learningis evidencedin your new self-portrait.Often,studentsfind that the first drawing includesmemorizedsymbolsfrom childhood,which areoftenparticularly evidentin the eyes,the nose,andthe ears,aswell asin the enlargement of the featuresrelativeto the full head.It might be interestingfor you to measurethe relationshjp "Eye level to chin equalseyelevel to the top of the head"in both of your self-portraits. A secondcharacteristicI haveofrenseenin the pre-instructionselfportraitsis a kind of blandnessor blanknessin expression. In conrrasr, the post-instructionself-portraitsareoftenintense-sometimesvery intenseandserious-and alwaysfull of life. In judging your drawing and hoping for an exactlikeness,be aware that self-portraitdrau:ingisnotpbotograpltjt.The next self-portrait you draw may showanotheraspectof your appearance, andthe next yet another. If you look at a seriesof self-portraitsby the sameartist-for example, Rembrandtor van Gogh-they look remarkablydifferent from one another.In eachself-portrait, you recognizethe person,but you seean imagepainted or drawn with a different mood and from a different point of view
12+
EXERCTSE 34
DRAWING YOUR SELF-PORTRAIT IN LIGHT AND SHADOW
EXERCTSE J4
DRAWTNG yOUR SELF-PORTRATT rN LrcHT
AND SHADOW
125
PartY The Perception of the Gestalt
A Definition a.ndEtcplana.tionof "The perceptionof the Gestalt The word gestaltliterally means"shape,"but it hasevolvedto signi$r a setof elements,thoughts,or perceptionsthat,when takenall together, amountto more than the sum of the parts.The perceptionof the gestalt is the fifth componenrskill in drawing.The imageis seento be more than the sum of the materialsfrom which it is made,the subjectit portrays, andthe other componeit perceptionsof edges,spaces, relationships, andlights andshadows. The image,takenall together,hasa meaningand a purposeof its own:to porrraythe inherentcharacrerof the subject, whetherthe drawingis a self-portraitor a depictionof a singleflower, an egg,or one'sown hand.In the languageof zen,the ancientBuddhist philosophy,the gestaltrepresentsthe "thingnessof the thing" its essential nature. In this workbook,I havetaughtyou the first four drawingskillsedges,spaces, relationships,andlight/shadow-by direct,specific instructions.The fifth skill, however,the perceptionof the gestalt,cannot be taughtdirectly.I canname,describe,and point it out to you, but it
Ellsworth Kelly Qgz1. ; American). Apples, 1949.Pencil,ry%xzz%inches.Museum of Modern Art, New York (gift of John S. Newberry by exchange).
is an experiencethat will needto simply happenasa resultof your slowing down and perceivingsomethingwith the focusedattenrion required for drawing.I feel surethat you haveexperiencedthe gestaltalready, perhapswhen you drew the flower andsuddenlyperceivedhow exrraordinarily complicatedandbeautifulthe flowerseemed,or whenyou drew the profile portrait and weresurprisedat how suddenlybeautiful the personyou drew seemed. I believethe perceptionof the gestaltcanbe equatedwith the "aestheticresponse," which is a term from the branchof philosophy calledaesthetics, the srudyof beauty.The aestheticresponse occursat that momentwhen you suddenlyseethe beautyof something whetheran idea,an elegant solutionto a problem,or something
Shokei (r628-r7ry),Mia Riting. Signed "Hokkyo Shokei, aged 86." KanoSchool. Landscapein ink on paper, z9o x t3o mm. Bigelow Collecrion, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
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familiar seenin a new way.The perceptionof the gestaltis one of the greatpleasuresof drawing.An artist who hasexperiencedit oncehopesto havethe experienceagain.The perceptionof the gestaltcanthus keepyou drawingforever. In this sectionof the workbook,I will presenta varietyof new exercises,subjectsfor drawing,media,andtechniques.I hopethat you will experiencethe aestheticresponse, the perceptionof the gestalt,in every drawingyou do from this point forward.
