New Drawing On The Right Side of The Brain Workbook Team Nanban TPB

ART/CREATT\rrfY
LnanNrNGTo DRAwis very much like mastering

a sport or a musicalinstrument:to advanceyour
ability,you must practice,practice,practice.But in
practicing,what, specifically,should you draw?
This convenientworkbook containsthe
answer:forty basicand new exercisesthat reinforce
the fivebasicskillsof drawing.Eachprovides
appropriatesubjectmatter,brief instruction, sample
drawings,a ready-madeformat in which to draw,and
helpful post-exercisepointers.In addition to portrait
drawing with pencil, you will explore new subject
matter-still life, landscape,imaginativedrawingusing alternativemediumssuchaspen and ink,
charcoal,and cont6crayon.
If you are taking a drawing class,havealready
receivedinstruction through a book or course,or
just prefer to learn by doing, this volume of guided
practicewill be a permanentrecordof your work
that offersthe perfect opporrunity to hone your skills
and expandyour repertoire.
r s B N 1- 5 8 5 4 2 - 19 5 - 2
litti
r
llillilllll
TbeIr'iew
Drawing
on the Right Side
of the Brain
Workbook
Tarcher/Penguinbooksareavailableat specialquantirydiscountsfor bulk'

,ase
forsalespromotions,
premiums,
fund-raising,
andeducational
needs.
ial booksor book excerptsalsocan be createdto fit specificneeds.For
details,
write Putnam SpecialMarkets, 36 Hudson StreegNew York, NY roor4.
,
Jrnruv P. Tancnrn/Penguin
a memberof
PenguinGroup (USA) Inc.
37yHudson Srreet
New York, NY roor4
www.penguin.com
Copyright Ozciozby Betty Edwards
All rights reserved.This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any
form without permission.Published simultaneouslyin Canada.
Library of CongressCataloging-in-Publication Data

Edwards, Betqr.
The new drawing on the right sideof the brain workbook: guided
pracdce in the five basicskills of drawing / Betry Edwards.
P.cm'
IsnNr-;8y42-r95:-z
r. Drawing-Technique. I. Edwards,Becy. Drawing on the right side of
the brain. II. Title.
Nc73o.E34
2oo2
74t:-d,czr
zoozoz8769
Cover drawing and instructional drawingsby Brian Bomeisler

Book designbyJoe Molloy
Typesetin MonorypeJansonand Gill Sansby Mondo Typo, Inc.
Printed in Canada
16 15 14
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
TbeIr'iew
Drawing
on the Right Side
of the Brain
Workbook
Contents
Foreword
vll
List of Supplies
lx
Glossary of Terms
The Exercises
Exerciser
Pre-Instruction Self-Portrait
Exercisez
Pre-Instruction Drawing of Your Hand
Exercise3
Pre-Instruction Drawing of the Corner of a Room
Exercise4
Warm-up and Free Drawing
Exercise5
The "Vase/Faces"Drawing
r3
Exercise6
Upside-DownDrawing
17
Exercise7
Pure Contour Drawing
27
Exercise8
Drawing Your Hand on the PlasticPicturePlane
3o
Exercise9
Settinga Ground
tt
Exercisero
Transferring Your Hand Drawing from Picture Planeto Paper
36
Exerciserr
Drawing Your Hand Holding an Object
39
Exerciserz
Drawing a Flower
+3
Exercise13
Drawing an Orange
46
Exerciser4
Drawing I eavesUsing Negative Spaces
+9
Exercise15
Drawing a Chair in Negative Space
tz
Exercise16
Drawing a HouseholdObject
56
Exerciser7
Negative-SpaceDrawing of a SportsPhotograph
Exerciser8
Negative-SpaceDrawing of an Actual Chair
59
6z
Exercise19
Copying a Master Drawing: Man Readingtbe

Bibl,e,
by Vincentvan Gogh
66
,v
di
. -.*-**u,*=-:*dsifl
Part lll
Exercisezo
Sightingan Open Doorway
The Perception
Exercisezr
Sighting a Room Corner
t)
of Relationships
Exercisezz
The Knee/Foot Drawing
Exercisez3
Sighting a Still Life of Bookson a Table
7S
8r.
Exercisez4
A Srill Life wiih Eilipses
8+-
Exercisez5
SightingRelationships
in a Figure Drawing
87
Exercisez6
Proportionsof the Head in Profile
9t
Exercisez7
Copying a MasterDrawing of a ProfilePortrait
96,
Exercisez8
Drawing a Profile Portrait
IOO
Exercisez9
Still Life with AmericanFlas
I OJt: ,
Part lV
Exercise3o
Drawing an Egg Lighted from Above
ro6
The Perception
Exercise3r
Charlie Chaplin in Light and Shadow
r09
of Lights
Exercise3z
Proportionsof the Head in Full-FaceView
fiz
and Shadows
Exercise33
Copying a Full-FacePortrait
t6
Exercise34
DrawingYour Self-Portraitin Light and Shadow
tzo
PartV
Exercise35
Usinglnk and Brush
rz7
The Perception
Exercise36
An Urban LandscapeDrawing
r30
of the Gestalt
Exercise37
Hatchingand Crosshatching
r33
Exercise38
A Figure Drawingin Crosshatch
\6
Exercise39
An ImaginativeDrawing Basedon Leonardoda Vinci'sAdvice
r+o
Exercise4o
A Four-by-FourDrawing
r+3
Some Suggestionsfor Further Study
r+6
Portfolio and Yideo Ordering
r47
VI
.i
Foreword
This workbookis designedasa supplementto my book TheNewDrawing

ontbeRightSideof tbeBrarz.Its purposeis to provide convenient,effective
guidedpracticefor the five basicskillsof drawing.The exercises
in this
workbookinclude somefamiliar kindsof drawings(upside-downdrawing for example)and manynew subjectsfor practicingeachskill. For
your convenience,
the workbookcontainsan essentialdrawingtool, a
plasticPicturePlane/Viewfinder,which will help you to makedrawings
that givethe illusion of beingthree-dimensionalimagesandscenes.
The
workbookis portablesothat you canuseit in thoseodd momentsof useful time, suchaswhile waitingin the dentist'sofficeor at the airport.As
you completethe exercises
in thesepages,you will be creatinga permanent,bound recordof your progressin drawing.
Learningto draw is very much like learninga sportor learninghow
to play a musicalinstrument.Onceyou havelearnedthe fundamentals,
any advancein skillsis basedon practice,practice,practice.In this workbook,I will invite you to venftrreinto working with new subjectmatter
anddrawingmediumsbeyondthosecoveredin TbeNewDrawingonthe
Rigltt Sideof rheBrain.
The exercises
in this workbookarebasedon the five perceptualskills
of drawing that I havefully describedin TheNewDrawingontheRightSide
of theBrain.Drawing is alwaysthe sametask,alwaysrequiring the same
five skillsthat,with practice,becomeintegratedinto the whole skillcalledthe "global"skill-of drawing.It is the subiectsandthe mediums
that change.Becausethis is true, it really doesnot matterwhat you
draw-any subjectwill do, and any medium will do.This is not surprising: all globalskills arecomposedof basiccomponentskillsthat are
alwaysactivatedwhen the globalskill is beingused-think of driving an
automobileor playingtennis.
I havefound,however,that many of my studentswho havelearned
the basicskillsfind it difficult to choosesubjectsfor drawing.Often,feeling the urge to draw somethingthat catchestheir eye,they hesitatefor
fearthat the subjectmay be too hard to draw or that they will not have
time to finish.This workbookis designedto solvesuchproblemsby providing suitablesubjectsfor practicingeachskill, brief instructions,an
estimateof the time required(thoughthis will vary somewhataccording
to your naturalpacein drawing),andsuitabledrawingpaper,with ready-
Noteto tbe reader:

Youwill find moreinformationon
therelationshipof drawingto the
brainandcreativityin my book
TbeNewDrawingontheRiglttSide
of theBrain,whichis widely available
in bookstores
andlibraries.For a
two-hourinstructionalvideo on the
fivebasicskillsof drawingcovered
in this workbook,seethe videoorderinginstructionsin the back
pagesof the workbook.
VIII
drawnformatsandguiding crosshairsin correctproportionsfor each

remarks
I haveaddedpost-exercise
drawing.For mostof the exercises,
or helpful pointers.
that provide additionalinformation,suggestions,
I would guessthat the biggestdifficulty you will experiencein working throughthesepagesis findingthe time to draw.Telling yourself that
you will draw for an hour eachday,or evenan hour eachweek,rarely
works.The commitmentof eventhat much time will probablyseemtoo
great.You must rememberthat your brain'slanguagemode-the lefthemisphere,verbal-analyticbrain mod-does not wantyou to draw at
all, becauseit becomes"set aside"while you aredrawing.The language
modeis very goodat presentingreasonswhy you shouldnot draw:you
needto pay your bills,you needto call your mother,you needto balance
your checkbook,or you needto tend to business.
seamlessly
Onceyou actuallygetinto drawing,however,time passes
for me:
has
worked
recommend
what
Therefore,I
will
andproductively.
a versionof the so-called"two-minute miracle,"a techniquephysical
therapistsuseto enablepeopleto exerciseevenwhen they do not want
"I don't havetime to takea walk
to. They aretaughtto sayto themselves,
just
Oncethey areactually
two
minutes."
right now,b:utl willwalk for
walking of course,they forgettheir objectionsand continuewalking.
Here is my versionof the two-minute miracle.Keepthis drawing
workbookin a convenientplace,alongwith your pencilsand eraser.Sit
down for a momentandtakethe workbookin hand,sayingto yourself,
"I'm not really goingto draw now,but I'11just turn to the pageof the next
exercise."Then, takethe next step:"I'm not really goingto draw,but I'll
just pick up the pencil and makea few marksto startthis drawing."Then,
"I'm not really goingto draw,but I'll just sketchin someof the main
edgesin this drawing..." andsoon.Youwill soonfind yourselfwith a
completeddrawing-and unawarethattimehaspassed.
I realizethat this may sound,well, stupid,but it doeswork.I have
completedentire projectsusingthis technique-a techniqueof (let's
faceit) tricking the languagemodeof the brain into letting one do creativework. You may find this hard to believe,but the single most difficult
problemfor art studentsand evenfor working artistsis gettingthe work
done.One is alwaysfightingthe delayingtacticsof the verbalsystem,
whosemantrais "Not now."At its mostextreme,the resultis writer's
block or artist'sblock;a milder versionis calledprocrastination.
at everystep.
Thesedrawingexercisesaredesignedfor success
I know you will enjoythe process.
Supplies
The art materialsneededfor the exercisesin this workbook are avaiiable

in any art supply store.They can alsobe purchasedby mail orthrough the
Internet, by doing a searchfor "art materials"or "art supplies."
#z yellow writing pencil with an erasertop
#4n drawing pencil, T\rrquoise,Faber
Castell,or a similar brand
Eraser A white plasticeraser(Staedtler)
or a Pink Pearleraser
Pencilsharpener
Graphite stick
#4"
Charcoal 6 sticksof natural charcoal
z sticksof synthetic charcoal(CharKole

or a similar brand)
#4n charcoalpencil
Conte crayons r black
r sanguine(reddishbrown)
Chalk r pale gray,or r pastel.r"rort
!
Erasable felt-tip marker
r black(Crayola,Sharpie,or a similarbrand)
lnk r smallbottle of blackIndia ink
r small bottle of brown writing ink

