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,imaginativedrawing-
using 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 t

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 59
Exerciser8 Negative-SpaceDrawing of an Actual Chair 6z
Exercise19 Copying a Master Drawing: Man Readingtbe
Bibl,e, 66
by Vincentvan Gogh

,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 7S
Exercisez3 Sighting a Still Life of Bookson a Table 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-downdraw-
ing 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 use-
ful time, suchaswhile waitingin the dentist'sofficeor at the airport.As
you completethe exercises in thesepages,you will be creatinga perma-
nent,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 work-
book,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 skill-
calledthe "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 surpris-
ing: 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,feel-
ing 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 pro-
viding suitablesubjectsfor practicingeachskill, brief instructions,an
estimateof the time required(thoughthis will vary somewhataccording
to your naturalpacein drawing),andsuitabledrawingpaper,with ready-
 drawnformatsandguiding crosshairsin correctproportionsfor each
drawing.For mostof the exercises, I haveaddedpost-exercise remarks
that provide additionalinformation,suggestions, or helpful pointers.
I would guessthat the biggestdifficulty you will experiencein work-
ing 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 left-
hemisphere,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.
Onceyou actuallygetinto drawing,however,time passes seamlessly
andproductively. Therefore,I will recommend what has worked for me:
a versionof the so-called"two-minute miracle,"a techniquephysical
therapistsuseto enablepeopleto exerciseevenwhen they do not want
to. They aretaughtto sayto themselves, "I don't havetime to takea walk
right now,b:utl willwalk for just two minutes."Oncethey areactually
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,
Noteto tbe reader:
"I'm not really goingto draw,but I'll just sketchin someof the main
Youwill find moreinformationon
edgesin this drawing..." andsoon.Youwill soonfind yourselfwith a
therelationshipof drawingto the
completeddrawing-and unawarethattimehaspassed.
brainandcreativityin my book
I realizethat this may sound,well, stupid,but it doeswork.I have
TbeNewDrawingontheRiglttSide
completedentire projectsusingthis technique-a techniqueof (let's
of theBrain,whichis widely available
faceit) tricking the languagemodeof the brain into letting one do cre-
in bookstores andlibraries.For a
ativework. You may find this hard to believe,but the single most difficult
two-hourinstructionalvideo on the
problemfor art studentsand evenfor working artistsis gettingthe work
fivebasicskillsof drawingcovered
done.One is alwaysfightingthe delayingtacticsof the verbalsystem,
in this workbook,seethe video-
whosemantrais "Not now."At its mostextreme,the resultis writer's
orderinginstructionsin the back
block or artist'sblock;a milder versionis calledprocrastination.
pagesof the workbook. at everystep.
Thesedrawingexercisesaredesignedfor success
I know you will enjoythe process.

VIII
 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

Abstract drawing.A translation into
drawing of a real-life object or
experience.Usually implies the
isolation, emphasis,or exagger-
ation of some aspectof the real
world.
Awareness.Consciousness;the act
of "taking account" of an
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,imply-
ing 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.
Glossaryof Terms
Right brain hemisphere.
Composition.An ordered relation-
ship among the parts or
elementsof an artwork.In
drawing the arrangement of
forms and spaceswithin the
format.
Contour.In drawing a line that
representsthe shared edgesof
shapes,or shapesand spaces.
Crosshatching.A seriesof intersect-
ing 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.
{-*
*.
\
;
Left brain hemisphere.
Eye level.In portrait drawing the
horizontal proportional line
that divides the head approxi-
mately in half; the eye-level
line is located at this halfway
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
and interpreted or reinterpret-
ed by the brain.
lmagination.A recombination of
mental images from past expe-
riencesinto new patterns.
Intuition. Direct and apparently
unmediated knowledge; a judg-
ment, 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 activi-
ties 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 right-
handed 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 informa-
tion processingcharacterized
aslinear, verbal, analytic, and
losical.
Negative spaces.The areasaround Right hemisphere.The right half of
positive forms that, in drawing the cerebrum. For most right-
share edgeswith the forms. handed individuals, visual, spa-
Negative spacesare bounded tial, relational functions are
by the outer edgesof the for- located in the right hemisphere.
mat. "Interior" hegative spaces
R-mode.A state of information pro-
can be parts of positive forms.
cessingcharacterized assimul-
Pencilgrades.The grade number taneous,global,spatial,and
stamped on drawing pencils relational.
indicates the hardnessor
Sighting.In drawing measuring rela-
softnessof the graphite.
tive sizesby means of a con-
"g" indicates"hard;tt"B"
stant measure (the pencil held
(illogically) indicates "black"
at arm's length is the most usual
or "soft." "Hs" divides grades
measuring device); determin-
between hard and soft by a
ing the location of one part rel-
middle grade, thusly:8n (the
ative to another part. Also,
hardest),6u,4u,2H, HB,2r',4r,,
determining anglesrelative to
6r,8a (the softest).The #z yel-
vertical and horizontal.
low writing pencil is the equiv-
Symbolsystem.In drawing, a set of
alent of the sn or, more com-
symbols that are consistently
monly, the zn drawing pencil.
used to form an image-for
Picture plane.An imaginary rrans-
example, a face or figure. The
parent plane, like a framed win-
symbols are usually used in
dow, that alwaysremains paral-
sequence,one appearing to call
lel to the verrical plane of the
forth another, much in the
artist's face.The artist draws on
manner of writing familiar
paper what he or she sees
words. Symbol systemsin
beyond the plane asthough the
drawn forms are usually set in
view were flattened on the
childhood and often persist
plane. Invenrors of photogra-
throughout adulthood unless
phy used this concept to devel-
modified by learning new ways
op the first cameras.
to draw perceptions.
Realisticdrawing. The objective
Value.In art, the darknessor light-
depiction of objects,forms, and
nessof tones or colors. White is
figures attenrively perceived.
the lightest, or highest, valuel
Also called "naturalism."
black is the darkest,or lowesr,
Relationships.Inart, how the parts value.
of an artwork are organized
Viewfinden A device used by artists
and connected.Also commonly
to frame a view and provide
known asperspectiae andpropor-
bounding edgesto a composi-
tion:the relarionship of angles
tion; similar to the device on a
to vertical and horizontal
camefa that lets the user see
and the relationship of sizes
what is being photographed.
to each other.
The Exercises
 EXERCISE I

Pre-Instruction
Self-Portrait

Purposeoftbeexercise: .
'':::
mirror Pre-instruction drawingsprovide a valuablerecord of, your skills:in
drawing at the presentmoment, a record that will enableyou to apprec!-
tape
ateyour advancein skills at a later date.

sharpener Insttuctions: ,,

Look at page3 of the workbook,"Pre-Instruction Drawing #r, Self-

Portrait."
nceded: ., Placeachairinfrontofamirroronthewall.(IfneceSsarytapea
3ominutes,more if needed 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: EXERCISEI PRE-INSTRUCTIONSELF_PORTRAIT
Self-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,
il sharpener My Hand."
., Sit at a table with the workbook arrangedat a comfortableangle.
needed:
15minutes,more if needed )' 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: EXERCISE 2 PRE-INSTRUCTION DRAWING OF YOUR HAND
MvHand
Part I EXERCTSE
The Perception 3
of Edges