THE PERCEPTION OF THE GESTALT
PartV The Perception of the Gestalt
EXERCISE
Materialr
Purposeof tbe exercise:
Drawingink, suchasIndia ink or brownink madefor writing pens
Insteadof charcoalor pencil,in this exercise,I'd like you to try usingink andbrush.This mediumis a bit dauntingat first,becauseyou cannor eraseto correctmistakes.In this drawing however,you will lightly sketchthe imagefirst andthen addwater-thinnedink with a brush.This is a usefultechniquefor makingquick sketches. In this exercise,you will be copyingan ink-and-brushself-portrait by Picasso.I havechosenthis drawingnot only becauseit beautifully demonstrates ink andbrushtechnique,but alsobecauseit reinforcesthe lessonyou learnedwith the fourth skill, lights andshadows,rhara surprisingamountof detail canbe left for the viewerto envision.
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UsingInk andBrush
#z pencil,sharpener,and eraser #7 or #8 warercolorbrush Sauceror platefor mixing the ink with water Jarof waterandsomepapertowels or cleanrags Time needed:
Instructions:
Aboutzo minutes I.
Turn to pager29of the workbook,with an approximatelysquareformat for use with Self-Portrait,Barcelona, rgooby Picasso, on pagerz8.
z. You may wantto turn the drawingupsidedown to betterseethe large
shadowshapeon Picasso's headandface.That shapedefinesthe features. Then, turn the drawingright sideup andsketchthe main edgesandnegativespacesdirectly onrothe paper.For this drawing,imaginethe crosshairsandchoosea BasicUnit without literally goingthrough all the stepsof the process. )) ' Mark your BasicUnit within the format.Beginto draw the edgesof the
largeshapesof lights andshadows, sizingthem in proportionto your BasicUnit. Do notaddmoredetailthanJnuseein tlteoriginal.For example, half of the lower lip is left undefined.Draw the shapesof the shadowsin that areajust asyou seethem. Make sureyour eye-levelproportionis correct.Remember,eyelevelto chin equalseyelevelto the top of the head.Becausethe hair is thick, you must adda bit more to the upper proporrion.
t. Onceyour sketchis complete,dip your brushin ink, then in warerto thin the ink, andbeginto paint the outlinesof the head,the shouldeqand shirt.Notice that the brushcontinuesaroundthe edseof the formatto framethe head. Brush and ink drawing by student Brenda Sanders.
EXERCISE 1f
USING INK AND BRUSH
r27
6. Dip the brushin ink againandpaint the largeshadowshape,which
shapesthe eyebrow,nose,mouth, and chin. 7. carefully makethe smallshadowshapeson the lighted sideof the head that completethe features. When your drawingis finished,signand dateit, adding"After picasso." Post- exerciseremarks: This drawingwill surelyillustratefor you the powerof light/shadow drawing.Can'ryou envisionthe eye,nose,andmouth in the shadowed sideof Picasso's head,eventhoughthereis nothing therebut a fearurelessshadow? Envisioningthe missingfeatureswill help to triggerthe perceptionof the gestalt.
Pablo Picasso (r88r-r97) Self-Portra' t Barcelona, r9oo.Pen, ink, and watercolor on paper, 9.5 x g.6 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Raymond paul donation, in memory of his brother, C. Michael Paul, 1982.@zoozEstate of Pablo Picasso/Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York.
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usrNc rNK aND BRUSH
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E X E R C I S EJ '
USING INK AND BRUSH
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PartV The Perception of the Gestalt
EXERCISE 36
Materials:
Purposeof the exercise:
#z pencil
rural landscapeavailable,in Sincefew of us havean easilyaccessible more familiar to many of us, a scene this exerciseyou will be drawing This may seeman unlikely subiectfor a drawing anurban landscape. becausesuchscenesareso familiar we barelytakenoticeof them.The andanysubiect, purposeof this exerciseis to demonstratethat anj)scene of subject can be the when lovingly viewedand carefullydrawn, a beautifuldrawing.In this drawing you will concentrateon edges, relationships,andperceivingthe gestaltof a perhaps negativespaces, unlikely subject.
An UrbanLandscape Drawittg
Free-flowing,fine-tipped,black-ink writing pen,suchasthe Sanford Uniball Micro pen PicturePlane/Viewfinder Felt-tip marker Tineneeded: 30to 4t minutes
r30
nxnncrsr 36
AN URBANLANDScAPEDRAwING
Instrurtions: I.