Brush #l or#Swatercolorbrush
Alarm clock or kitchen timer
Paper towels or tissues
White $ping paper About 6 sheets
Lightweight cardboard r piece, 8" x rott,to make a frame for the
Picture Plane /Viewfinder.
IX
Glossaryof Terms
Abstract drawing.A translation into

drawing of a real-life object or
experience.Usually implies the
{-*
*.
\
;
isolation, emphasis,or exaggeration of some aspectof the real

world.
Awareness.Consciousness;the act
of "taking account" of an
Right brain hemisphere.
Left brain hemisphere.
Composition.An ordered relationship among the parts or

elementsof an artwork.In
drawing the arrangement of
Eye level.In portrait drawing the

horizontal proportional line
that divides the head approximately in half; the eye-level
line is located at this halfway
object,person, or surroundings.
Possiblesynonyms are "seeing"
or "cognition."
BasicUnit.A "startingshape"or
"starting unit" chosen from
within a composition for the
purpose of maintaining correct
sizerelationshipsin a drawing.
The BasicUnit is always
termed "one" and becomespart
of a ratio, asin "r:2."
Brain mode.A mental state,implying emphasison particular
capabilitiesof the human
brain, such aslanguage
processingor visual spatial
processing.
Cognitiveshift.A transferenceof the
predominance of one mental
stateto another,e.g.,from
verbal, analytic mode to visual,
spatial mode, or vice versa.
forms and spaceswithin the

format.
Contour.In drawing a line that
representsthe shared edgesof
shapes,or shapesand spaces.
Crosshatching.A seriesof intersecting setsof parallel lines used
to indicate shading or volume
in a drawing. Also called
"hatching."
Edge.In drawing, a place where two
things meet (for example,
where the sky meets the
ground); the line of separation
(called a contour) between two
shapesor a spaceand a shape.
mark on the head.

Foreshortening.A means of creating
the illusion of projecting
or receding forms on a flat
surface.
Format. The particular shapeof a
drawing surface (rectangular,
square,triangular, etc); the
proportional relationshiP of
the length to the width of a
rectanzular surface.
f mage.Verb:Tocall up in the mind a

mental copy of somerhing not
presentto the senses;to seein
the mind's eye.Noun: Aretinal
image; an optical image
received by the visual sysrem
Negative spaces.The areasaround

positive forms that, in drawing
share edgeswith the forms.
Negative spacesare bounded
and interpreted or reinterpreted by the brain.
can be parts of positive forms.
lmagination.A recombination of
mental images from past experiencesinto new patterns.
Intuition. Direct and apparently
unmediated knowledge; a judgment, meaning, or idea that
occurs to a person without any
known process of reflective
thinking; an idea that seemsto
"come from nowhere.tt
Left-handedness.
About ten percent
of the population prefers using
the left hand for motor activities such as writing or drawing.
Location of brain functions
may vary in both left and right
handers.
Left hemisphere.The left half of the
cerebrum. For most righthanded individuals, verbal
functions are located in the left
hemisphere.
Light logic.In art, the effect caused
by a light source. Light rays,
falling in straight lines, can
logically be expected to
causerhe following: highlights,
cast shadows,reflected lights,
and crest shadows.
L-mode.A mental stare of information processingcharacterized
aslinear, verbal, analytic, and
losical.
by the outer edgesof the format. "Interior" hegative spaces

Pencilgrades.The grade number
stamped on drawing pencils
indicates the hardnessor
softnessof the graphite.
"g" indicates"hard;tt"B"
(illogically) indicates "black"
or "soft." "Hs" divides grades
between hard and soft by a
middle grade, thusly:8n (the
hardest),6u,4u,2H, HB,2r',4r,,
6r,8a (the softest).The #z yellow writing pencil is the equivalent of the sn or, more commonly, the zn drawing pencil.
Picture plane.An imaginary rransparent plane, like a framed window, that alwaysremains parallel to the verrical plane of the
artist's face.The artist draws on
paper what he or she sees
beyond the plane asthough the
view were flattened on the
plane. Invenrors of photography used this concept to develop the first cameras.
Realisticdrawing. The objective
depiction of objects,forms, and
figures attenrively perceived.
Also called "naturalism."
Relationships.Inart, how the parts
of an artwork are organized
and connected.Also commonly
known asperspectiae
andproportion:the relarionship of angles
to vertical and horizontal
and the relationship of sizes
to each other.
Right hemisphere.The right half of

the cerebrum. For most righthanded individuals, visual, spatial, relational functions are
located in the right hemisphere.
R-mode.A state of information processingcharacterized assimultaneous,global,spatial,and
relational.
Sighting.In drawing measuring relative sizesby means of a constant measure (the pencil held
at arm's length is the most usual
measuring device); determining the location of one part relative to another part. Also,
determining anglesrelative to
vertical and horizontal.
Symbolsystem.In drawing, a set of
symbols that are consistently
used to form an image-for
example, a face or figure. The
symbols are usually used in
sequence,one appearing to call
forth another, much in the
manner of writing familiar
words. Symbol systemsin
drawn forms are usually set in
childhood and often persist
throughout adulthood unless
modified by learning new ways
to draw perceptions.
Value.In art, the darknessor lightnessof tones or colors. White is
the lightest, or highest, valuel
black is the darkest,or lowesr,
value.
Viewfinden A device used by artists
to frame a view and provide
bounding edgesto a composition; similar to the device on a
camefa that lets the user see
what is being photographed.
The Exercises
EXERCISE I
Pre-Instruction
Self-Portrait
Purposeoftbeexercise:
mirror
tape
sharpener
.
'':::
Pre-instruction drawingsprovide a valuablerecord of, your skills:in

drawing at the presentmoment, a record that will enableyou to apprec!ateyour advancein skills at a later date.
Insttuctions:
,,
Look at page3 of the workbook,"Pre-Instruction Drawing #r, SelfPortrait."

nceded:
3ominutes,more if needed
., Placeachairinfrontofamirroronthewall.(IfneceSsarytapea
small-say, frr I grr-11irror to the wall.)

Sit at arm'slength from the mirror, leaningyour workbook againstthe
wall and resting the bottom of the workbook on your knees'
+. Draw your self-portrait to the bestof your abiliry.

t. When you havefinished,date and sign your drawing.
Post- exercise remarhs:
Peopleare often highly critical of their pre-insuuction self-portrai.qbut
if you look closely,you will seeareaswhere you wre truly dralvingyour
l
perceptions-perhaps the turn of the eyelid,the shapeof an eaq or the
line of a collar.The qualiry of the drawing may surpriseyou: Or, if you
can find no more to saythan "Ugh!" aboutyour drawing.be patient
Drawing is a skill that can be taught and canbe learned;it is not magic,
and it doesnot dependon geneticgood fortune.
EXERCISEI
PRE-INSTRUCTIONSELF-PORTRAIT
Pre-lnstructionDrawing#r:
Self-Portrait
EXERCISEI
PRE-INSTRUCTIONSELF_PORTRAIT
E X E R C T S E2
Pre- InstructionD rarruiry

of YourHand
Instntctions:
writing pencil
Look at paget of the workbook,"Pre-InstructionDrawing#2,

My Hand."
il sharpener
needed:
15minutes,more if needed
., Sit at a table with the workbook arrangedat a comfortableangle.

)' Try out variouspositionsof your non-drawing hand (the left if you are
right-handed,or the right if you are left-handed),and choosea position

in which you will draw it.
4. Hold your posinghand still and makea drawing of your own hand.
t. Sign and date your drawing.
EXERCISE2
PRD-INSTRUCTIONDRAWINGOFYOURHAND
Pre-Instruction Drawing #z:

MvHand
EXERCISE 2
PRE-INSTRUCTION
DRAWING OF YOUR HAND
Part I
The Perception
of Edges
EXERCTSE
3
Material,s:
Instractions:
#z yellow writing pencil

Pencil sharpener
Timeneede*
About zo minutes,more if needed
Pre-InstructionDrawing
of the Cornerof aRoom
r. Look at page7 of the workbook,"Pre-Instruction Drawing#j,

A RoomCorner."
z. Look aroundthe room in which you are working and chooseone corner
to draw.It can be a simple,empty corner,a corner with a few items,or a
very complicatedscene.
3. Sit in a chair with the workbook on your lap.
4. Draw the room corner to the bestof your ability.
5. Sign and date your drawing
EXERCISE 3
PRE-INSTRUCTTON
DRAWTNG OF THE CORNER OF A ROOM
Pre-Instruction Drawing #3:

A Room Corner
EXERCISE 3
PRE-INSTRUCTTON DRAWING OF THE CORNER OF A ROOM
ExERcrsE J
pRE-rNsrRUcrroN DRAWING oF THE coRNER oF A RooM
Part I
The Perception
''of
Edges
E X E R C I SE
fuIanials:
Purposeof tbe exercirc:
&k-tip markeror #4ydrawing

trnncil
Peneilsharpener
This exerciseis designedto give you a feel br the very personalexpressivequaliry of pencil lines on paper.You will "try out" the line srylesof ,
masterartistsand then experimentwith your own marks,both fast and
slow.Your personalsryle will emergein the courseof using this workbook.It comesfrom your history your physiology,your personaliry your
cultural background,and all the factorsthat make opl,i.you cannot
plan your sryle or foretell it, but you can watchfor its emergence.See
pagero for an illustration of style differences.
Eiteneeded
dboutrominutes
Warm-up andFree
Drawing
Instractions:
r. Turn to pagerr of the workbook,"Line Styles."
z. In Formatr, makevery fast"Matisse"marks(seeExamplea).
3. In Format z, makemedium-fasr"Delacroix" marks(seeExample b).
4. In Format 3,makemedium-slow "Van Gogh" marks(seeExarnplec).
y. In Format 4, makevery slow "Ben Shahn"marks(seeExample d).
6. In Format;, makeyour own marks,somefast,someslow.
7. Sign and date your drawings.
EXERCISE 4
WARM-UP
AND,FREE DRAWING
.*:tS
Henri Matisse, StandingNude,rgor-o3.Brush

and ink, ro%x 8 inches. Collection, The
Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of
Edward Steichen.
Matisse marks.
Vincent van Gogh, Groaeof CXtpreses,figg.