Pre-InstructionDrawing
of the Cornerof aRoom

Material,s: Instractions:
#z yellow writing pencil r. Look at page7 of the workbook,"Pre-Instruction Drawing#j,
Pencil sharpener A RoomCorner."
z. Look aroundthe room in which you are working and chooseone corner
Timeneede*
to draw.It can be a simple,empty corner,a corner with a few items,or a
About zo minutes,more if needed 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: EXERCISE 3 PRE-INSTRUCTTON DRAWING OF THE CORNER OF A ROOM
A Room Corner
 ExERcrsE J pRE-rNsrRUcrroN DRAWING oF THE coRNER oF A RooM
8
 Part I E X E R C I SE
The Perception
''of
Edges

Warm-up andFree
Drawing

fuIanials: Purposeof tbe exercirc:

&k-tip markeror #4ydrawing This exerciseis designedto give you a feel br the very personalexpres-
trnncil sivequaliry of pencil lines on paper.You will "try out" the line srylesof ,
Peneilsharpener masterartistsand then experimentwith your own marks,both fast and
slow.Your personalsryle will emergein the courseof using this work-
Eiteneeded book.It comesfrom your history your physiology,your personaliry your
dboutrominutes 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.

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 Matisse marks.
and ink, ro%x 8 inches. Collection, The
Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of
Edward Steichen.

Vincent van Gogh, Groaeof CXtpreses,figg. Van Gogh marks.

Drawing-reed pen and ink, z4%x fi% inches.
Gift of Robert Allerton. Courtesy of the Art
Institute of Chicago.

Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863), EtadesdeBras Delacroix marks.

et detames,ryor--o3.Pen and sepia ink on buff rl"
paper,2r7 x 3to mm. Worcester Sketch Fund
Income. Courtesy of the Art Institute of
Chicago. ,*sft$,*
f ,* --:a"$tlrlJll

Ben Shahn (1898-1969,

Russian-American), Dn Ben Shahn marks.
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. 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
1 Briants emphasizes form.

liq T2 EXERCISE 4 \ryARM-UP AND FREE DRAWING

Part I ExERCTsE5
The Perception
of Edges

The "VaselF'aces"
Drawirg

Materials: Purposeof tbe exercise:

#z yellow writing pencil and eraser This exerciseis designedto demonstratethe possibilityof conflict
Pencilsharpener betweenthe brain'slanguagemode,which I havetermed"L-mode," and
its visual-perceptualmode,or "R-mode."
Time needed: The "Vase/Faces" drawingis a visualillusion drawingthat canbe
seeneither astwo facingprofilesor asa symmetricalvasein the center.
About; minutes
You aregivenone half of the drawing andyour job will be to draw the
secondprofile-thus inadvertentlycompletingthe symmetricalvasein
the center.

fnsffuctions:

Tirrn to pagert in the workbook,"Vase/FacesDrawing for Right-

Handers,"or, if you areleft-handed,to page14,"Vase/FacesDrawing 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 strug-
gle to makethat shift is markedby a senseof conflict or confusion.

nvesr/recrs" DRAwING
t6 ExERcrsEt rHE

.--'*i
 Part I EXERCISE
The Perception 6
of Edges

Upside-DownDrawitrg

Materials: Purposeof tbe exercise:

Picasso'srgzodrawingof the com-
poserIgor Stravinsky,page18;oq
alternatively:
the drawingof the horsein fore-
shortened(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
z. Moving from line to adjacentline, spaceto adjacentspace,fit the parts
i t. Time permitting it is extremelyhelpful to do a secondand evena thild
il
:t
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.
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 eachupside-
down 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 R-
mode,which is specializedfor perceivinghow partsfit together.
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."
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 EXERCTSE
The Perception
of Edges
7

Pure Contour Drawing

Materials: Purposeof tbe exercise:

#z yellow writing pencil, sharpener, The aim of this.exercise,aswith the previous one,is ro causeyour
anderaser brain'slanguagemode to drop out asyou draw,this time by presentingit
Maskingtape with a taskthat seemsboring repetitive, and unnecessary. A secondpur-
poseis to introduce the first basicskill of drawing the skill of perceiving
Alarm clock or kitchen timer
edges.

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
!'i,
,v 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 indeci-
pherablelines.This exercise,however,is one of the mostimportanrin
the workbook.Many artistsdo a bit of Pure Contour drawing(some-
times 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 seeminglyeas-
ily bored,findsthe taskso tedious(andso "useless'intermsof produc-
ing 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
Materiab
#z yellowwriting pencil,sharpener,
anderaser
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
Time needed:
About5 minutes
JamesMontgomery Flag, I WantYou,r9r7,
3ox 4o inches. Poster by Walter Rawls.
Imperial War Museum, London, England.
E X E R C I S EB
DrawittgYour Hand on
the PlasdcPicturePlane
Purposeof the exercise:
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 per-
ceivedimage(like a photograph)in order to translatethe actualthree-
dimensionalsceneinto 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.
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 some-
what 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 com-
plicated,the better.Saveyour last
drawingfor the next exercise.
Figure 8-r.,.
Figure 8-2.
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:
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 plane-
in 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 learn-
ing to draw.I can now definedrawing for you: Drawingiscoplingusltatjtou
see,fanened onthepictureplane.
EXERCISD U DRAWING YOUR HAND ON THE PLASTIC PICTURE PLANE
31
r-
7
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
#4n graphitestick
Dry papertowel or tissue
Tirne needed:
t to ro minutes
"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.

Instructions:

I. 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.
2. 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 disap-
pears.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.

EXDRCISEg SETTTNG A GROUND

34
L@*

EXERCISE g SETTTNG A GROUND

3t
 Part I E X E R C I S EI o
The Perception

TransferringYour Hand
of Edges

Drawittgfrom Picture
Planeto Puper

Materials: Parposeof the exercise:

PicturePlane/Viewfinder,with the
drawingof your handin foreshort-
enedview from Exercise8
#z yellow writing pencil,sharpener,
anderaser
Time needed:
Joto 40 minutes
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."

Instructions: First Part of the Exercise

r. T\rrn backto pageIt of the workbook,with the printed format,the faint

crosshairs,andyour tonedgroundfrom Exercise9'
z. Setthe plasticPicturePlanewith the drawingof your handon it along-
sideyour 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
lightty sk"t.hi.rg in the main edgesandspaces.Note wherean edgeof
yoo, wri.t touchesthe e4geof the format.with your pencil,mark that
point on the paper.Follow the directionof the line on plastic.Ask your-
self;what is its angle?within the quadrant,wheredoesit changedirec-
tion?SeeFigureIo-2.

rhe sprce above rh€ 6ngernail

the space between fingers

( *1
,\
It
r \\
\,/-
.J

Figrrre ro-3. Figure Io-4.