Turn to pager3z,with the printed format.
z. By automobileor on foot, exploreyour neighborhoodor town to locate
what you might describeasa truly ugly corner,full of signboards, stoplights,andstorefronts. Parkyour car (or setup a folding chair if you areon foot) nearthe truly ugly corneqandprepareto draw while sitting in your car or on your folding chair. Useyour PicturePlane/Viewfinderto framethe view Choosea composition.
t. Choosea BasicUnit. Draw it on the plasticplanewith the felt-tip marker. 6. Transferthe BasicUnit to the paperusing your #z pencil. 7. Sketchthe main edges.You may usepencil,or you may startdrawing directly with the pen if you wish. Usingline only,beginto draw the sceneboundedby your Viewfinder,at first focusingmainly on the negativespaces. If you havesignboards in your scene,draw the lettersby drawingthe negativespacesaroundthe letters.This will unify the letterformsinto the composition(if you drew the lettersthemselves, they would "pop out" of the composition). 9 . Work from spacesto adjacentshapes,andfrom shapesto adjacentspaces. Useyour pencil to sightanglesrelativeto verticalandhorizonral,and proportionsrelativeto your BasicUnit. Fit the partstogetherasthough the scenewere a complex,fascinatingpuzzle. When you havefinisheddrawingall the edgesof the shapesandspaces, you may wantto useyour pen or pencil to darkenin someof the shapes or spaces. Alternatively,you may wish to keepthe drawingasa pure line drawing. II.
When you havefinished,signand dateyour drawing.You may wish to add a title- UrbanLandscape, Ao Ugb Corner,Fifih andBroadway. Post - exerci se remarhs: In this drawing,your subject-the urbanlandscap*was probablymade up of mostlystraightlinesand angles,but the samedrawingtechnique canbe readily appliedto other kindsof landscapes aswell.Negative spaces, for example,areenormouslyhelpful in drawingtree trunks, branches,andthe spacesaroundclumpsof leaves. I hopethis drawingconvincesyou that subjectmatreris of very little importancein drawing.Anything-an old pair of shoes,a baseballcap, a towel hung overthe backof a chair,an unmadebed-can, when lovingly observed,producea beautifuldrawingandprovide a sense of the gestalt.
nxnncrsr 36
AN URBAN LANDscApE DRAWTNG
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EXERCISE J6
AN URBAN LANDSCAPE DRAWING
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PartV The Perception of the Gestalt
EXERCISE 37
Materials:
Parposeof the exercise:
#z and#4r pencils,sharpener,and eraser
Hatching and crosshatchingare techniquesof shadingwith rapid parallel lines that often intersect or cross.Almost every trained artist uses hatching or crossharchingto give the effectof shadowor texftre change. In addition,crosshatching allowsa lovely senseof light and air ro permeate a drawing.Each artisr over time developsa personalstyle of hatching or crosshatchingjust asyou willin time developyour own way of crosshatching.In the early stagesof learning to draw,crosshatchingseemsto require someinstruction, asindicated in the reproduction of a page from a r93osbook on drawing.
Hatchingand Crosshatchitrg
6:
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Penand ink, or a writing pen with a medium-finedp Charcoaland a charcoalpencil Contecrayon,blackor sanguine (reddishbrown) Time needed:
Instractions:
About zo minutes I.
T\rrn to pager3t of the workbook,printed with six small formats.
) within eachof the formats,practicemakinghatchesandcrosshatches as
in the examplesgiven in the early drawing manual: a. In Formatr, useyour #z writing pencil. b. In Formatz,useyour #4 drawingpencil. c. In Formatj, usepen andink or a writing pen. d. In Format4, usecharcoalor charcoalpencil,or both. e. In Format5, usecontecrayon. f, In Format 6,useyour favorite style of hatching using any of the abovemediums.