Drawing-reed pen and ink, z4%x fi% inches.
Gift of Robert Allerton. Courtesy of the Art
Institute of Chicago.
Van Gogh marks.
Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863),

EtadesdeBras
et detames,ryor--o3.Pen and sepia ink on buff
paper,2r7 x 3to mm. Worcester Sketch Fund
Income. Courtesy of the Art Institute of
Chicago.
Delacroix marks.
Ben Shahn (1898-1969,

Russian-American), Dn
Ben Shahn marks.
rl"
,*sft$,*
f ,* --:a"$tlrlJll
t RobertOppmbeimer,ry54,brushand ink, r9%

x rz%inches. The Museum of Modern Art,
New York.
1$
ff*
EXERCISE 4
WARM-UP AND FREE DRAWING
EXERCISE 4
WARM-UP
AND FREE DRAWING
ffiWT':':: ::":st:":
s@':
f r,+,
,r$$&ffii{
Heather Allen by the author.
Grace Kennedv bv the author.
liq
Grace Kennedy by Brian Bomeisler.
These are demonstration drawings by instructor Brian Bomeisler

and myself We sat on either side of the same models, used the same
drawing materialq and drew for the same length of time. Yet see how
diferent our styles of drawing are: my style emphasizes line, while
Briants emphasizes form.
T2
EXERCISE 4
\ryARM-UP AND FREE DRAWING
Part I
The Perception
of Edges
ExERCTsE5
Materials:
Purposeof tbe exercise:
#z yellow writing pencil and eraser
This exerciseis designedto demonstratethe possibilityof conflict

betweenthe brain'slanguagemode,which I havetermed"L-mode," and
its visual-perceptualmode,or "R-mode."
The "Vase/Faces"
drawingis a visualillusion drawingthat canbe
seeneither astwo facingprofilesor asa symmetricalvasein the center.
You aregivenone half of the drawing andyour job will be to draw the
secondprofile-thus inadvertentlycompletingthe symmetricalvasein
the center.
The "VaselF'aces"
Drawirg
Pencilsharpener
Time needed:
About; minutes
fnsffuctions:
Tirrn to pagert in the workbook,"Vase/Faces
Drawing for RightHanders,"or, if you areleft-handed,to page14,"Vase/Faces
Drawing for
Left-Handers."
2.
Redrawthe profile alreadyprinted on the page.With your pencil,go over

the lines,namingthe partsasyou go:"Forehead.. . nose.. . upperlip.. .
lowerlip . . . chin.. . neck."
)' Next, draw the missingprofile that will completethe symmetricalvase.
A
't'
When you cometo the point in the exerciseshownin the drawings

below,you may beginto experiencea senseof conflictor confusion.
Continuethroughthis momentof conflict,self-observingasyou draw to
becomeawareof how you solvethe problem..
-et
ExERcIsE t
rHE "vAsr/racrsn
DRAwTNG
^)
rt
Post- exercise remarhs:

You may havestoppedat the onsetof conflict or confusionand given
yourself someinstructionsto solvethe problem,suchaq,'Don't think of
the namesof the features.Draw the vaseinstead."There are many other
solutions.Somestudentsstart over and work from the bottom up. Some.
grid the drawing in squaresor establishpoints where the line turns on
the outermost and innermost cufves.
The reasonthe exercisecausesconflict is that by askingyou to name
the facial featuresasyou redrew them, I strongly activatedyour brain's
languagemode.Then I gaveyou a task (to draw the missingprofile in
reverseorientation) that can be achievedonly by making a mental shift
to the visual,perceptual,relational R-mode.For most people,the struggle to makethat shift is markedby a senseof conflict or confusion.
t6
ExERcrsEt
rHE
nvesr/recrs" DRAwING
.--'*i
Part I
The Perception
of Edges
EXERCISE
Materials:
Picasso's
rgzodrawingof the composerIgor Stravinsky,page18;oq
alternatively:
This exerciseis designedto reduce

conflictbetweenbrain modesby
causingyour languagemodeto drop out of the task.Presumably,the
languagemode,confusedandblockedby the unfamiliarupside-down
imageyou will be drawing becomesunableto nameandsymbolizeas
usual.In effect,it seemsto say,"I don't do upsidedown," and allows
the visualmodeto takeover.R-modeis the appropriatemodefor this
drawingtask.
the drawingof the horsein foreshortened(frontal)view,pagezo;

the drawing HorseandRideabyan
unknownGermanarrist,pagezz;
or the figuredrawingby the Austrian
artistEgonSchiele,page24.
#z yellow writing pencil,sharpener,
anderaser
Pencil
Time needed:
10to 40 minutes
Upside-DownDrawitrg
Instructions:
The drawing you havechosen(the PicassoStraainskjt,the
frontal view
of the horse,theHorseandRideror the figuredrawingby Egon Schiele)
is printed upsidedown.Your copywill alsobe doneupsidedown.The
accompanyingpagefor your drawingis side-by-sidewith eachupsidedown image.Startinganywhereyou like-most peoplestartin the upper
left-handcorner-begin to copythe drawingyou havechosen.Note:
I adviseagainstdrawingthe wholeoutline.If thereis any error in the
outline, the parts will not fit together.This is quite frustrating to Rmode,which is specializedfor perceivinghow partsfit together.
z. Moving from line to adjacentline, spaceto adjacentspace,fit the parts
togetherasyou go.Try not to nameparrsasyou aredrawing.Draw the
linesjust asyou seethem,without trying to figureout what you are
drawing.When you cometo partsthat seemto forcetheir nameson
you-such asthe handsandthe fac-try to focuson thosepartsasjust
unnamedshapes.
When you havefinishedyour drawing,turn it right sideup. I think you
will be surprisedandpleasedby what you see.Justbe sureyou don't rurn
the drawingright sideup until you havecompletelyfinishedit.
Signanddateyour drawing.Includethe notationalwaysusedfor a
copieddrawing:"After Picasso,""After Anonymous"(for the German
drawingor the frontal view of the horse),or'After Schiele."
i
il
:t
t. Time permitting it is extremelyhelpful to do a secondand evena thild

upside-downdrawing,usingthe drawingsyou did nor choosethe first
time.
EXERCISE O
UPSIDE-DOWN
DRAWING
17
EXERCISE 6
UPSIDE-DOWN
DRAWING
r9
EXERCISE6
UPSIDI,_I)O\,VNDRA\,VING
EXERCISE O
UPSIDE-DOWN
DRAlryING
a1
ExERcrsE 6
upsron-oowN
DRAwTNG
25
: Post-exercircrEmaib
',
It goesagainstcommensense&at it iggasier"t-o
fraw.g
upsideifoSrrr,'
downthdn right sidqrip. Whtiir anirnagp,!.s
verbalbrain mode is disorientedin itp attedptto ufevisu
it aftarendf'
nameandc*eEiae.Therefore,
sesttri
the visual mode to'talireover;Sincewe,car*tgirn the w4
gain'r
our maintaskin learnifugmdrawis to learnhow'"to
'
visual mode evenwhen things are right sideup.
sNrncrsn 6
uPsr,DE:EowNDR*wING
Part I
The Perception
of Edges
EXERCTSE
7
Materials:
#z yellow writing pencil, sharpener,

anderaser
The aim of this.exercise,aswith the previous one,is ro causeyour

brain'slanguagemode to drop out asyou draw,this time by presentingit
with a taskthat seemsboring repetitive, and unnecessary.
A secondpurposeis to introduce the first basicskill of drawing the skill of perceiving
edges.
Pure Contour Drawing
Maskingtape
Alarm clock or kitchen timer
Time needed:
Instractions:
About 15minutes
I.
T\rrn to pagezg of the workbook.
) Tape the workbook to a tabletop.
)' Setyour kitchen timer for 5 minutes.
4. Sit at the table with your drawing hand holding the point of your pencil
in the middle of the workbook page,ready to draw.
t. Now turn aroundin your seatso that you are facing in the opposite
direction. Gaze ata single wrinkle in the palm of your non-drawing
hand.
6. Begin to draw that wrinkle, definedin drawing asan."edge."Move from
wrinkle to wrinkle (edgeto adjacentedge),confiningyour drawingto
what you seein the center of your palm, in an areaof about a square
inch. Dcv.notaftempt to outline your whole hand,and do not flrrn to look
at the drawing you are creatingon the page.
l-*-
EXERCISE 7
PURE CONTOUR
DRAWING
27
7. As your eyesvery slowly track the edgeof eachtiny wrinkle in your

palm,one millimeter at a time, your pencil will recordyour perceptions
simultaneously.Your hand and pencil will function like a seismograph,
recording every detail of what you are seeing.
8. Continueto drawuntil the timer signalsyou to stop.Then turn andlook
at your drawing.
'.\
9. Signand dateyour drawing.
/':
{,*,
Tbe Fiae PerceptaalSkills of Drawing
,v
!'i,
The global skill of realistic drawing includes thesefive perceptualskills:

I.
Tbeperceptionof edges,expressed
through "line" or "contour" drawing.
2.
Tbeperceptionof spaces,indrawing called "negativespaces."
Tbeperceptionof relationsbips,knownasperspectiveand proportion.
+' Tbeperceptionof l,igbtsand shadows,often called "shading."

5. Tbeperceptionof tbegestah--that is, the whole, or the "thingness"of the
thing.
With practice,thesecomponentskillsbecomeintegratedinto a single,
globalskill, enablingyou to draw whateveryou see.
Post- exercise remarks:
Studentsoften laugh when they seetheir drawings:tanglesof indecipherablelines.This exercise,however,is one of the mostimportanrin
the workbook.Many artistsdo a bit of Pure Contour drawing(sometimes called "blind" contour drawing) every time they sit down to work.
Pure Contour drawing is the most efficientway I know of preparing
the brain for visualtasks.The verbalbrain mode,which is seeminglyeasily bored,findsthe taskso tedious(andso "useless'intermsof producing a recognizable,
nameableimage)that it quickly dropsout, enabling
the visualmodeto comeforward.R-mode,however,seemsto find
detailed complexity fascinatingand will keepon with the drawinguntil
the timer sounds.If at somepoint in your Pure Contour drawing you
found yourself becominginterestedinyourperception of the tiny areain
your palm, that indicatesa shift to the visual mode.If not, try another
shortsession.
Examples of students'pure contour drawings.
z8
EXERCTSE7
PURE CONTOUR DRAWTNG
Pure contour drawing.
E X E R C I S E7
PURE CONTOUR DRAWING
29
Part I
The Perception
of Edges
E X E R C I S EB
Materiab
Purposeof the exercise:
#z yellowwriting pencil,sharpener,
anderaser
This exerciseintroducesthe conceptof the "picture plane,"one of the

key conceptsin learningto draw The picture planeis an imaginary,
transparentplane,like a sheetof imaginaryglassthat alwayshangsin
front of an artist'sface.An artistusesthe picture planeto flattena perceivedimage(like a photograph)in order to translatethe actualthreedimensionalsceneinto a drawingon two-dimensional(thatis,flat) paper.
In this exercise,you will useyour actualPicturePlane/Viewfinder
to draw your handwith the fingerspointing towardyour face.This is
calleda "foreshortened"view,andit is one that mostbeginningstudents
regardastoo difficult to draw.The PicturePlane/Viewfinderwill
provide an actualsurfaceon which you will draw the flattenedimageof
your three-dimensionalhand,and,in addition,a viewfinderto framethe
image.Like magic,your flat drawingon the actualplasticplanewill
appearthree-dimensional.
PicturePlane/Viewfinderinserted
into this workbook.(Removeit as
directed.To makethe Picture
Plane/Viewfindermore rigid, cut a
narrowframe-about an inch and a
half wide-from cardboardanduse
tapeto attachit to the backof the
PicturePlane/Viewfinder.)
Erasablefelt-tip markingpen
Slightlydampenedtissueor paper
towel
DrawittgYour Hand on
the PlasdcPicturePlane
Time needed:
About5 minutes
JamesMontgomery Flag, I WantYou,r9r7,

3ox 4o inches. Poster by Walter Rawls.
Imperial War Museum, London, England.
ExERcrsE 8
onewtNc
youR HAND oN THE pLAsrIc prcruRE pLANE
Note:
To makecorrections.setthe marker
down andusea dampenedtissueto
eraselines withoutmlaingyourposed
band.Beawarethat the felt-tip
markerwill makea line that is somewhat rough and shaky.
You may want to try this exercise
again,with your handin anorher
position.Simply wipe offthe Picrure
Planeand do anotherdrawing.Try t
really "hard" view-the more complicated,the better.Saveyour last
drawingfor the next exercise.
Instructions:
I.
Uncapthe felt-tip markerand hold it in your drawinghand.
z. Restyour other handon the edgeof a table,with your fingerspointing
toward your facein foreshortenedview.