Figure ro-2.

iL , 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 Post-exerciseremarks:

Dalgaard. 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 rhreeexerciseswill
providepracticebasedon rhe aboveinstructionsbut usingdifferentsub-
iect 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 EXERCISE II
The Perception
of Edges

DrawingYour Hand
HoldinganObiect

Materials: Purposeof tbe exercise:

#z writing and#4n drawingpencils, In this exercise,you will againdraw your hand.This time, however,your
sharpener, anderaser handwill be holding an object,thus addingcompositionalinterestand
providing a new challengewhile encouragingyou to practicethe skills
Felt-tipmarker
you havejust learned.
PicturePlane/Viewfinder
Instructions:
#4n graphitestick
Dry papertowel Turn to page42 in the workbook,with the pre-drawnformat andfaint
crosshairs.
An objectto hold: a pen or pencil,a
setof keys,a handkerchief,a small z. Useyour graphitestick andpapertowel to set a ground.You may wantto
toy,a glove,or anythingelsethat try a slightly lighter or slightly darkergroundthan the one you usedfor
appeals to you the lastexercise.
))' Uncapyour felt-tip markerso that it is readyto use.
Time needed:
,'l Hold the objectyou havechosenin your non-drawinghand andtry sev-
30to 40 minutes eral 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,hold-
ing the object,to its original position.

9. Again,closeone eyeto flattenthe imageandcarefullyredraweach

contouredge,adjustingandrefiningthe drawingasneeded.
IO. When the edgesaredrawn,look for the shapesof lighted areasandshad-
owedareasby squintingyour eyesto maskout fine detail.Erasethe light-
ed 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. Drawing by student Laurie Kuroyama.

trf :rt
':6'\::
,, *"rt ir!^,iA
l\!|-. .*rl

Drawing by student EtJrel Branham.

Drawing by student Diane Hahn.

EXDRCISE II DRAWING YOUR HAND HOLDING AN OBIECT

4o
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 composi-
tion, 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, This drawingwill showyou the beautyof simplepencil lineson
sharpeneqanderaser ungroundedpaper.You will be drawinga flowerwith its stemandleaves.
Flowers,of course,arethree-dimensional, andthe leavesare arranged
PicrurePlane/Viewfinder
in differentdirectionsaroundthe stem.How to portray this three-
Felt-tip marker dimensionalityoften mystifiesstudents.As you haveseenwith your hand
Freshflower(or a silk floweqif drawings,however,usingthe picture planeis the key to realistically
necessary),
with the stemand a few depictingthis beautifulform on paper.Paradoxically, you must first
leaves flattenthe form in order to depict its true volume asa three-dimensional
form existingin space.
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,becausejtoudreatthesbared
edges just
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 E X E R C I S E1 3
The Perception
of Edges

Drawitrgan Orange

Materials: Purposeof tbe etcerc$e:

This exercisegivesyou further practicein usingthe PicturePlaneto
#z writing and#4n drawingpencils,
anderaser draw a "difficult" view of an object.In this case,you will be drawinga
sharpener,
half-peeledorange,with the peelsmovingin three dimensions'
PicturePlane/Viewfinder
Felt-tip marker Instructions:

An orange,with the peel cut into r. Tirrn to page48 of the workbook.

triangularsectionsandpeeled
z. Using yot:ir#z pencil,lightly draw crosshairswithin the format,dividing
halfwayback(asin the example
the format into four equalquadrants.
drawing)
3. Setthe orangeon a pieceof white paper.Composeyour drawingby
Sheetof white papet about9" xrz"
holdingup the plasticPicturePlane/Viewfinderandmovingit backand
forth and up and down in front of your setupuntil the orange,framedby
Time needed:
the viewfinder,forms a compositionthat you like.
20to 30minutes
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.

EXERCISE rl DRAWING AN ORANGE

46
 Post - exercise remark s:
The lastfive exerciseshavefocusedon 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
 EXERCISE r3 DRAWING AN ORANGE
4B
Part ll E X E R C I S E1 4
The Perception
of Spaces

Drawirg LeavesUsing
N.gative Spaces

Materials: Purposeof tbe exercise:

#z and#4n pencils,sharpener,and This exercisebuildson your new ability to seeanddraw edgesby
eraser introducingyou to one of the mostimportantskillsin drawing:
seeingand drawingnegativespaces. Negativespacesareimportantfor
Felctip marker
three reasons:
PicturePlane/Viewfinder
r. Seeingnegativespacesmakesit easyto draw difficult views,especially
Stemof a plant,ro" to 12"tall, with foreshortenedviews.Negativespacesbuild on the conceptof edgesin
medium-sized leaves(seethe drawingassharededges:if you draw the negativespacesarounda fore-
drawingfor an example) shortenedform, you will haveinadvertentlyalsodrawnthe form, and
A sheetof 9" x rz" white paper you will find that it is drawncorrectly.
z. An emphasison negativespacesstrengthensandimprovesthe unity
Time needed: of your compositions.
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 incre-
ment of time may be the languagemodeobjecting "what areyou look-
ing at?I can'tnamethat.If you aregoingto gazeat nothing I'm drop-
ping 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.

EXERCISE 14 DRAWING LEAVES USING NEGATM

49 SPACES
49
\&sq .+@
{lr,
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'
8 . When you havedrawn all of the spaces,useyour pencil to fill them in so
that the negativespacesaredark andthe positiveforms (the stemand
leaves)areleft untouched.

9. Erasethe crosshairsif you wish;signand dateyour drawing.

Post-exercise remarks:
tI . .'lliq
7i: From the imageyou havejust created,I am sureyou canseethe power
l
:...{t of negative-space drawing.Drawingsthat emphasizenegativespaces
I
J
:l i::-ai
li;.
area pleasureto look at,perhapsbecausethe compositionsarestrong
(emphasison negativespacesalwaysimprovescomposition)and
the spacesandshapesareunifed,meaningthat equalattentionhasbeen
paid to both.

Drawing by the author.

wffi gl.l-"!.1

EXERCISE 14 DRAWING LEAVES USING NDGATIVE SPACES

to
EXERCISE 14 DRAWING LEAVES USING NEGATM SPACES
t1
Part ll
The Perception
of Spaces
Materials:
#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)
Sheetof white paper,9" x rz".
Time needed:
About 3ominutes
5z
EXERCISE I f
J
Drawitrgachair
in NegativeSpace
Purposeof the exercise:
One commonproblemin startinga drawingis decidinghowbigtomnketlte
frst shape.Ifyou draw the first shapetoo large,the subiectof your draw-
ing will go offthe page.If you draw the first shapetoo small,the subject
will sit in the centerof the pageandyou mustthen dealwith theunin-
tendedempty 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.
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
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:
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
Figure ry-2. 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 seemssat-
isfting andfascinating.To me,this is one of the delightful aspectsof
drawins.

Figurer5-3.

EXERCISE rt DRAWING A CHAIR IN NEGATM SPACE

t3
 EXERCISE rJ DRAWING A CHAIR IN NEGATM SPACE
,4
 SPACE
_-,
EXERCISE If DRAWING A CHAIR IN NEGATIVE
))
Part ll EXERCISE16
The Perception
of Spaces

Drawittg aHousehold
Obiect

Material,s: Purposeof tbe exercise:

#z and#4n pencils,sharpener,
anderaser
PicturePlane/Viewfinder
Felt-tip marker
A householdobject,suchasa
corkscrewbottle opener,eggbeateq
whisk,scissors,or any gadgetthat
appealsto you.
Time needed:
About zo minutes
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.
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.
4- Hold your Picture Plane/Viewfinder up in front of the object.
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.

{-1
H
i*t
lf

fi[
trq

y6 rxnncrsr r6 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 egg-
beater-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.