EXERCISE 37
HATCHTNG AND CROSSHATCHTNG
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It is through practicethat your own style of hatchingor crosshatching will develop.I suggestthat you practice this valuabletechniqueasa form of doodlingduring odd moments,suchaswhen talking on the phoneor sitting in meetings
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EXERCTSE37
HATCHTNG AND CROSSHATCHING
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EXERCISE 37
HATCHTNG AND CROSSHATCHTNG
r3t
PartV The Perception of the Gestalt
EXERC I SE
Materials:
Purposeof the exercise:
Conte crayon,sanguine(reddish brown)
In the previousexercises in this workbook,you haveuseda smoothtone to delineateshadows. In this exercise,you will be copyinga figuredrawing by AlphonseLegrosin which nearly all of the shadowsareformedb hatchedlines.As you cansee,asidefrom the linesdefiningthe edgesof the form, the drawingis formed almostentirely with hatchedlinesthat cross,not at right angles,but at very smallangles.Crossingat small anglesallowsthe artistto build up the hatches,creatingevendarker tonesby slightly changingthe anglewith eachoverlappingsetof hatches.You will draw your copy of Legros'sdrawing in conte crayonsothat you canexperiencethe natureof that medium.
38
A fipre Drawing in Crosshatch
Eraser Time needed: 30to 40 minutes
Instructions: I.
Tirrn to pager39in the workbook,with the printed format for usein copyingthe drawingSeaadMale,byAlphonseLegros,on pager38.Note that the original drawingwasin red chalk,a somewhatsoftermedium than contecrayon. For this drawing,you will practiceputting your skillson automaticby omitting the drawingof the crosshairs, usingimaginarycrosshairs instead.
Choosea BasicUnit-say, the bottom edgeof the negativespaceabove the thigh.Locatethe BasicUnit by eyewithin the blank format anddraw that edge.All proportionswill be drawnrelativeto that edge. Draw the outer edgeof the figure,usingnegativespacesandsightingall anglesandproportions.
t. Beginto hatchin the shadows,payingattentionto the overallshapeof eachshadowedarea.Notice that wherethe hatchescross,they crossat smallangles,not at right angles.Right-anglecrosshatches canbe very awkwardto work with, often producinga patchwork-likeeffect. Tirrn both drawingsupsidedown to comparethe largeshadowshapes andto seewherethe darkestareasfall. In thoseareas,build up layersof hatchesby hatchingbackoveryour first setsof hatches,changingthe angleslightly with eachnew set.
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nxrncrsr,38
A FrcuRE DRAwTNGrN cRossHATCH
when you havefinished,sign dnd date the drawing addingthe notation 'After Legros." Post-exercise remarks: crosshatchingcan seemlike a complicatedway to achievea shadow shape,but the effectis so beautiful that the techniqueis well worth learning. It may haveseemeddifficult at first to "fearherour" the hatchesin order to makea smoothtransition from a shadowedareato a lighted a,rea. This dependspartly on the amount of pressureyouapply with the pencil point. I recommendpracticing crosshatchingusing varying pressures and varying amountsof spacesbetweenthe hatchedlines. Hatching is the mark of the trained artist. Learning ro usethis technique will give your drawingsa professionallook that is unmistakable.
exrncrsn 38
A FrcuRE DRAwTNG rN cRossHATcH
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Alphonse Legros, red chalk on paper. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York.
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nxrncrsn 38
A FTGUREDRAWTNGIN CROSSHATCH
E X E R C I S E3 6
A FIGURE DRAWING rN CROSSHATCI.I
r39
PartV The Perception of the Gestalt
EXERCISE 39
Materials:
Parposeof tbe exercise:
Smallamountof ink, coffee,tea, or cola(preferablydiet cola,because it containsno sugarthat would make your drawingsticky)
Thus far,the exerciseshavebeenbasedmainly on somethingseenin the real world. This is a form of drawingcalled"realism."However,drawing neednot be confinedto portrayalsof real life. Drawing canalsodepict the world of the imagination.One of the problemswith imaginative drawing is finding a way to start.This exerciseis inspired by the writing of Leonardoda Vinci, who recommendedthat artistsstudythe stainson old wallsto sparktheir imaginationswith envisionedimaginativescenes andfigures.