Balanceyour plasticPicturePlane/Viewfinderon your "posed"hand.
SeeFigure8-r.
Closeone eyeso that you arelooking at your handwith only one eye.
This removesbinocularvision-literally, "rwo-eyedvision"-which
producestwo slightly differentimagesthat aremeldedrogerherby the
brain to providedepth perception.Closingone eyeproducesa single
image,a flat image,of your hand.
t. With the marker,beginto draw the edgesof your handon the plastic
PicturePlane/Viewfinder.Draw the edgesjust asyou seethem,without
trying to figure out why they are the way they are.Be sure nor ro move
eitheryour handor your head.You must keepa constanr,unchanged
view.Draw the edgeswith asmuch detail aspossible(recallthe lessonof
Pure Contour drawing).Allow the edgesof your wrist to touch the edges
of the format.SeeFigure B-3.
6. When you havefinished,placethe plasticplaneon a pieceof white
papersothat you canseethe drawingon rhe plastic.
Post-exerciseremarks:
Figure 8-r.,.
With relativelylittle effort,you haveaccomplishedone of the truly

difficult tasksin drawing-drawing the humanhandin foreshortened
view How did you accomplishthis so easily?You did what a trained
artistdoes:you copiedwhat you sawflattenedon the picture planein this instance,an actualplasticplane.Understandinghow ro usethe
imaginarypicture planeis the secretro portrayingthree-dimensional
formsin realisticdrawing.
More than any other exercise,this is the one that mostfrequently
causesstudentsto experiencethe "Aha!Sothat'show it's done!"of learning to draw.I can now definedrawing for you: Drawingiscoplingusltatjtou
see,fanened
onthepictureplane.
Figure 8-2.
EXERCISD U
DRAWING YOUR HAND ON THE PLASTIC PICTURE PLANE
31
r7
7
1a
ExERcIsE 8
onewrNc YouR HAND oN THE PLAsrIc PIcruRE PI-{NE
Part I
The Perception
of Edges
EXERCISE
Settinga Ground
Materiah
#z yellow pencil ot #48 drawing

pencil,sharpeneqand eraser
"Settinga ground,"which meanstoning the paperyou will draw on by

rubbingit with graphiteor charcoal,providesseveraladvantages.
First,
the tonedgroundprovidesa middle valueor shadeto which you can
addlights andshadowsby erasingthe lighted areasand darkeningthe
shadowedareas.Second,I find that studentsseemmore comfortable
startinga drawingwhen they havealreadyworkedon the paperto tone
a ground.For some,a blank white pagecanseemintimidating.Third,
tonedpaperis very forgivingin termsof correctingerrors.It allowsyou
to makecorrecrionsinvisibly by just erasinga mistakeand rubbingto
restorethe tone.
#4n graphitestick
Dry papertowel or tissue
Tirne needed:
t to ro minutes
Instructions:
I.
2.
Turn to page3t of the workbook.You will seea pre-drawnformat

(a line definingthe edgeof a drawing)with crosshairs,
faint verticaland
horizontallinesthat divide the format into four equalquadrants.
on a sheetof scratchpaper,rub down one of the sharpedgesof your
graphitestick to createa roundedcorner.
)' Usingthe roundededgeof the graphite,lightly shadethe areawithin the

1
format.use the dry papertowel or tissueto rub the graphite-covered

area,pressingvery firmly,until you haveachievedan even,silverytone
on the paper.SeeFigures9-t and 9-2.
If you wish,usean eraserto cleanup the edgesof the format;o! you
may wantto leavethe softtoned areaaroundthe format that is often left
from the rubbingprocess.
t. Practice"makinga mistake"andfixing ir. Make a pencil mark on the

toned area,eraseit, andrub the tone againuntil the erasermark disappears.You may needto add a bit of graphitefrom the graphitestickor
from your pencil andthen rub again.
EXERCTSEg
SETTTNG A GROUND
1)
))
Figure 9-2.
Post-exerciserem&rks:
Your paperis now readyfor the next srep-a beautiful drawing of your
hand.Learningto set a groundis a usefulskill. At times,however,you
will wantto draw directly on untonedpaper.In this workbook,you will
useboth methods.
34
EXDRCISEg
SETTTNG A GROUND
L@*
EXERCISE g
SETTTNG A GROUND
3t
E X E R C I S EI o
Part I
The Perception
of Edges
TransferringYour Hand
Drawittgfrom Picture
Planeto Puper
Materials:
Parposeof the exercise:
PicturePlane/Viewfinder,with the
drawingof your handin foreshortenedview from Exercise8
In drawinga perceivedimage,an artistcopiesonto PaPerthe flattened

,,seen,,
on a real or imaginarypicture plane.In Exercise8,drawing
image
youi ha.rdon the plastic,I madethe imaginarypicrureplaneinto an
a.toal planeon which you drew your handwith your felt-tip marker.
You will nor^/copythat drawingfrom the plasticPicrurePlaneonto
paper.Thus,we haveinsertedan extrastep-drawing on an actual
pi.,,tt. plane-to accustomyou to the processof drawing,which,by
iefinition, is copyingdirectly onto paperwhat the artistseesflattened
"on the plane."
#z yellow writing pencil,sharpener,

anderaser
Time needed:
Joto 40 minutes
Instructions: First Part of the Exercise
r. T\rrn backto pageIt of the workbook,with the printed format,the faint

andyour tonedgroundfrom Exercise9'
crosshairs,
z. Setthe plasticPicturePlanewith the drawingof your handon it alongsideyour tonedformat.You will seethat the formatsof the Picture
Plane/viewfinderandyour toned ground arethe samesize,andthe
crosshairsdivide the spacein the sameway'SeeFigure ro-I'
on plasticto your tonedpaperby
3. The first stepis to transferthe drawing
Note wherean edgeof
lightty sk"t.hi.rg in the main edgesandspaces.
yoo, wri.t touchesthe e4geof the format.with your pencil,mark that
point on the paper.Follow the directionof the line on plastic.Ask yourself;what is its angle?within the quadrant,wheredoesit changedirection?SeeFigureIo-2.
rhe sprce above rh 6ngernail
the space between
fingers
*1
,\
It
r \\
\,/.J
Figure ro-2.
iL ,
Figrrre ro-3.
Figure Io-4.
36ExERcIsEIoTRANSFERRINGYoURHANDDRAWINGFRoMPICTUREPLANEToPAPER
Try not to namethe parts,suchasfingersandfingernails.The edgesof

the fingernailsandthe shapesaroundthe fingernailsaredefinedby a
sharededge.Shift your focusro rhe shapesaroundthe fingernails,and
draw thoseshapes.
The shapesareeasyto seeanddraw becauseyou have
no memorizedsymbolfor them,asyou havefor fingernails.By this
means,you will haveinadvertentlydrawnthe fingernails,andyou will
find that they arecorrectlydrawn.SeeFiguresro-3and ro-4.
t, As you transferthe drawingfrom plasticonto your papel continueto

checkall the pointswherethe linestouch the format lines andthe
crosshairs.
Then continuero copy all the anglesand curveswithin each
quadrant,noting whereeachpoint touchesor crossesa crosshairor
wherea point falls within a quadrant.
Instructions: SecondPart of tbe Exercise
I.
When you havefinishedcopyingthe main edgesof your handdrawing

from the plasticplaneonro pape! you arereadyro startturning the
sketchinto a more detaileddrawing againusingyour handasthe model.
First, setasidethe plasticPicturePlaneand rerurn your "posing"handto
the positionin which you originally drew it on the PicturePlane.
Closeone eyeto flattenthe image.Carefully look at eachcontouredge
of your hand.Adjust and refineeachedgein your drawing,recallingthe
lessonof Pure Contour drawing.SeeFigure ro-5:.
Half closeyour eyesto seethe largeshapesof lights andshadowsin
your hand.
+' Useyour eraserto "draw out" the light shapesandyour pencil to darken
the shadowshapes.
The exampledrawings,Figuresro-6 and ro-7,will
guide you.
5. Signand dateyour drawing.
Figure ro-6. Drawing by student Mark
Dalgaard.
This is your first "real" drawing and I can assumewith someconfidence
that you arepleasedwith the resuks.The conceptof sharededges-that
is, a placewheretwo thingscometogetherto form a single,sharededge
that,in drawing,is representedby a "contour" line-is an important
concept.It helpsyou to escapethe influenceof memorizedsymbolsby
enablingyou to draw easy,unnameablepartswhile simultaneouslyand
effortlesslyportrayingthe difficult parts.On page17is an additional
format for practicingthis exerciseagain,drawingyour handin a different
position.
Returnto the Pre-InstructionDrawing of Your Hand (Exercisez, p.5) to
appreciatehow your skillshaveadvanced.
The next rhreeexercises
will
providepracticebasedon rhe aboveinstructionsbut usingdifferentsubiect matter.
Figure ro-7.Drawing by instructor

RachaelThiele.
EXERCISE IO
TRANSFERRING YOUR HAND DRAWING FRoM PICTURE PLANI To PAPTR
77
?8
EXERCISE IO
TRANSFERRING YOUR HAND DRAWING FROM PICTURE PLANE TO PAPER
Part I
The Perception
of Edges
EXERCISE II
Materials:
#z writing and#4n drawingpencils,

sharpener,
anderaser
In this exercise,you will againdraw your hand.This time, however,your

handwill be holding an object,thus addingcompositionalinterestand
providing a new challengewhile encouragingyou to practicethe skills
you havejust learned.
DrawingYour Hand
HoldinganObiect
Felt-tipmarker
PicturePlane/Viewfinder
Instructions:
#4n graphitestick
Turn to page42 in the workbook,with the pre-drawnformat andfaint

crosshairs.
Dry papertowel
An objectto hold: a pen or pencil,a
setof keys,a handkerchief,a small
toy,a glove,or anythingelsethat
appeals
to you
Time needed:
z. Useyour graphitestick andpapertowel to set a ground.You may wantto
try a slightly lighter or slightly darkergroundthan the one you usedfor

the lastexercise.
))' Uncapyour felt-tip markerso that it is readyto use.
,'l
30to 40 minutes
Hold the objectyou havechosenin your non-drawinghand andtry several posesto find one that you like.
t. Balancethe PicturePlane/Viewfinderon your posinghand.Pick up the

felt-tip marker,closeone eye,andusethe markerto draw the edgesof
your handandthe objecton the plasticplane.
When you havefinished,placethe plasticplaneon a sheetof white
paperso that you canseethe markerlinesof the drawing.Setyour toned
format alongsidethe drawingon plastic.
7. Usingyour pencil,copythe main edgesof the picture-planedrawing
onto the tonedpaper.
When you havesketchedthe whole hand and objectonto the paper,set
the PicturePlane/Viewfinderasideandreturn your posinghand,holding the object,to its original position.
9. Again,closeone eyeto flattenthe imageandcarefullyredraweach
contouredge,adjustingandrefiningthe drawingasneeded.
IO.
When the edgesaredrawn,look for the shapesof lighted areasandshadowedareasby squintingyour eyesto maskout fine detail.Erasethe lighted shapesanduseyour #4n drawingpencil to darkenthe shadowed
shapes.
When the drawingis finished,signand dateit.
EXERCISE II
DRAWING YOUR HAND HOLDING
AN OBIECT
,j
\*t -' G,qi

- +Jl
Drawing by student Mark Gray.
Drawing by student K.M. Lee.
:rt
trf
,,
*"rt
ir!^,iA
Drawing by student Laurie Kuroyama.
':6'\::
l\!|-.
.*rl
Drawing by student EtJrel Branham.