?! :{':':rl

Drawing by student Kenneth Mclaren.

rxnnclsr 16 DRAWING A HousEHoLD oBIEcr

t7
 EXERCISE 16 DRAWING A HOUSEHO!-D OBIECT
t8
Part ll E X E R C I S E1 7
The Perception
of Spaces

Negative-Space
Drawitgof aSports
Photograph

Materials: Purposeof tbe exercise:

#z and#4n pencils,sharpener,and
erasef
PicturePlane/Viewfinder
Felt-tipmarker
A sportsphotographfrom a newspa-
per or magazine,preferablyone that
includesa foreshortenedview of an
athlete,andpreferablyone aslarge
or largerthanthe openingof the
PicturePlane/Viewfinder
Time needed:
About3ominutes
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 sportsphoto-
graphbecausesuchphotographsvery ofteninclude foreshorteningand
arereadily availablein everydaynewspapers (whereasfinding a modelto
posefor you in a foreshortenedpositioncanbe quite difficult).
Instructions:

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

1

the planearounduntil you find a compositionyou like.

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 asuncom-
plicatedaspossible.

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 draw-
ing aresharededges,drawingnegativespacesaroundthe positiveforms
givesyou the difficult forms-the foreshortenedviews of forms-
without your havingto draw them.Drawing foreshortenedformsis
alwaysproblematic,becausewe all havepreconceived, memorizedinfor-
mation 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 EXERCISEIB
The Perception
of Spaces

N.gative-Space
Drawitrgof an Actual
Chair

Material,s: Purposeof tbe exercise:

#z and#4n pencils,sharpener,and Drawing an actualchair,asopposedto a photographof a chair,is a good
eraser way to summarizeall the skills you havelearnedso far.In a photograph,
Graphitestick andpapertowel for the imageis alreadyflattened.In drawing a real chair,which existsin
setting a ground three-dimensionalspace,you will call on all of the previousexercises.
First, you must flatten the imageby viewing it on the Picture Planef
PicturePlane/Viewfinder Viewfinder and closeone eyeto removebinocular vision. Then, you will
Felt-tip marker choosea BasicUnit from the negativespacesyou seeon the picture
Chair of any shapeor size plane.Usingthe conceptof sharededges,you will draw the negative
spacesjust asyou seethem on the PicturePlane/Viewfinder,confident
Time needed: that you are simultaneouslydrawing the edgesof the chair.

30to 40 minutes Instructiont:

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
'?' Hold your PicturePlanein front of your faceto chooseyour composi-
tion. 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-r. Figure r8-2. Figure r8-3.

6z Bxrncrsn 18 DRAwING oF aN AcruAL CHAIR

NEGATTVE-SpAcE
 iii!:

il:;:ii
'i-$t

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.
When you havecompletedthe negativespaces, beginto work on the
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. Figure 18-6.

Exrncrsr rB 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 exam-
ple,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 nxnncrsn r8 NEGATIvE-SpAcEDRAwING oF AN acruAr- cHArR

rxnnclsn r8 NEGATIvE-spAcE DRAwING oF AN AcruAL cHAIR 65
Part ll E X E R C I S E1 9
The Perception
of Spaces

Copyinga Master
Drawing:Man Readingtlt
Bible,by
Vincentvan Gogh

Materials: Purposeof the exercise:

#z and#4n pencils,sharpener,and During and afterthe decadesof AbstractExpressionism, a schoolof
erasef paintingoriginatingin New York in the r94os,copyingmasterworks was
The reproductionof the Van Gogh out of favor asa way of training artistsin America.Now, however,new
drawingon page68 appreciationof drawingskillsis bringingthe practicebackinto art
schools.Copyingmasterdrawingsis an excellentwayto practiceyour
Time needed: drawingskills,andyou will learn a greatdealfrom copyingthis wonder-
ful artwork.
45 minutesto r hour
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.

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<ipieddrawing be sure to designateit as"After Van Gogh."

Post- exerciseremarks:
Even though you havecopied a masterdrawing in this exercise,when
you look at your work you will notice that your own style of drawing has
inevitably shonethrough. The samewastrue when Van Gogh himself
copied masterdrawings:his distinctive style alwaysshonethrough.
One of the wonderful things aboutthe Van Gogh drawing is the dis-
tribution of lights andshadows.See,for example,how the shapesof the
lights and shadowson the lower left leg revealthe shapeof the folded
cloth andthe leg underneath.The experienceof copying this drawing
will help you in the later light/shadow exercises.

EXERCISE 19 COPYING A MASTER DRAWING: MAN READING THE BIBLE 67

EXERCISE 19 COPYING A MASTER DRAWING: MAN READING THE BIBLE
Part lll EXERCISE 20
The Perception
of Relationships

Sightingan Open
Doorwalr

Materials: Parposeof tbe exercirc:

#z and#4e pencils,sharpeneqand In this exerciseyou will practicethe third componentskill, the
efaser perceptionof relationships,alsocalled"sighting."This is a two-part
PicturePlane/Viewfinder skill: sightinganglesrelativeto vertical andhorizontal,andsightingsizes
relativeto eachother.Commonly known as"perspectiveandpro-
Felt-tip marker
portion," sightinghasbeenthe Waterlooof many an art student.
It is a complicatedskill, both to learn andto teach,but the Picture
Time needed:
Plane/Viewfinderis extremelyeffectivein clarifyinghow to seeand
About 3ominutes 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
toestablisha.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

a-1
, *- *
*3;r*

16 EXERCISE 2O SIGHTING AN OPEN DOORWAY

 ,i
i1

^{..1i;
ii
i1

(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.
ff 6
i$
;!
,' I
* I
\,
$ ?'
g .Fi

g $;
{

t*
Figure zo-ro. Figure uo-rr.

Figure zo-rz. Figure zo-r3. Figure zo-r4.

EXERCISE 20 SIGHTING AN OPEN DOORWAY

72
 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

L--.- 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.

t,ii
\i
\

EXERCISE 20 SIGHTING AN OPEN DOORWAY a1

/)
 EXERCISE 2o SIGHTING AN OPEN DOORWAY
74
Part lll EXERCISE ZT
The Perception
of Relationships

SightingaRoomCorner

Materials: Purposeof tbe exercise:

#z and#4e pencils,sharpener,and For this exercise,choosea room cornerthat is complicatedby including
eraser a bed or sofa,tables,lamps,and curtains.Alternatively,choosea cornerof
your kitchen,with its countertop,cupboards,and appliances. Because
Picture PIane/Vi ewfinder
this subjectis more intricatethan the opendoorway,this exerciseis a
Felt-tip marker goodway to demonstrateto yourself how much progressyou havemade.
Graphitestickandpapertowel Remember,however,that realisticdrawing(asopposedto abstract,
for settinga ground nonobjective,or imaginativedrawing)is alwaysthe sametask,always
requiringthe sameskills.Subjectsandmediumsvary but not the basic
Time needed: skillsof drawing.
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."

Remenbe4 all anglesandproportionsaresightedontheplane.Think of the
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

the largeshapesof lights andshadows.Eraselighted areasanddarken
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 perspec-
tive," 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 just-
completedperspectivedrawingwith your pre-instructiondrawingfrom
Exercise3.I feel confidentthat you will be pleasedwith your progress.