An ImaginativeDrawing Basedon Leonardo da Vinci'sAdvice
Writing pen Four or five sheetsof newspaper Time needed: About 3ominutesof drying time and aboutr5minutesfor drawing
Instructions: r. Turn to page4z of your workbook,with the printed format.(Forthis drawing you will not needthe teachingandlearningaids,the Picture Plane/Viewfindeqthe BasicUnit, or the crosshairs.) z. Placesomesheetsof newspaperbeneathyour drawingPage.Carefully but deliberatelyspill someink thinned with water,or somecoffee,tea,or cola,within the format.Allow the liquid to run whereit will, andthenlet it dry for about3ominutes. 3. Studythe stainson the paper,trying to "see"imagestriggeredin your mind by the stains. 4. Usingthe writing pen,beginto reinforcethe envisionedimageswith to createthree-dimenline, perhapsaddinghatchesandcrosshatches sionalforms. y. Continuereinforcingimagesuntil you aresatisfiedthat the drawingis finished. 6. Title your drawing.This is an importantstepandshouldbe givensome thought.Then, signand dateyour drawing. Post- exerci se remarks: This is a good exerciseto repeatagainand againin order to nurrure your imagination.As you continueto draw imagesof the real world, your mind will becomestockedwith imagesof remembereddrawings.For example,canyou call up in your mind'seyethe imageof the floweryou drew in ExerciseIz,or the man readingthe Biblein Exercise19?These
t40
EXERCTSE39
AN IMAGINATIVE
DRAWING BASED ON LEONARDO DA VINCI'S
ADVICE
imageshaveremarkablelongevityand arereadilycalledup to guide your drawingwhen,for example,you wantto drav/a floweror a seated figurefrom your imagination. Completelyimaginarycrearuresand scenesevolvefrom amalgamations of rememberedimages.The processof drawingimaginarycreaturesitself helpsyou to envisionimages.For example,onceyou have drawnthe headof an imaginarycrearure,rhe nexrparr-the body-is generatedasan imaginedextensionof the head.You then draw on the paperthe imageyou seein your mind. The wholeprocessof imaginary drawingis strengthenedand enrichedby havinga largerepertoireof rememberedimagesfrom previousdrawings,just as,for a creativewriter, havinga largerepertoireof rememberedwritings helpswith imaginative writing.
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EXERCISE J9
AN IMAGINATIVE
DRAWING BASED oN LEoNARDo
DA vINcI,s
ADVICE
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EXERCISE 39
AN TMAGTNATTVE DRAWTNG BASED ON LEONARDO DA VrNCr'S ADVTCE
PartY The Perception of the Gestalt
EXERCTSE 40
A Four-by-Four Drawing Materials:
Parposeof the exerctse:
#z and#4npencils,sharpener,and eraser
The purposeof this final exerciseis to demonstratethat subiectsfor drawingsareinnumerableand canbe found everywhere,evenin the mostunexpectedplaces.In this exercise,you will be drawingfrom an ordinary,everydayobject,either human-madeor from the naturalworld. You will enlargea tiny area,Yr"x/r" , of this obiectto a 4" x 4" formatto producea drawingthat may be unrecognizableasthe original obiectbut that will presenta nev/,almostabstractimage.This drawingwill require all of the skillsyou havegained,from Pure contour drawingthrough andthe perceptionof the gestalt' light/shadowto crosshatching
A smallpieceof white paper, aboutz" x 2",with a square/r" x/t" format cut out. An objectof your choice(for example,a dried leaf,a pieceof jewelry, a pieceof popcorn,a shell,bark from a tree,a flower,a rock, a piece of weatheredwood)
Instructions:
Time needed:
r. T\rrn to pageI45in the workbook,with the printed 4" x 4" format.