Drawing by student Diane Hahn.
4o
EXDRCISE II
AN OBIECT
Drawing by Alice Picado.
Post-exerciserema.rks:
This drawingprovidesopporftnities to differentiatetextures-here, the
differencebetweenthe fleshof the handandthe objectit is holding.
I havefound that studentsarevery inventiveat usingthe pencil in a
varietyof waysto showthe differencesbetween,say,a metalobjectand
the handthat holdsit. Intuitively,they vary the thicknessof lines,the
smoothness
or roughnessof pencil marks,andthe lightnessor darkness
of tone.
This is a challengingdrawing,but eachtime you practicethe routine
of drawing-that is,choosinga subject,selectinga poseand composition, seeingthe imageflattenedon the plane,anddrawingthe flattened
imageonto paperusingthe conceptof sharededges-the processwill
becomemore familiar to you andwill be more smoothlyintegrated.
Drawing by the author.
Drawing by Brian Bomeisler.
Drawing by Grace Kennedy.
EXERCISE II
AN OBIECT
+r
A)
-T-
EXERCISE II
AN OBIECT
Part I
The Perception
of Edges
EXERCISE
T
)
LLJ
DrawirtgaFlower
Materials:
#z writing and#4s drawingpencils,

sharpeneqanderaser
This drawingwill showyou the beautyof simplepencil lineson

ungroundedpaper.You will be drawinga flowerwith its stemandleaves.
Flowers,of course,arethree-dimensional,
andthe leavesare arranged
in differentdirectionsaroundthe stem.How to portray this threedimensionalityoften mystifiesstudents.As you haveseenwith your hand
drawings,however,usingthe picture planeis the key to realistically
depictingthis beautifulform on paper.Paradoxically,
you must first
flattenthe form in order to depict its true volume asa three-dimensional
form existingin space.
PicrurePlane/Viewfinder
Felt-tip marker
Freshflower(or a silk floweqif
necessary),
with the stemand a few
leaves
Time needed:
Instructions:
rt to zo minutes
I.
Turn to page+t of the workbook.
z. Lightly draw a setof perpendicularcrosshairs

into the blankformat.
From hereon, you will be drawingthe crosshairsin pencil sothat you

canerasethem later if you wish.
Leanthe flower againsta plain backgroundprop,suchasa box or a book
coveredwith white paper.You may alsoplacethe flower in a vaseif you
wish.
Hold the PicturePlane/Viewfinderverticallyin front of the flower.
Closeone eyeanduseyour felt-tip markerto draw the edgesof the
flower,stem,andleavesjust asyou seethem flattenedon the plane.
Be awarethat the line will be somewhatshakyanduncertain.
(. Using yorr #z pencil and drawing with a light, thin line, transferthe
main pointsof your plasticplanedrawingonto the paper.

Setthe PicturePlane/Viewfinderto one side.Look closelyat eachpart
of the floweqstem,and leaves,and,usingyour #4n drawingpencil
(whichis softerthan the #z writing pencil),redrawall of the edges.
Rememberthe lessonof Pure Contour drawing:pay closeattentionto
details and to how the parts fit togetherto form the whole.
7. Erasethe crosshairsif you wish;signand dateyour drawing.
EXERCISE 12
DRAWING A FLOWER
+3
Post - exercise remarks:

You haveiust completed a "line" drawing-that is, a drawing in pure
line without shading.Yet, asI am sure you can see,your drawing of the
flower appearsto be fully three-dimensional,because
jtoudreatthesbared
just
edges
of yar subJect asJoa sa.wthemontbeplane.Line alone can give your
drawingthe illusion of three dimensions,and line alonecanmakea
beautiful drawing.
,"1
oa\
fi
4+
EXERCISE 12
DRAWING A FLOWER
EXERCISE 12
DRAWING
A FLOWER
Part I
The Perception
of Edges
E X E R C I S E1 3
Materials:
Purposeof tbe etcerc$e:
#z writing and#4n drawingpencils,

anderaser
sharpener,
This exercisegivesyou further practicein usingthe PicturePlaneto

draw a "difficult" view of an object.In this case,you will be drawinga
half-peeledorange,with the peelsmovingin three dimensions'
Drawitrgan Orange
Instructions:
Felt-tip marker
An orange,with the peel cut into
triangularsectionsandpeeled
halfwayback(asin the example
drawing)
r. Tirrn to page48 of the workbook.

z. Using yot:ir#z pencil,lightly draw crosshairswithin the format,dividing
the format into four equalquadrants.
Sheetof white papet about9" xrz"

Time needed:
20to 30minutes
3. Setthe orangeon a pieceof white paper.Composeyour drawingby

holdingup the plasticPicturePlane/Viewfinderandmovingit backand
forth and up and down in front of your setupuntil the orange,framedby
the viewfinder,forms a compositionthat you like.
4. Using your felt-tip marker,draw the orangeon the Picture
Plane/Viewfinder.Alwaysrememberto closeone eyein order to flamen
the image.
y. Usingthe crosshairsto guideyou, with your #z pencil copythe main
contoursof your plasticplanedrawingonto your drawingpaper.
6. Setthe PicturePlane/Viewfinderaside.Usingthe orangeasyour model,
refineandrevisethe drawingby seeingand drawingasmany detailsas
possible,recallingthe lessonof Pure Contour drawing.If you wish,use
your #4n pencil for this detailed drawing.When you find yourself
marveling at the beauty of the objectyou are drawing you will have
madea mentalshift to the visualmode.
7. Erasethe crosshairsif you wish; sign and date your drawing.
46
EXERCISE rl
DRAWING AN ORANGE
Post - exercise remark s:

The lastfive exercises
havefocusedon the first componentskill
of drawing:the perceptionof edges.By definition,an edgein drawing
is a sharededge.Recallthat by drawingthe edgeof the facein the
Vase/Faces
exercise,you simultaneouslydrew the edgeof the vase.
Additionally,when you drew your hand,drawingthe shapesaroundthe
fingernailscausedyou to inadvertentlydraw the fingernails.By using
edgesasthey aredefinedin drawingandby usingthe conceptof the
picture planeto draw varyingsubjects,suchasyour hand,a flower,and
an orange,you are gaining knowledgeof wbatdrawingisandof howtodoit.
EXERCISE 13
DRAWING AN ORANGE
47
4B
EXERCISE r3
DRAWING AN ORANGE
Part ll
The Perception
of Spaces
E X E R C I S E1 4
Materials:
#z and#4n pencils,sharpener,and
eraser
This exercisebuildson your new ability to seeanddraw edgesby

introducingyou to one of the mostimportantskillsin drawing:
seeingand drawingnegativespaces.
Negativespacesareimportantfor
three reasons:
Drawirg LeavesUsing
N.gative Spaces
Felctip marker
A sheetof 9" x rz" white paper
r. Seeingnegativespacesmakesit easyto draw difficult views,especially

foreshortenedviews.Negativespacesbuild on the conceptof edgesin
drawingassharededges:if you draw the negativespacesarounda foreshortenedform, you will haveinadvertentlyalsodrawnthe form, and
you will find that it is drawncorrectly.
Time needed:
z. An emphasison negativespacesstrengthensandimprovesthe unity

of your compositions.
Stemof a plant,ro" to 12"tall, with

medium-sized
leaves(seethe
drawingfor an example)
About3ominutes
3. Focusingon negativespacescausesthe languagemodeof the brain to

drop out, allowingaccess
to the visualbrain mode,which is suitedto the
taskof drawing.When you focuson an "empty" space,the language
modeseemsto say,in effect,"I do not dealwith nothing."It takesa
momentfor a negativespaceto "pop" into focusasa shape.This increment of time may be the languagemodeobjecting "what areyou looking at?I can'tnamethat.If you aregoingto gazeat nothing I'm dropping out."Perfect.Justwhat we want.
Instructions:
r. Tirrn to page5r of the workbook,with the printed format.
z. Lightly draw the crosshairswith your #z pencil.
3. Lay the stemwith leaveson a pieceof white paperand coverit with
your plasticPicrurePlane/Viewfinder.
4. Ratherthan thinking of drawinga lea{ look at the white shapes
surroundingthe leaves.Focuson one of thoseshapesandbeginto draw
that first "negativespace."Then draw an adjacentnegativespace.
t. "Copy" all of the white spacesonto your paper.Do not draw the leavesat
all, but be awarethat in drawingthe edgesof the negativespaces,
you
will haveinadvertentlydrawnthe edgesof the leaves.
49
EXERCISE 14
DRAWING LEAVES USING NEGATM
SPACES
49
\&sq
{lr,
tl
1r".
.+@
Where one leaf crossesanother,ignorethat edge.Your concernis with

the negativespacesonly.
7. As in drawingyour hand,note wherethe edgesof the white shapes
touch the format edgesandwherethey encounterthe crosshairs'
useyour pencil to fill them in so
8 . When you havedrawn all of the spaces,
that the negativespacesaredark andthe positiveforms (the stemand
leaves)areleft untouched.
9. Erasethe crosshairsif you wish;signand dateyour drawing.
Post-exercise remarks:
tI . .'lliq
l
I
J
li;.
From the imageyou havejust created,I am sureyou canseethe power

drawing.Drawingsthat emphasizenegativespaces
of negative-space
area pleasureto look at,perhapsbecausethe compositionsarestrong
(emphasison negativespacesalwaysimprovescomposition)and
hasbeen
the spacesandshapesareunifed,meaningthat equalattention
7i:
:...{t
:l
i::-ai
paid to both.
wffi
gl.l-"!.1
to
EXERCISE 14
DRAWING LEAVES USING NDGATIVE SPACES
EXERCISE 14
DRAWING LEAVES USING NEGATM
SPACES
t1
Part ll
The Perception
of Spaces
EXERCISE I f
Materials:
Drawitrgachair
in NegativeSpace
#z pencil,sharpeneqand eraser
Felt-tip marker
#4r graphitestick andpapertowel,
for settinga ground
Photographof a chaiqabout5" or
6", cut from a newspaperor
magazineadvertisement
(or usethe
one on paget+of the workbook)
One commonproblemin startinga drawingis decidinghowbigtomnketlte

frst shape.Ifyou draw the first shapetoo large,the subiectof your drawing will go offthe page.If you draw the first shapetoo small,the subject
will sit in the centerof the pageandyou mustthen dealwith theunintendedempty surrounding arca.Choosingwhat I call a "BasicUnit" asa
startingshapewill solvethis problemandenableyou to end with the
compositionyou intendedto draw.
Instructions:
r. T\rrn to page5y of the workbook,with the printed format.
z. Lightly draw the crosshairswith your #z pencil.
Sheetof white paper,9" x rz".
3. Seta groundwithin the printed format,following the directionsin