Drawing by Lizbeth Fermin.

E X E R C I S E2 I SIGHTING A ROOM CORNER

76
 :-lii;
'-.1

EXERCISE 2I SIGHTING A ROOM1CORNER

 Part lll
The Perception E X E R C T S E2 2
of Relationships
V
V.
a.
?
The Knee|FootDrawirtg

Materials: Parposeof tbe exercise:

#z and#4n pencils,sharpeneq Sightingrelationshipsof anglesandproportionsis neededfor every
anderaser drawing,not just drawingsof buildings and interiors. This exercise
PicturePlane/Viewfinder providesexcellentpracticefor seeinganddrawingedges,spaces, and
relationships,
the first three componentskillsof drawing.
Felt-tip marker
Instructions:
Time needed:
20to 30minutes Turn to page8oof the workbook.Leavethe formatuntonedandlightly
draw the crosshairs.
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 double-
checkit the foot in this perspectiveview really is that small!If you draw
the proportionsjast astheyappearf.attenedontheplane,theywill look cor-
rect when the drawins is finished.

Drawing by charlotte Doctor. Drawing by student BobJean.

EXERCISE 22 THE KNEE/FOOT DRAWING

78
 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.

tgl,;f:i i
:*lla::r: I

'i,.
l',
Drawing by student Ernest Kirkwood. Drawing by student Lonnie Lewis. Drawing by studentJoyce Canfield.

EXERCTSE22 THE KNEE/FOOT DRAWTNG

79
8o ExERcrsEzz rur rNor/roor DRAwTNG
 Part lll EXERCISE23
The Perception
of Relationships

Sightinga Still Life

of Bookson aTable

Materials: Purposeof tbe exercise:

#z and#4n pencils,sharpener,
anderaser
PicrurePlane/Viewfinder
Felt-tip marker
Graphitestick andpapertowel
for settinga ground
Severalbooks,spreadat random
on a table
Time needed:
About 3ominutes
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.
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 SIGHTTNG A STILL LIFE OF BOOKS ON A TABLE 8r

i
$
.* .:rrii:'' l
;^
{* "r'

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 EXERCTSE
24
The Perception
of Relationships

A Still Life with Ellipses

Materials: Purporc of the exercise:

#z and#4n pencils,sharpener,and
efaser
PicturePlane/Viewfinder
Felt-tip marker
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:
jo to 40 minutes
o
o
I.

2.
Instructions:

T\rrn to page86of the workbook,with the printed format. If you wish,

lightly tone the paperbeforeyou addthe crosshairs.
Useyour PicturePlane/Viewfinderto choosea composition.
))' Hold the Picture Plane/Viewfinderassteadilyaspossibleand choose

O 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
bottoms!)of cups,glasses, andplates.Try to seethem asshapes, oq better
---/
stlll, seetheshapes strrounding the ellipses.
of tbenegttiuespaces
:
O 6. As always,work from shapeto adjacentspace,putting the partstogether
like a puzzle.If you startedwith a cup,for example,checkthe negative
O spacenext to the cup.That spacewill be boundedby the edgeof the

O next object.Draw that objectandmoveto the next space.

o 7' As you are drawing,be sureto step awaya few times and checkto see
that the perspectiveandproportion"look right." If somethingseemsofl

o
hold up the PicturePlane/Viewfinder,matchup the BasicUnit on the
Viewfinderwith the object,andthen look at the areascausingproblems.

84 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 Comparewhat you seeon the Viewfinderwith whatyou havedrawn.
of Art. The Louise and Walter Arensberg If what you havedrawn doesnot matchwhat you seeon the picrure
Collection. 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 glassesareparticularlydifficult to see,becauseyou know
the objectsarerestingon a flat surface.A commontendencyfor begin-
nersis 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
 EXERCISE ) I-
Perception L)
.rif'Relationships

Sighting Relations,hips,
in aFig,rreDrawing

Parposeof the exercise:

and #4n pencils,sharpener, In this exercise,you will seehow sighting works in drawing a human
eraser figure.You will be copying a sketchof a life-size sculpture of the writer
Plane/Viewfinder EdgarAllen Poe,which is situatedon the campusof the University
-tip marker of Maryland.With the sketchis a diagramof the sightsI took to make
the drawing.
neede*
Insttactions:
3ominutes
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 place-

ment 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.

EXERCTSE 2t STGHTTNG RELATIONSHTPS rN A FIGURE DRAWING

9o
k',,
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,becameauto-
matic andindispensable. Sighting,I believe,canbe regardedasthe
"grammar"of drawing.Learningit now will preventfrustratingerrors
in future drawings.Trust me:sightingwill soonbecomerapid andauro-
matic,enjoyableandeasy.

EXERCISE 2' SIGHTING REI-ATIONSHIPS IN A FIGURE DRAWING

9z
_.t
Part lll E X E R C I S E2 6
The Perception
of Relationships

Proportionsof the Head

in Profile

Materials: Purposeof tbe exercise:

#z and#4n pencils,sharpeneqand
eraser
Diagramof the proporrionsof the
headin profile
Blankdiagramof the profilehead
Note:Yo.u
will needto asksomeone
to modelfor y minutesfor this
exercise.
The proportionsof the humanheadarevery difficult to seeclearly.
I venfureto saythat only someonetrainedin perceptionor in drawing
is ableto bypassthe brain processesthat 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.
Instructions:

Time needed:
I
Tirrn to pages94 and95of the workbook,with the diagramshowingthe
proportionsof the headin profile andthe headproportion diagram.
About20minutes
) 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,checkeverypro-
portion 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.

Demonstration drawing by the author. Drawing by student Heather Tappen.

EXERCISE 26 pRopoRTIoNs oF THE HEAD IN PRoFILE

94
EXERCISE 26 PROPORTIONS OF THE HEAD IN PROFILT
9t
Part lll E X E R C I S E2 7
The Perception
of Relationships

Copying aMaster
Drawirg of a Profile
Portrait

Materials: Purposeof tbe exercise:

#z and#4n pencils,sharpener,and This beautiful1883drawingMme.PierreGautreau(also known as
eraser MadameX), by EnglishartistJohnSingerSargent,providesperfect
PicturePlane/Viewfinder practicefor seeingand drawingedges,spaces, and relationships-
especiallythe proportionsof the headin profile.
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,
99 you will find the printed format.
)' 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 propor-
tionsin 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

EXERCTSE27 COPYING A MASTER DRAWTNG OF A PROFILE PORTRAIT

96
 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 smallpro-
portion 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 seeingaresomewhatinterchange-
able.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).