Aboutr hour
z. Examinethe objectyou havechosen.Usethe paPefwith the smallcutout squafeasa smallversionof the PicturePlane/Viewfinderto choosea compositionthat you like. you can 3. Carefullytapethe paperformatto the obiectandplaceit where closelyview it. lightly 4. Imaginecrosshairson the objectand on the 4" x 4" format (or draw in the crosshairswithin the format if you wish)' 5. Sharpenyour pencil andbeginto draw iust whatyou seein the object, from the Yr"xYr" squareopeningto the enlargingyour observations +" x +" format. Be sure relationships,andlights/shadows. 6. Draw the main edges,spaces, in the shadowedareasof your drawing. to incorporatecrosshatching 7. At the laststageof the drawing work within the drawingitself to bring all partsto a point of finish,when you feel nothing needsto be addedto Try to usea rangeof values, the image.Make sureyou emphasizesPaces. from very light to very dark. g. Decideon a title. Titles andsignaturesbecomepart of a drawing. Carefullywrite or print the title belowthe lower left-handcornerand signthe drawingbelowthe right-handcorner.
EXERCTSE40
A FOUR-BY-FOUR DRAWING
r+3
Post- exerci se remarks: You haveiust completed an abstractdrawing.You haveabstracted,or drawnout, essentialqualitiesfrom an obiectof the naturalworld' This is the definitionof "abstract"art.These4" x +" drawingsarevery beautiful andstandon their own asreal drawings.Evenin drawinga smallpart of a very ordinary obfect,you may haveexperiencedthe perceptionof the gestaltduring the time you were drawing or after the drawing was finished.I hopethis inspiresyou to look for subiectsto draw in unlikely aswell aslikely places.
4+
EXERCISE 40
A FOUR-BY-FOUR DRAWING
EXERCISE40
A F O U R _ B Y _ F O U RD R A W I N G
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Some Suggestions for Further Study
In time, you will discard your Picture Plane/Viewfinder. Using your hand and pencil to form a viewfinder, you will imagine the crosshairs, choose a Basic Unit, estimate its size relatiae to tbeformat, mark it on your paper, and. . . iust start drawing.
46
To keepimprovingyour drawingskills,the importantthing is to continue to draw on a regularbasis.Ten minutesa day is sufficient'Carrying a sketchbookis very helpful:I recommenda smallsketchbookwith blank pagesthat will fit in a purse,a briefcase,or a pocket.You may chooseto usea pen,but if you preferworking with a pencil,you shouldalsocarry a small,hand-heldpencil sharpener. Time permitting a drawingclasswill inspireyou with new ideas, new subjectmatter,and a chanceto seethe drawingsof other people. If this workbookis your first experiencewith drawing,I recommenda focuson classin beginningdrawing.Most beginningdrawingclasses subjectmatter and a varietyof mediums,not on the very basicstrategies of perceptionthat you learnedin this workbook.Therefore,a beginning drawingclasswill probablynot be a repeatof theselessons. Somecommunitiesandschoolshold uninstructedlife-drawing classes, with no instructorbut with a variety of professionalmodelsto draw from. This is the bestpossiblepractice,andthe mostrewarding becausethe humanfigureis endlesslyfascinatingto draw. You may becomeinterestedin addingcolor to your list of mediums. of familiarity,sincethey aresimply Coloredpencilshavethe advantage anotherform of pencil andso arenot an entirely new mediumfor you. You may wish to try working with pastelpencils,a lovely mediumandan intermediatestepbetweendrawingandpainting.Pastelpencilsare than pastelchalksfor a beginnerin drawing somewhatmore accessible andthey arelessdusty,aswell. My final recommendationis to go to seedrawingsin museums andgalleries.You will learn a greatdealfrom seeinghow othershave handledparticularproblemsin drawing.In addition,find booksin the library or bookstoresthat showreproductionsof greatdrawings,andtry to find time to copysomeof thoseartworks.In timespast,that is how artistslearnedto draw:by copyingthe worksof greataftists.We arefortunatein our own time to havereproductionsso readily available. No one everfinisheslearningto draw,but that is one of the reasons why drawingcansustainyour interestthroughouta lifetime.
SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Portfolio andVideo Ordering
The Drawing on the Right Sideof the Brain Portfolio is a completedrawing course.
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Smalltemplate
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Large template ExtraJarge template FIRST NAME
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Picture Plane/Viewfi nder finder ion 6nder marker ite stick 4r pencil z pencil 4r
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ltem
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eraser SUB-TOTAL
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Io l14l02
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