Exercise9.
+. Lay your PicturePlane/Viewfinderoveryour chair photograph,moving
it arounduntil you find a compositionyou would like to draw
Time needed:
About 3ominutes
5z
EXERCISE If
DRAWING A CHAIR IN NEGATIVD SPACE
t. Look at the variousnegativespacesof the chair.Chooseone to useas

a BasicUnit or startingshape.The shapeshouldbe roughlymedium in
sizecomparedto the other negativespaces-neithertoo largenor too
small.You needa manageable
unit of a simpleshape.SeeFigurer5-rfor
an example.
With your felt-tip marker,draw the shapeof that spaceonto the plastic
PicturePlane/Viewfinder.
7. Placethe PicturePlane/Viewfinderon a sheetof white papersothat
you canseethe shapeyou havedrawn.
Il
8 . With your #z pencil,copythat shapeonto your tonedformat,usingthe

crosshairsto guidethe sizeandplacement.SeeFigure r5-2.
9. Setthe PicturePlane/Viewfinderasideandbeginto draw the remaining
negativespacesof the chair by referringto the photograph.Make sure
that you sizeand shapeall of the spacesin relationshipto the BasicUnit.
In this way,you will end with the compositionyou chosein the first
place.SeeFigure ry-3.
When you havefinisheddrawingthe negativespaces,
useyour eraser
to removethe tone of eitherthe spacesor the chair itself.
Erasethe crosshairsif you wish;sign anddateyour drawing.
Figure ry-2.
This exercisein using a BasicUnit is the key to startingdrawings.If you

havea chanceto watcha professionalartistwork, it might seemto you
that the artist"just startsdrawing."On the contrary,by the time an artist
makesthe first mark on the paper,the subjecthasbeenscannedandthe
BasicUnit hasbeenmentallychosen.The artistthen locatesthe Basic
Unit within the format,perhapswith somequick handmovementsover
the paper(sometimescalled"phantom"drawing),in order to ensurethe
correctsizingandplacingof the BasicUnit within the format.It happens
sofast,however,that it seemsto someonewatchingthat the artistiust
startsdrawing.
In the exercises
to come,if choosinga BasicUnit seemsslow and
somewhattediousto you, rememberthat with practicethe processwill
soonbecomeautomaticandvery rapid.Then, you will no longerneed
the plasticPicturePlane/Viewfinderor the marker.The processwill be
entirely mental,andsomeonewatchingyou will think that you "just start
drawing."
The BasicUnit alsodemonstrates
that drawing in its own way,is
beautifullylogicalin its spatialaspects.
When the spacesandshapesare
drawnjust asthey appearon the picture planeandin correctrelationship
to the BasicUnit, they fit togetherin a logicalrelationshipthat seemssatisfting andfascinating.To me,this is one of the delightful aspectsof
drawins.
Figurer5-3.
EXERCISE rt
DRAWING A CHAIR IN NEGATM
SPACE
t3
,4
EXERCISE rJ
DRAWING A CHAIR IN NEGATM
SPACE
EXERCISE If
DRAWING
A CHAIR IN NEGATIVE
SPACE
_-,
))
EXERCISE16
Part ll
The Perception
of Spaces
Drawittg aHousehold
Obiect
Material,s:
#z and#4n pencils,sharpener,
anderaser
This exerciseprovidesfurther practice in using both negativespaces

andthe BasicUnit in order to help "set"theseskills.You will be drawing
on an ungroundedpapet to againdemonstratethe beautyof pencil
line on paper.
Felt-tip marker
A householdobject,suchasa
corkscrewbottle opener,eggbeateq
whisk,scissors,
or any gadgetthat
appealsto you.
Instructiont:
I.
T\rrn to page58of the workbook,with the printed format.
) Lightly draw the crosshairs

in the format with your #z pencil.
))' Setyour chosenobjectin front of you, proppingit upright if you wish.
Time needed:
4- Hold your Picture Plane/Viewfinder up in front of the object.
About zo minutes
Now, closeone eye and movethe Viewfinder arounduntil you find

a compositionyou like. Choosea negativespaceto useasa BasicUnit.
This canbe,for example,a spacein the handleof the scissors,
a space
betweenthe wiresof the whisk,or the spacebetweenthe handleand
arm of a corkscrewbottle opener.
{-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 eggbeater-your drawing will seemsomehowbeautiful andsignif.cant
This demonstrates,I believe,the power and importanceof negative
spacesin art.When you look at classicartworksin museumsor in books
on art, I guaranteethat you will seestrong emphasison negativespaces
over and over again.
?! :{':':rl
Drawing by student Kenneth Mclaren.
rxnnclsr
16
DRAWING A HousEHoLD oBIEcr
t7
t8
EXERCISE 16
DRAWING A HOUSEHO!-D OBIECT
Part ll
The Perception
of Spaces
E X E R C I S E1 7
Materials:
erasef
The five componentperceptualskillsof drawing-seeing edges,spaces,

relationships,
lights andshadows,andthe gestalt-apply to every
drawing no matterwhat the subjectmatter.For the purposeof these
exercises,
we aretakingup theseskillsone by one.
In this exercise,the emphasisis againon negativespaces,
with the
subjectthis time a sportsfigure.The purposeis to demonstratethat
foreshorteningin figuredrawing-one of the truly difficult aspects
of learningto draw-is madeeasyby shiftingfrom the foreshortened
formsto the negativespacesaroundthem.We areusing a sportsphotographbecausesuchphotographsvery ofteninclude foreshorteningand
arereadily availablein everydaynewspapers
(whereasfinding a modelto
posefor you in a foreshortenedpositioncanbe quite difficult).
Negative-Space
Drawitgof aSports
Photograph
Felt-tipmarker
A sportsphotographfrom a newspaper or magazine,preferablyone that
includesa foreshortenedview of an
athlete,andpreferablyone aslarge
or largerthanthe openingof the
Time needed:
Instructions:
About3ominutes
I.
Turn to page6r of the workbook,with the printed format.
z. Lightly draw the crosshairswithin the format with your #z pencil.

)' Lay your PicturePlane/Viewfinderoverthe sportsphotograph,moving
the planearounduntil you find a compositionyou like.
4. Choosea negativespaceto useasa BasicUnit-perhaps the space

betweenthe arm andbody of a figure,or betweenthe figureandthe
edgeof the format.The shapeshouldbe of medium sizeand asuncomplicatedaspossible.
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.
Looking at your completeddrawingshouldhelp you rcalizehowseeing
and drawingnegativespacesmakesdrawingeasy.Becauseedgesin drawing aresharededges,drawingnegativespacesaroundthe positiveforms
givesyou the difficult forms-the foreshortenedviews of formswithout your havingto draw them.Drawing foreshortenedformsis
alwaysproblematic,becausewe all havepreconceived,
memorizedinformation and symbolsfor forms-human armsandlegs,for example.
Foreshortened
viewscontradictthat informationandthus aredifficultto
seeanddraw asthey appearon the picture plane.on the other hand,we
haveno preconceived,
memorizedsymbolsfor negativespaces,
and
thereforeit is easyro seeand draw them.This is one of the important
secretsof drawins.
6o
EXERCTSE17
NEGATTVE-SPACE DRAWTNG OF A SPORTS PHOTOcRApH
EXERCTSEr7
NEGATIVE-SPACE DRAWING OF A SPORTS PHOTOGRAPH
6t
Part ll
The Perception
of Spaces
EXERCISEIB
Material,s:
eraser
Time needed:
Drawing an actualchair,asopposedto a photographof a chair,is a good

way to summarizeall the skills you havelearnedso far.In a photograph,
the imageis alreadyflattened.In drawing a real chair,which existsin
three-dimensionalspace,you will call on all of the previousexercises.
First, you must flatten the imageby viewing it on the Picture Planef
Viewfinder and closeone eyeto removebinocular vision. Then, you will
choosea BasicUnit from the negativespacesyou seeon the picture
plane.Usingthe conceptof sharededges,you will draw the negative
spacesjust asyou seethem on the PicturePlane/Viewfinder,confident
that you are simultaneouslydrawing the edgesof the chair.
30to 40 minutes
Instructiont:
N.gative-Space
Drawitrgof an Actual
Chair
Graphitestick andpapertowel for

setting a ground
Felt-tip marker
Chair of any shapeor size
I.
T\rrn to page65of the workbook.Set a ground in the printed format.
2.
Lightly draw the crosshairsin the formatusing yotr #z pencil.
))' Setup your model:a chair.

A
'?'
Figure r8-r.
Hold your PicturePlanein front of your faceto chooseyour composition. Move the Picture Plane backward,forward, and from sideto side,as
thoughyou werecomposinga photograph.The chair shouldalmostfill
the Viewfinder,so that it will takeup most of the format when you draw
it on your paper.
Figure r8-2.
6z
Bxrncrsn 18
Figure r8-3.
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.
beginto work on the
When you havecompletedthe negativespaces,
chair itself andits surroundingspace.You caneraseout or darkenany
highlightsor shadows.SeeFiguresr8-5,18-6,and r8-7.
Prop your drawingup andstepawayfrom it a bit to seeit from a fresh
point of view.Make any changesthat you feel areneeded.
Erasethe crosshairsif you wish;sign anddateyour drawing.
Figure 18-4.
Figure r8-5.
Exrncrsr rB
Figure 18-6.
NEGATIVE-spAcEDRAWING oF AN AcruAL cHAIR
63

Congratulationson completinga very difrcult drawing.Chairsaresuch
familiar objectsthat we carry in our mindshard-to-erasevisualsymbols
for chairsthat we havememorizedfrom childhood drawing.For example,we knowthatchairlegsare all the samelength.In the PicturePlane
flattenedview, however,eachchair leg may haveappearedto
be a different
length,andyou may havehad trouble acceptingthat perception.
Paradoxically,if you drew the chair legsjust asyou sawthem on the
plane,they will appearto the viewer of your drawing to be appropriately
all the samelength.This is the magicof drawing.
Figurer8-7.Drawingby the author.
64
nxnncrsn r8
NEGATIvE-SpAcEDRAwING oF AN acruAr- cHArR
rxnnclsn r8
NEGATIvE-spAcE DRAwING oF AN AcruAL cHAIR
65
Part ll
The Perception
of Spaces
E X E R C I S E1 9
Materials:
erasef
a schoolof
During and afterthe decadesof AbstractExpressionism,
was
paintingoriginatingin New York in the r94os,copyingmasterworks
out of favor asa way of training artistsin America.Now, however,new
appreciationof drawingskillsis bringingthe practicebackinto art
schools.Copyingmasterdrawingsis an excellentwayto practiceyour
drawingskills,andyou will learn a greatdealfrom copyingthis wonderful artwork.
Note that the format of Man Readingthe
Bible(the proportions,width
to length, of the outsideedge)is slightly different from the one you have
beenusing,and differentfrom the format of your PicturePlane/
Viewfinder.Wheneveryou copy a drawing, makesurethattheproportions
of tbeformataretltesame.
Your drawing format canbe a different size,but
it must be in the sameproportions.If you think it through, you will see
why.The spacesand shapesfit togetherto fill the format: if'you were to
use a different format for this drawing-say, a square-neither the
shapesnor the spacescould matchthe original.
Copyinga Master
Drawing:Man Readingtlt
Bible,by
Vincentvan Gogh
The reproductionof the Van Gogh

