The Artist Magazine

How to see like a pencil

Think of a camel. Yes, a camel. Don't ask why, just do it, and I shall explain as we go along. I bet you can vaguely see the head and the humps. Try to imagine what the lower back leg looks like or the shape where the front leg joins the body, hard eh?

Our senses only exist to inform the brain. Once the brain has had enough information to make a decision, it's satisfied and turns our attention elsewhere. Herein lies the problem as lay people primarily use their brain to draw, but the brain only sees the headlines and we need to read the whole article.

So, we agree that everyday ‘looking’ is different to ‘artists’ looking’. Even if the lay person looks really hard, they will not succeed, sadly, and this is because most folk look in the wrong way. They are looking at objects and details. We really need to

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