EXDRCTSE27 COpyrNG A MASTER DRAWTNG OF A PROFTLE PORTRAIT

98
EXERCISE 27 COPYING A MASTER DRAWING OF A PROFILE PORTRAIT
99
.-,.----:::
Part lll EXERCISEZB
The Perception
of Relationships

Drawinga Profile
Portrait

Materials: Purposeof the exercise:

#z and#4n pencils,sharpener,and
erasef
PicturePlane/Viewfinder
Felt-tip marker
Graphitestick andpapertowel for
settingthe ground
Note:Forthis exercise,you will need
2.
a modelwilling to posefor 3oto 6o
minutes(with breaks,of course;the
model.canbe readingor watching
television).
Time needed:
t. Choosea BasicUnit: I suggesteyelevelto chin for this drawing.Mark
About r hour
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.
Instractions:
Turn to pagero2of the workbook,with the printed format.
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.
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.
In drawing the model'shair, squint your eyesto seethe larger highlights
and the shadows.Aztoiddrawingsymbol,ichair-repeatedparal,l,el
or carlylines.
Hair forms a shape.Focuson drawingthat shape.
,
II. Be sure to include the model'sneck and shoulders,which provide a sup-
port 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 E X E R C I S E2 9
The Perception
.tl
of Relationships

Still Life with

AmericanFlag

Materials: Purposeof tbe exercise:

Charcoalandpapertowel,for set- Sofaq you havebeenfocusedon the first three componenrskillsof
ting a ground drawing:edges,spaces, andrelationships.
This exerciseis a rerurn to
Charcoalpencil and eraser still-life drawing emphasizingthe samethreeskillsbut using a different
subject-the Americanflag.
PicturePlane/Viewfinder
The flagis usefulasa subjectbecausewe know it so well. We havean
Felt-tipmarker embeddedknowledgethat the flag'sstripesarestraightand all the same
An Americanflagof any size width, andthat the starsare all the sameshape.Becausewe "know" this,
(or,if a flagis not available,a striped when we try to draw the flagit canbe dificult for us to acceprthe per-
towelor shirt) ceptionof crossedstripesthat occurswheneverthe flagis foldedon
itself.Equally difficult ro acceptareperceprionsthat the stripewidths
Time needed: appearto changedue to ripplesin the fabric,andthat the starscan
appearto be variedin their shapesdependingon how the fabricis folded.
30to 40 minutes
For this reason,the flagis a goodsubjectfor practicingdrawingexactly
what you seeon the plane,without second-guessing the visualdata.

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. A post-instruction drawing of aflag

EXERCISE 29 STILL LIFE WITH AMERICAN FLAG ro3

l
L-.
 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 seeminglysimplestsub-
jectsprovidethe 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 storedcon-
ceptualknowledgeabout
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 EXERCISE
The Perception 30
of Lights
and Shadows
DrawinganEggLighted
from Above

Materials: Purposeof tbe etcerctse:

Charcoalandpapertowel,for toning This exerciseintroducesthe fourth skill, the perceptionof lights and
a ground shadows,andbuildson the first threeskills (edges,spaces, andrelation-
Charcoalpencilanderaser ships).You will seethe edgesof the shapesof lights and shadowsas
either negativeshapesor positiveforms,andyou will seethe shapesof
PicturePlane/Viewfinder
lights andshadowsin relationshipto eachother andto the wholeof the
Felt-tipmarker drawing.
White-shelledeggor eggs,in an egg Lights andshadowsareusuallynot perceivedat a consciouslevelin
carton ordinary life. We seelights and shadowssubconsciously; they tell us the
shapesof things,but we aregenerallynot awareof this mentalprocess.
Pieceof whitepaper,9"x 12"
In drawing however,we needto seelights and shadowsat a conscious
Lampor spotlight level.They arevery beautiful,andseeinganddrawingthem is extra-
ordinarily satisfying.SeeFigure 3o-r.
Time needed: In traditionalart instruction,there arefour aspectsof light and
About z5minutes 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.
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 characteris-
tics of lights and shadows.

Instructions:

r. T\rrn to pagero8of the workbook,with the printed format.Look at the

accompanyingdrawingof an egg,pointing out the four areas-high-
light, castshadow;reflectedlight, and crestshadow.Light rays,bouncing
offthe flat surfacethe eggsitson andsoftly lighting the undersideof the
egg,createareasof reflectedlight. Light raysbypassingthe eggresultin
Figure 3o-r.Drawing by student Elizabeth crestshadowson the outermostcrestof the egg'scurvedform.
Arnold.

to6 EXERCISE 30 DRA\ryrNG AN EGG LTGHTED FROM ABOVE

 z. Usingyour charcoal,tone the paperwithin the format to a palegray.
Figure 3o-2. 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 shad-
1.\
owsproducedwhen objectsblock light rays.
t
'7 4. Usingthe PicrurePlane/Viewfinder,chooseyour compositionandthen
r*
!t 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 owswith your charcoalpencil.
Figure 3o-3.The two drawings above demon-
strate 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 castshad-
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.

9. Carefullyerasethe crosshairs;
signand dateyour drawing.

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 areacom-
paredto 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 bring-
ing them to your consciousawareness. Onceyou canseethe four aspects
of light, you candraw them.

Figure 3o-4.

EXERCTSE30 DRAWING AN EGG LIGHTED FROM ABOVE r07

h
g
:
l-
EI
i
I
Part lV EXERCISE
The Perception
E
E;I 3I
of Lights
t-
t-
and Shadows
CharlieChaplinin Light
hi
g
fr
=
and Shadow
b
=
fh
=!
h
=
h Materials:
= Purposeof tbe exercise:
b Charcoal,naturalor syntheric
i- In the exerciseson edges,spaces, and relationships,
you wereencouraged
Charcoalpencilanderaser to seeanddraw fine detailsin order to increaseyour ability to dis-
h
;l
PicturePlane/Viewfinder criminateslight changesin edges,shapes,angles,andproportions.
h With the fourth skill, the perceptionof lights andshadows, the focus
=
Time needed: shiftssomewhat.
h
-l The visualsystemof the humanbrain canvisualize-that is,seein
30to 40 minutes
b the mind'seye-missing informationfrom incompletecues.In drawing
.t
this meansthat if you giveyour viewerjust enoughcluesaboutthe sub-
h
=l ject of a drawing,the viewer canenztision the missingparts,andviewers
E
of drawingsseemto greatlyenjoythe envisioningprocess. The photo-
=l
graphof Charlie Chaplin you will be copyingin this exerciseis a good
L-r
-- exampleof allowingshadowsto obscuredetails,thus requiringthe view-
er to fill in the missingparts.
h.
-- Norr.'Because of the harshlight usedin the Hartsookphotoof
b Chaplin,reflectedlights and crestshadows(which you drew in the previ-
:
ousexercise)areobscured.
bi
-
Instructions:
b
--
I. T\rrn to pagerrrof the workbook,with the printed format.
b
--
2. Tone your format to a fairly dark shadewith charcoal,rubbingto smooth
h
EI the tone.The naturalcharcoalis soft and easyto usefor settinga ground,
h
but it smearseasily.Syntheticcharcoalmakesa darkertone andis less
EI subjectto smearing,but it doesnot eraseaseasilyasthe naturalcharcoal
l
b
ET
Try both on somescratchpaperand choosethe one you like best.
i

r Usingyour charcoalpencil,lightly draw crosshairsboth within your

-r
format and on the reproductionof the Chaplin photo.
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
b
?
edgesof the portrait,payingcloseattentionto the shapesof the negative
spacesaroundthe figureaswell asthe interior negativeshapes.
E
I

E Charlie Chaplin. Photograph by Hartsook.