drawingon page68
Time needed:
45 minutesto r hour
Instructions:
I.
T\rrn to page69of the workbook,with the printed format in the same

proportionsasthe original drawing.
You may wantto lightly draw crosshairson the original drawingand
on your format,measuringcarefullyto makesurethe crosshairsfall
at the midpoints of the drawing.This will help you to keepyour copy
in proportion by seeingwhere the variouspoints fall.
You may want to turn this drawingupside down to makea start.Whether
it is right sideup or upsidedown,beginby drawingthe negativespaces
aroundthe seatedman and chair.
4. Usethe conceptof negativespaceswithinthefigureaswell.For example,

the shapebetweenthe man'stwo forearmscanbe seenanddrawn
asan "interior negativeshape."The shapeof his lower right trouser
beneathhis left handcan alsobe seenanddrawnasan interior negative
shape.
66
EXERCISE 19
COPYING A MASTER DRAWING: MAN READING THE BIBLE
t. Check the anglesof the negativespacesof the chair rungs relativeto

the horizontalandverticaledgesof the format and crosshairs.
As you
progress,checkeachspaceandeachshapeto seeif you havematched
the original.
Useyour #4n pencil to darkenthe shadowshapesof the vestand
trousers-You may want to turn the Van Gogh drawing upside down to
betterseethe shapesof tHEshadows.
1. Erasetlre crosshairsif you wish; sign and date your drawings.Because
it is a c<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 distribution 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
67
EXERCISE 19
Part lll
The Perception
of Relationships
EXERCISE 20
Materials:
Parposeof tbe exercirc:
#z and#4e pencils,sharpeneqand
efaser
In this exerciseyou will practicethe third componentskill, the

perceptionof relationships,alsocalled"sighting."This is a two-part
skill: sightinganglesrelativeto vertical andhorizontal,andsightingsizes
relativeto eachother.Commonly known as"perspectiveandproportion," sightinghasbeenthe Waterlooof many an art student.
It is a complicatedskill, both to learn andto teach,but the Picture
Plane/Viewfinderis extremelyeffectivein clarifyinghow to seeand
draw relationships.
You will useyour pencil asa sightingtool, just asartistshavebeen
doing for centuries.Look at the accompanyingsketchesto seehow to
do this. Practiceby holding your pencil ararm'slengthwithjtoarelbow
locke
toestablish
a.cznstant
scalaclosingone eye,aligning the blunt end of your
pencil with the horizontaltop edgeof a doorway,and placingyour
thumb to mark the other edgeof the doorway(seeFigure zo-r).This
measuredwidth is your BasicUnit, or "r." Now, keepingyour thumbin
the sameposition,turn the pencil to verticalandfind the relationship
Sightingan Open
Doorwalr
Felt-tip marker
Time needed:
About 3ominutes
a-1
16
EXERCISE 2O
SIGHTING AN OPEN DOORWAY
*3;r*
*-
,i
^{..1i;
i1
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
i$
;!
,' I
I
\,
$
g
?'
.Fi
$;
g
{
t*
Figure zo-rz.
72
Figure zo-ro.
Figure uo-rr.
Figure zo-r3.
Figure zo-r4.
EXERCISE 20
SIGHTING
AN OPEN DOORWAY
6. tansfer the BasicUnit to your format.SeeFigure zo-rJ.

7. Usingyour pencil asa sightingtool, beginto sightthe anglesandpro-
portionsof the doorwayandthe surroundingwalls,floor,andceiling.

Draw in all of the mostimportant edges:the edgesof the doorway,
the opendooq andthe edgeswherethe wallsmeetthe ceiling andwhere
the wallsmeetthe floor.Do not forgetto emphasizenegativespaces
whereverpossible,especiallyfor smallformslike door handles,light
fixtures,andpotted plants.SeeFigure zo-r+.
If any areaof the drawingdoesn'tquite "look right," hold up your
PicturePlaneagain,matchup the Basicunit drawnon the plasticwith
the doorway,and comparethe anglesor proportionsyou seeon the plane
with your drawing.Make any necessarycorrectionsand completethe
drawing.
9. Erasethe crosshairsif you wish;sign anddateyour drawing.
Post- exerciseremarrts:
You havejust completeda drawingthat manyuniversiryart students
would find daunting.Sightinganglesandproportionsis a complicated
skill, requiringthat you learn first how to "rakesights"andthen how to
transferthem to your drawing.once learned,the skill quickly becomes
automatic,andyou will be takingsightswithout havingto remind
yourself how to do it at everystep.
Every globalskill seemsto havea componentsimilar to sighting
relationshipsin drawing-for example,learninggrammarin writing
learningthe rulesof the roadin driving learningmusicalnoration,
learningthe rules of the gamein chess.Thesecomponentsseemdifficult
andmuch too complicatedat first,but later they becomeautomaticand
providethe structureneededto practicethe skill.
Sightingrelationshipsis requiredin everydrawingandfor every
subject.Becauseof its complexity,srudentoften leavesighting
unlearnedor half-learned,ensuringthat they will makeerrorsin their
drawingsthat they will not know how to correcr.Sightingrelationshipsis
well worth the effort ro learn andbecomessurprisinglyenjoyableonce
learned.
L--.-
t,ii
\i
\
EXERCISE 20
SIGHTING
AN OPEN DOORWAY
a1
/)
74
EXERCISE 2o
SIGHTING
AN OPEN DOORWAY
Part lll
The Perception
of Relationships
EXERCISE ZT
Materials:
#z and#4e pencils,sharpener,and
eraser
For this exercise,choosea room cornerthat is complicatedby including

a bed or sofa,tables,lamps,and curtains.Alternatively,choosea cornerof
Because
your kitchen,with its countertop,cupboards,and appliances.
this subjectis more intricatethan the opendoorway,this exerciseis a
goodway to demonstrateto yourself how much progressyou havemade.
Remember,however,that realisticdrawing(asopposedto abstract,
nonobjective,or imaginativedrawing)is alwaysthe sametask,always
requiringthe sameskills.Subjectsandmediumsvary but not the basic
skillsof drawing.
SightingaRoomCorner
Picture PIane/Vi ewfinder

Felt-tip marker
Graphitestickandpapertowel
for settinga ground
Time needed:
30to 40 minutes
Instructions:
r. Turn to page77of theworkbook,with the printed format.Seta toned
groundand lightly draw in the crosshairswith yolut#z pencil.
Choosea sitethat includesfurniture or countertopsand cupboards.
)' Usethe PicturePlane/Viewfinderto chooseyour composition.Choose
and draw your BasicUnit on the plasticwith the felt-tip marker.If you
wish, carefullladda few of the main edgesand angles.
A
't'
Transferthe BasicUnit to your tonedground.
t. Check all anglesandproportions,usingyour pencil to "takesights."

all anglesandproportionsaresightedontheplane.Think of the
Remenbe4
planeasan invisiblepaneof glassbetweenyour eyesandthe "model"
in front of you.
Work from edgeto adjacentedge,putting the imageof the room corner
together like a fascinatingjigsaw ptzzle.Avoid naming parts asyou draw
them, anddo not forgetto emphasizenegativespaces.
7. When you havedrawnthe edgesandspacesof the corner,"squint"to see
Eraselighted areasanddarken
the largeshapesof lights andshadows.
shadowedareas.Stepawayfrom your drawingoccasionallyto view it
from a distanceandto checkfor errors.
8. Erasethe crosshairsif you wish;sign anddateyour drawing.
Drawing by Grace Kennedy.
EXERCISE 2I
SIGHTING
A ROOM CORNER
75
Sightingrelationshipsof anglesand proportionsby the methodyou are
learningis called"informal perspective,"asopposedto "formal perspective," which is the method requiring horizon lines,converginglines,and
vanishingpoints.Professionalartistsareusuallytrainedin both methods,
but nearly all useinformal perspectivewhen paintingor drawing.Formal
perspectiveis simply too cumbersomeandunnecessarily
complicated
for today'sartists,andinformal perspective,
when well practiced,is
amazinglyaccurate.
Many studentsfind eveninformal perspectivedrawingpainfully
difficult at first,but it soonbecomeseasyandevenquite engaging.
When
friendsseeyour drawingof a room corner,they may askin amazement,
"How did you dothat?"Your reply might be,"I've just discoveredI have
sometalent for drawingD-after which you cantell your friends how you
really did the drawing!You may be interestedto compareyour justcompletedperspectivedrawingwith your pre-instructiondrawingfrom
Exercise3.I feel confidentthat you will be pleasedwith your progress.
Drawing by Lizbeth Fermin.
76
E X E R C I S E2 I
SIGHTING A ROOM CORNER
:-lii;
'-.1
EXERCISE 2I
SIGHTING
A ROOM1CORNER
V
V.
Part lll
The Perception
of Relationships
E X E R C T S E2 2
The Knee|FootDrawirtg
a.
?
Materials:
Parposeof tbe exercise:
#z and#4n pencils,sharpeneq
anderaser
Sightingrelationshipsof anglesandproportionsis neededfor every

drawing,not just drawingsof buildings and interiors. This exercise
providesexcellentpracticefor seeinganddrawingedges,spaces,
and
relationships,
the first three componentskillsof drawing.
Felt-tip marker
Instructions:
Time needed:
Turn to page8oof the workbook.Leavethe formatuntonedandlightly

draw the crosshairs.
20to 30minutes
Usethe PicturePlane/Viewfinderto choosea view of your own knee

and foot, of your feet, or of one foot, with or without shoe(s).
Use your felt-tip marker to draw the main negativespacesand edgeson
the plasticplane.
+. Usea pencil to transferthe main edgesto your paper,usingthe
crosshairsto guideyou.
t. Setthe PicturePlaneto one side,in a spotwhereyou canstill seeit.

Completethe drawing checkingbackto the PicturePlaneif necessary.
The sizechangefrom the kneeto the foot seemsincredible,but doublecheckit the foot in this perspectiveview really is that small!If you draw
the proportionsjast astheyappearf.attened
ontheplane,theywill look correct when the drawins is finished.
Drawing by charlotte Doctor.
78
EXERCISE 22
THE KNEE/FOOT
Drawing by student BobJean.
DRAWING
6, Be sure to emphasizenegativespacesasyou work on the drawing.
Shoelaces,
for example,arebeautifulwhen drawnusingthe negative
spacesin and aroundthe laces.
7. Erasethe crosshairsif you wish; sign and date your drawing.
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.
EXERCTSE22
THE KNEE/FOOT
Drawing by studentJoyce Canfield.
DRAWTNG
79
8o
ExERcrsEzz
rur rNor/roor
DRAwTNG
Part lll
The Perception
of Relationships
EXERCISE23
Materials:
anderaser
Becauseyou areso familiar with what the shapeof a book lookslike,

it canbe hard to acceptthe apparentshapechangesthat occurwhen
you draw booksthat arelying flat on a table andrecedingfrom your
planeof vision.In certainpositions,and at certainangles,a book lying
flat on a tablemay appearon the picture planeto be impossiblynarrow
or impossiblyshort.The hard part of this exerciseis to draw books
lying on a tablein the unexpectedshapesthat they presenrwbenseen
onthepictureplane.
Sightinga Still Life

of Bookson aTable
PicrurePlane/Viewfinder
Felt-tip marker
Graphitestick andpapertowel
for settinga ground
Severalbooks,spreadat random
on a table
Time needed:
About 3ominutes
Instructions:
I.
Turn to page83of the workbook,with the printed format.Tone

the groundto a paletone andlightly draw the crosshairswith your
#z pencil.
z. Usethe Picture Plane/Viewfinderto find a compositionyou like and
choosea BasicUnit-either a negativespacebetweentwo booksor

a positiveform (oneof the books).
))' Hold the PicturePlane/Viewfinderassteadilyaspossible,andwith the
felt-tip markerdraw your BasicUnit on the plasticplane.
+. Usingthe #4r
pencil,transferthe BasicUnit to your drawingpaper.
5. Setthe PicturePlaneasideand work from shapeto adjacentspace,

putting the drawingtogetherlike a puzzle.Rememberto closeone eye
to flattenthe image.
6. Pauseeveryoncein a while to checkthe shapesof the bookson the
Picture Pl ane/Viewfi nder.

