I have heard that you would like to learn to draw. I have some ideas on how to begin.
I
have in mind a kind of drawing that is often overlooked because in the
beginning, doing it can feel very awkward and produces hopelessly silly
results. Have you ever heard of “Blind
Contour Drawing”. I have taught it to 1st
graders through adults. It is designed
to train the eye mind and the hand to work together. When a student begins doing it, it feels like
trying to play piano without looking at the keys….or typing without looking at
the keys only it is worse, because there are no keys just your pencil and the
paper. Another goal in the exercise is
to train you eye to observe and for your hand to “feel” every curve or edge
with minute attention. It is best
practiced on organic forms like living or dead leaves; living hands, feet and
arms; faces; twigs; rumpled bedding.(what ever form that is non-mechanical
thought mechanical forms can be attempted).
This is how it is done. First of
all you need cheap paper and a pencil or any writing instrument and your hand
and eye and a brain. If you don’t have
the first two items (paper and pencil) the first practice stage of this method
may still be done if you have a brain and eye and hand( which I will assume you
have). I would have my student look at a
plant, and with their finger they would trace the form in the air. This is to help you get the feel of the shape in your arm movements. It is part of the training of the eye mind
and hand. After you have done that for a
bit, do the same action again, but this time “trace the inner or outer edge/ curve”
with the pencil on the paper while keeping your eye ONLY on the object you are
tracing. Do not look down at your paper,
no matter how tempting. If I was there
observing you, my ruler would come down on your head if you peeked at your
paper! That being said it is important
at this stage to discipline yourself not to peek under any circumstance. YOU MUST GO VERY SLOWLY, painstakingly slow
observing every nook and cranny. If you follow this to a tee, the result when
you are finished at the end of this first try will be horrible and
embarrassing. But now is the test. Will you persevere in spite of the
humiliation? Because such practice over
time breeds unbelievable results. I
don’t know how much of this you need to do, but the longer you do it, the more
you will be trained to see and sense more clearly with your eye and you
will feel and express with your hand.
The line in your drawings will become more clean natural and
efficient. Less tentative and
scratching. Next time I write I will
explain why and how this technique works in the brain and how this technique of
blind contour is modified for other types of drawing such as portraiture.
See examples here
And learn about classes to learn more here