International Portrait Gallery.
ff

E
i
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 over-

draw 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 aspositiveandnega-
tive 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 nec-
essaryadjustments.
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
I

q.ffiffie&Edeffi#ffieiwP:w::asr444'

EXERCISE3I CHARLIE CHAPLIN IN LIGHT AND SHADOW

Part lV EXERCISE )''
The Perception 1:
J
of Lights
and Shadows
Proportionsof the Head
in Full-FaceView

Materials: Purposeof tbe ercerctte:

#z and #4n pencils,sharpener,and In Exercisez6,yottlearnedto draw the proportionsof the headin
eraser profile.The next challengeis to draw a portrait in full-faceview,incor-
poratingthe fourth skill, the perceptionof lights andshadows. This
Time needed:
exercisein learningthe generalproportionsof the humanheadin full-
About ry minutes faceview is helpful in portrait drawing,becausetheseproportionsseem
to be difficult to seewithout training.The mostfrequenterror is enlarg-
ing the featuresrelativeto the wholeshapeof the head.It is well worth
takingthe time to memorizeandthen practiceseeingthe correctpro-
portionsin order to avoidpersistenterrorsin drawingfaces.

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 propor-
tion.)
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 propor-
tions 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

E"

GENERAL
PRopoRrroNs
oFmE Hm JrH ro pRopoRrroNs
usEAsA Gr,rrDE

SPACEBETWEENTI{E
EYES = ONE EYE

EYELEVEL

wrDrHoFyr \
(

CORNERSOFMOUTH

WIDTHOFNECK t

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
Part lV EXERCISE
The Perception
of Lights
33
and Shadows
CnpyingaFull-F'ace
Portrait

Materials: Purposeof the exercise:

Charcoalandpapertowel,for toning In this exercise,you will be usingcharcoalto copy a full-faceself-
a ground portrait by Picasso,alsodrawnin charcoal.You will gainpracticenot
Charcoalpencil and eraser only in drawingthe proportionsof the head,but alsoin usingcharcoal
to createa rangeof dark and light values.
PicturePlane/Viewfinder
Portrait drawingrequiresprecisediscriminationsin termsof edges,
spaces, relationships,and lights andshadows.Beforeyou startyour
Time needed:
drawing comparethe generalizedproportionsof the headasshownin
About3ominutes 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 per-
ceptionsjust asyou seethem,you will capturePicasso's likeness.

Instructions:

I. Ttrrn to pageu8 in the workbook,the reproductionof Picasso'sSeF

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 reproduc-
tion to providethe crosshairs.

l. Choosea BasicUnit eyelevelto chin,the lengthof the nose,the dis-

tancefrom 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
Paycloseattentionto thosedifferencesanddraw them just as
differences.
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."Sincecharcoaldraw-
ings 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

-id
EXERCISE 11 COPYING A FULL-FACE PORTRAIT II9
Part lV EXERCISE
The Perception
of Lights
34
and Shadows
DrawingYour
Self-Portrait
in Light and Shadow

Materials: Purposeof tbe exercise:

Mirror Self-portraitsareoften describedasone of the mostdifficult tasksin
#z and#4n pencils,sharpener, drawing but they are actually neither different from nor more difficult
eraser than other kindsof drawing.All drawingsrequirethe samebasiccompo-
nent skillsthat you havebeenstudying:seeingedges,spaces, relation-
Felt-tip marker
ships,andlights andshadows. I believethe real problemis that eachof
Dampenedtissuefor corrections us hasa stronglyembedded,memorizedsetof symbolsfor the human
Graphitestick andpaperrowel, face,developedduring childhood.Settingthis symbolsystemasideis
for setting a ground the difficult part.Moreover,we havebeliefsaboutour own appearance
(both positiveandnegative),aswell asmemoriesof how we appeared
Note:Yotwill needa floor lamp or
in the past,andthesecanaffectour perceptions.
clip-on light to illuminate one side
As always,the solution is to draw just what you see,always
of your head.
checkingrelationshipsagainstone another.A reminder:in drawing
your self-portrait, rememberto include seeingand drawing negative
Time needed:
spacesin order to strengthenyour compositionandthe unity of spaces
r to z hours andshapes.

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

 :,

I
I

{
g
t
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.

o.I

4,).1,41 ,i." t ' '

.P,.'ll':
r :,
" ,.r,;ii,

Before and after self-portraits

by a student in a five-day workshop.

-"d
&
'!l
s j:**
',:
::::.'*i
'to ,
)L '
,,..

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.

3. Gazeat your reflectionin the mirroq trying variousposirionsof your

Figure34-r. 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 jaw,or the chin.Carefullydarkenthe crest
the nose,the cheekbone,
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,com-
paringthesetonesto 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-instruc-
tion 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 areoftenparticu-
larly evidentin the eyes,the nose,andthe ears,aswell asin the enlarge-
ment 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-instructionself-
portraitsis 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
Ellsworth Kelly Qgz1. ; American). Apples,
1949.Pencil,ry%xzz%inches.Museum of
Modern Art, New York (gift of John S.
Newberry by exchange).
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.
rz6
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 essen-
tial nature.
In this workbook,I havetaughtyou the first four drawingskills-
edges,spaces, relationships,andlight/shadow-by direct,specific
instructions.The fifth skill, however,the perceptionof the gestalt,can-
not be taughtdirectly.I canname,describe,and point it out to you, but it
is an experiencethat will needto simply happenasa resultof your slow-
ing down and perceivingsomethingwith the focusedattenrion required
for drawing.I feel surethat you haveexperiencedthe gestaltalready,
perhapswhen you drew the flower andsuddenlyperceivedhow exrra-
ordinarily 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 some-
thing whetheran idea,an elegant
solutionto a problem,or something
familiar seenin a new way.The per-
ceptionof 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 exer-
cises,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 EXERCISE )< r )(
The Perception
JJ
of the Gestalt

UsingInk andBrush

Materialr Purposeof tbe exercise:

Drawingink, suchasIndia ink
or brownink madefor writing pens
#z pencil,sharpener,and eraser
#7 or #8 warercolorbrush
Sauceror platefor mixing the ink
with water
Jarof waterandsomepapertowels
or cleanrags
Time needed:
Aboutzo minutes
I.
z. You may wantto turn the drawingupsidedown to betterseethe large
)) ' Mark your BasicUnit within the format.Beginto draw the edgesof the
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 sur-
prisingamountof detail canbe left for the viewerto envision.
Instructions:
Turn to pager29of the workbook,with an approximatelysquareformat
for use with Self-Portrait,Barcelona,
rgooby Picasso,
on pagerz8.
shadowshapeon Picasso's headandface.That shapedefinesthe features.
Then, turn the drawingright sideup andsketchthe main edgesandneg-
ativespacesdirectly onrothe paper.For this drawing,imaginethe
crosshairsandchoosea BasicUnit without literally goingthrough all the
stepsof the process.
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 fearure-
lessshadow?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.

I rz8 EXERCISE3t usrNc rNK aND BRUSH

I

l"
 -fl

E X E R C I S EJ ' USING INK AND BRUSH r29

PartV EXERCISE
The Perception 36
of the Gestalt

An UrbanLandscape
Drawittg

Materials: Purposeof the exercise:

#z pencil Sincefew of us havean easilyaccessible rural landscapeavailable,in
this exerciseyou will be drawinga scenemore familiar to many of us,
Free-flowing,fine-tipped,black-ink
writing pen,suchasthe Sanford anurban landscape. This may seeman unlikely subiectfor a drawing
Uniball Micro pen becausesuchscenesareso familiar we barelytakenoticeof them.The
purposeof this exerciseis to demonstratethat anj)scene andanysubiect,
PicturePlane/Viewfinder when lovingly viewedand carefullydrawn, can be the of
subject
Felt-tip marker a beautifuldrawing.In this drawing you will concentrateon edges,
negativespaces, relationships,andperceivingthe gestaltof a perhaps
Tineneeded: unlikely subject.
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,
stop-
lights,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 landscapesaswell.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 I3I

,).
Ttt EXERCISE J6 AN URBAN LANDSCAPE DRAWING
r PartV EXERCISE
F The Perception
pt
tt'
of the Gestalt
37
u-.
6:

W Hatchingand
Crosshatchitrg

Materials: Parposeof the exercise:

#z and#4r pencils,sharpener,and Hatching and crosshatchingare techniquesof shadingwith rapid paral-
eraser lel lines that often intersect or cross.Almost every trained artist uses
Penand ink, or a writing pen with hatching or crossharchingto give the effectof shadowor texftre change.
a medium-finedp In addition,crosshatching allowsa lovely senseof light and air ro perme-
ate a drawing.Each artisr over time developsa personalstyle of hatching
Charcoaland a charcoalpencil
or crosshatchingjust asyou willin time developyour own way of cross-
Contecrayon,blackor sanguine hatching.In the early stagesof learning to draw,crosshatchingseemsto
(reddishbrown) require someinstruction, asindicated in the reproduction of a page
from a r93osbook on drawing.
Time needed:
About zo minutes Instractions:

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

r33
 -9. txF s*{A*F Frffifff.

E$rms;
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G,- d"# .€
* " 4Srrssi# ftd diF
*w'F

. E. *T*VY * F*STflEH

.Sffi"

Post- exercise remarks:

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

i
iI : ')'t
11 1 EXERCTSE37 HATCHTNG AND CROSSHATCHING
t,
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EXERCISE 37 HATCHTNG AND CROSSHATCHTNG r3t

PartV EXERC
I SE
The Perception 38
of the Gestalt

A fipre Drawing
in Crosshatch

Materials: Purposeof the exercise:

Conte crayon,sanguine(reddish In the previousexercises in this workbook,you haveuseda smoothtone

brown) to delineateshadows. In this exercise,you will be copyinga figuredraw-
ing by AlphonseLegrosin which nearly all of the shadowsareformedb
Eraser
hatchedlines.As you cansee,asidefrom the linesdefiningthe edgesof
the form, the drawingis formed almostentirely with hatchedlinesthat
Time needed:
cross,not at right angles,but at very smallangles.Crossingat small
30to 40 minutes anglesallowsthe artistto build up the hatches,creatingevendarker
tonesby slightly changingthe anglewith eachoverlappingsetof hatch-
es.You will draw your copy of Legros'sdrawing in conte crayonsothat
you canexperiencethe natureof that medium.

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.

nxrncrsr,38 A FrcuRE DRAwTNGrN cRossHATCH

ry6
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 learn-
ing. 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 tech-
nique will give your drawingsa professionallook that is unmistakable.

exrncrsn 38 A FrcuRE DRAwTNG

rN cRossHATcH tl7
- *:'";tldg
I

u ' i ': , : . ' i F : !

.:."i."";"::.i

Alphonse Legros, red chalk on paper.

Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum
of Art. New York.

rl8 nxrncrsn 38 A FTGUREDRAWTNGIN CROSSHATCH

E X E R C I S E3 6 A FIGURE DRAWING rN CROSSHATCI.I r39
PartV EXERCISE
The Perception 39
of the Gestalt

An ImaginativeDrawing
Basedon Leonardo
da Vinci'sAdvice

Materials: Parposeof tbe exercise:

Smallamountof ink, coffee,tea, Thus far,the exerciseshavebeenbasedmainly on somethingseenin the
or cola(preferablydiet cola,because real world. This is a form of drawingcalled"realism."However,drawing
it containsno sugarthat would make neednot be confinedto portrayalsof real life. Drawing canalsodepict
your drawingsticky) the world of the imagination.One of the problemswith imaginative
Writing pen drawing is finding a way to start.This exerciseis inspired by the writing
of Leonardoda Vinci, who recommendedthat artistsstudythe stainson
Four or five sheetsof newspaper old wallsto sparktheir imaginationswith envisionedimaginativescenes
andfigures.
Time needed:
About 3ominutesof drying time Instructions:
and aboutr5minutesfor drawing
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

line, perhapsaddinghatchesandcrosshatches to createthree-dimen-
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

EXERCTSE39 AN IMAGINATIVE DRAWING BASED ON LEONARDO DA VINCI'S ADVICE

t40
 imageshaveremarkablelongevityand arereadilycalledup to guide
your drawingwhen,for example,you wantto drav/a floweror a seated
figurefrom your imagination.
Completelyimaginarycrearuresand scenesevolvefrom amalgama-
tions of rememberedimages.The processof drawingimaginarycrea-
turesitself 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 imagina-
tive writing.

wt J

i rJr
u-i
\t
\'
!rr

--/{
j
{

EXERCISE J9 AN IMAGINATIVE DRAWING BASED oN LEoNARDo DA vINcI,s ADVICE 147

r+z 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
A smallpieceof white paper,
aboutz" x 2",with a square/r" x/t"
format cut out.
An objectof your choice(for exam-
ple,a dried leaf,a pieceof jewelry,
a pieceof popcorn,a shell,bark
from a tree,a flower,a rock, a piece
of weatheredwood)
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
light/shadowto crosshatching andthe perceptionof the gestalt'
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.
6. Draw the main edges,spaces, Be sure
relationships,andlights/shadows.
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
the image.Make sureyou emphasizesPaces. Try to usea rangeof values,
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.

EXERCISE 40 A FOUR-BY-FOUR DRAWING

4+
EXERCISE40 A F O U R _ B Y _ F O U RD R A W I N G r4t
 Some Suggestions
for Further Study

To keepimprovingyour drawingskills,the importantthing is to contin-

ue 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
classin beginningdrawing.Most beginningdrawingclasses focuson
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.
Coloredpencilshavethe advantage of familiarity,sincethey aresimply
anotherform of pencil andso arenot an entirely new mediumfor you.
You may wish to try working with pastelpencils,a lovely mediumandan
intermediatestepbetweendrawingandpainting.Pastelpencilsare
somewhatmore accessible than pastelchalksfor a beginnerin drawing
andthey arelessdusty,aswell.
My final recommendationis to go to seedrawingsin museums
In time, you will discard your Picture andgalleries.You will learn a greatdealfrom seeinghow othershave
Plane/Viewfinder. Using your hand and handledparticularproblemsin drawing.In addition,find booksin the
pencil to form a viewfinder, you will imagine library or bookstoresthat showreproductionsof greatdrawings,andtry
the crosshairs, choose a Basic Unit, estimate
to find time to copysomeof thoseartworks.In timespast,that is how
its size relatiae to tbeformat, mark it on your
paper, and. . . iust start drawing. artistslearnedto draw:by copyingthe worksof greataftists.We arefor-
tunatein 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

46
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