7. Look for the shapesof lights andshadowsby squintingyour eyesto mask
out fine detail.Eraseout the lighted shapesand darkenthe shadowed
areaswith your #4n pencil.
8. When you arefinished,erasethe crosshairsif you wish,then signand
dateyour drawing.
I
I
i
EXERCTSE 23
SIGHTTNG A STILL LIFE OF BOOKS ON A TABLE
8r
$
;^
{*
.*
.:rrii:''
"r'
8z
EXERCISE23
S T G H T T N GA S T I L L L I F E O F B O O K S O N A T A B L I
f
I
I
EXERCTSE23
STGHTTNG A STILL LrFE OF BOOKS ON A TABLE
83
Part lll
The Perception
of Relationships
EXERCTSE
24
Materials:
Purporc of the exercise:
efaser
Still-life setup:The breakfasttable

is alwaysa good still life, or you
may wish to setup a teapot,a cup
andsaucer,and a glasshalf-filled
with water.Any objectswith circular
topswill provideellipsesfor your
still life.
An ellipseis an ovalshape,like a stretched-outcircle with slightly

flattenedsides.When you look at a circularobject,suchasa coin,with
one eyeclosed,it appearsto be not circularbut elliptical in shapewhen
tilted at an anglerelativeto the picture plane.When you increasethe
angle,the ellipsechangesshapeuntil the objectappearsto be a flat shape.
This "perspectiveof ellipses"often seemsbafling to students,because,
again,the shapeseenon the picture planecontradictswhat we know
aboutcircularshapes.
Ellipsesplay an important role in drawingstill lifes,landscapes,
anddrawingsinvolving architecture.This exercise,therefore,focuses
on ellipses.As always,the solutionis to draw them just asyou seethem
flattenedon the plane.
Time needed:
Instructions:
A Still Life with Ellipses
Felt-tip marker
jo to 40 minutes
o
o
O
I.
T\rrn to page86of the workbook,with the printed format. If you wish,

lightly tone the paperbeforeyou addthe crosshairs.
2.
Useyour PicturePlane/Viewfinderto choosea composition.
))' Hold the Picture Plane/Viewfinderassteadilyaspossibleand choose
a BasicUnit (perhapsone of the objectsin your still-life setup).
+. Usingyour #4n pencil,transferthe BasicUnit to your paper.
O
-
t. Rememberto closeone eyewhen drawingthe ellipsesof the tops(and

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

spacenext to the cup.That spacewill be boundedby the edgeof the
next object.Draw that objectandmoveto the next space.
o
84
7' As you are drawing,be sureto step awaya few times and checkto see
that the perspectiveandproportion"look right." If somethingseemsofl
hold up the PicturePlane/Viewfinder,matchup the BasicUnit on the
Viewfinderwith the object,andthen look at the areascausingproblems.
EXERCISE 24
A STILL LIFE WITH ELLIPSES
Henri Matisse . Stufu for StillJrf" ofu,

deHeem,ryt5,Graphite on two sheets of
paper. zo%x zr%inches. Philadelphia Museum
of Art. The Louise and Walter Arensberg
Collection.
Comparewhat you seeon the Viewfinderwith whatyou havedrawn.

If what you havedrawn doesnot matchwhat you seeon the picrure
plane,makethe corrections.
B. Erasethe crosshairsif you wish,then signand dateyour drawing.
The mostcommonerrorsin drawingellipsesaredepictingthe ellipse
endsastoo pointed anddepictingrhe upper curve asgreaterthan the
lower curve.Theseerrorscanbe avoidedby looking very closelyar the
shapeyou aredrawing.
Drawing ellipsescanbe either mind-bendinglydificult or incredibly
easy,dependingon whetheryou are ableto acceptthe elliptical shapes
asyou seethem on the picture plane.The ellipsesar the bottomsof cups,
saucers,and glasses
areparticularlydifficult to see,becauseyou know
the objectsarerestingon a flat surface.A commontendencyfor beginnersis to makea straightline acrossthe bottomsof cupsandglasses,
presumablysothey won't tip over!Shiftingto drawingadjacentnegative
spaceis extremelyhelpful in drawingellipses.
E X E R C I S E2 4
A STILL LtFE WITH ELLTPSES
85
86
EXERCISE 24
A STILL LIFE WITH ELLIPSES
Perception
.rif'Relationships
EXERCISE ) IL)
Sighting Relations,hips,
in aFig,rreDrawing

and #4n pencils,sharpener,
eraser
Plane/Viewfinder
-tip marker
neede*
3ominutes
In this exercise,you will seehow sighting works in drawing a human

figure.You will be copying a sketchof a life-size sculpture of the writer
EdgarAllen Poe,which is situatedon the campusof the University
of Maryland.With the sketchis a diagramof the sightsI took to make
the drawing.
Insttactions:
Turn to page89of the workbook,where you will find the sketchand
diagramof the Poe sculpture.on page89,you will find a printed format.
., Using you,r
#zpencil, lightly draw the crosshairswithin the format
))' Placeyour Picture Plane/viewfinder over the sketch.The crosshairswill
help guide your copy of the sketch.

Use your marker to makea mark at the top of Poe'shead and at the
bottom of the chin on the plasticPicturePlane/viewfinder.This is your
BasicUnit. Useyour #z pencil to rransferthe BasicUnit to your paper.
Thesetwo marks are all you needro start your drawing on the paper.
You will usethis Basicunit in sighting all of the anglesand proportions
of the figure.
t. Usingyour #4r pencil,draw the headon your paper,checkingthe placement of the featuresrelative to the whole head.
Now begin to sight the figure:
a. Sight the angleof the arm againsthorizontal.Draw the upper edge
of the arm.
b. Sight the length of the arm to the elbow With your pencil, measure
the Basicunit, then the edgeof the arm.The proportion (the ratio of
the BasicUnit, which is your "r") to the length of the upper arm
is r: z (seethe diagram).Draw the edgeof the upper arm to the elbow.
c. Sighl the angleof the forearm againstthe horizontal (the ledgeis
horizontal).Draw that edgeand the edgeof the ledge.
Instructionscontinaeonpage:gz.
EXERCISE 2t
SIGHTING
RELATIONSHIPS
IN A FIGURE DRAWING
87
.-
i:";**ilti$
';
:.!;:-
88
&'*
EXERCTSE 2t
STGHTTNG RELATIONSHTPS rN A FTGURE DRAWING
't"''*i
EXERCISE 2t
SIGHTING
RELATIONSHIPS IN A FIGURE DRAWING
89
Practice sighting the figure in tlis drawing.

I suggest using the length of the head as your
Basic Unit Henri Matisse, Two Skacbesof
a Nude Girl Playinga FhtePencil on white
papenry%x8% inches, Fogg Art Museum,
Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs.Joseph Kerrigan.
9o
k',,
EXERCTSE 2t
STGHTTNG RELATIONSHTPS rN A FIGURE DRAWING
EXERCISE 2t
SIGHTING
RELATIONSHTPS rN A FIGURE DRAlryING
9r
d. Sightthe lengthof the hand againstthe BasicUnit. The rariois r:r.

(Checkit twice if you find that hard to believe!)Draw the handby
usingthe negativeshapesaroundit.
Draw the negativespacein front of the chestandthe shapeof the far
ledge.
Drop a "sightline" (seethe diagram)from the front of the headto
the point of the knee.Determinehow far down that point is by going
backto your BasicUnit and checkingthe ratio ro the point of the
knee.The ratiois r:3.
6'
Having locatedthat point, checkthe angleof the upper leg anddraw

in that edge.
h. Drop another"sightline" ro determinewherethe point of the shoe

toe is located,and checkthe position(the anglerelativero verrical).
Go backto your BasicUnit, then comparerhe distance.The ratiois
r:y and a little bit more.
Having locatedthe shoe-toe,usethe negativespacein front of the
lower leg to draw that edge.
Sightthe lengthof the shoeagainsryour BasicUnit. The ratio is
r:r%.Double-checkif you find that hard to believe.
k. Usenegativespacesto draw the other shoe,but sightthe length.

The ratio is r:r becausethe shoeis slightly foreshortened.
l. F'inishyour drawingby addingshadowsanddetails.

m. Erasethe crosshairs
if you wish;signand dateyour drawing.
Post-exerciseremarhs:
The sightingprocess,asyou havenow experiencedit, may seemtedious.
Remember,however,that learningany new skill requiresslowprocessing
in the early stages.
For example,asmenrionedearlier,learningthe rules
of grammarwasa complicatedtaskthat,when learned,becameautomatic andindispensable.
Sighting,I believe,canbe regardedasthe
"grammar"of drawing.Learningit now will preventfrustratingerrors
in future drawings.Trust me:sightingwill soonbecomerapid andauromatic,enjoyableandeasy.
9z
EXERCISE 2'
SIGHTING
REI-ATIONSHIPS IN A FIGURE DRAWING
_.t
Part lll
The Perception
of Relationships
E X E R C I S E2 6
Materials:
#z and#4n pencils,sharpeneqand
eraser
The proportionsof the humanheadarevery difficult to seeclearly.

I venfureto saythat only someonetrainedin perceptionor in drawing
is ableto bypassthe brain processes
that maketheseproportionsdifficult
to perceive.For reasonsthat areuncleaqa personuntrainedin seeing
relationshipsapparentlyseesthe featuresof the faceasbeinglargerin
relationto the whole of the headthan is actuallythe case.This exercise
will providescaffoldingfor seeingthe correctproportions.
Proportionsof the Head

in Profile
Diagramof the proporrionsof the

headin profile
Blankdiagramof the profilehead
Note:Yo.u
will needto asksomeone
to modelfor y minutesfor this
exercise.
Time needed:
About20minutes
Instructions:
I
Tirrn to pages94 and95of the workbook,with the diagramshowingthe

proportionsof the headin profile andthe headproportion diagram.
) Working carefullyand memorizingasyou draw,copythe proportions
shownin the printed diagramonto the partially drawndiagramon

page9t.
Now find someoneto act asa measuringmodel.Ask that personto sit
for you for five minutesin profileview.Look carefullyat your model's
headandfeatures.Then, using a pencil to measure,checkeveryproportion that appearson the diagram,payingparticularattentionto the
curl)e
proportion "Eye level to chin equalsey leaelto thetopof theoutermost
of tbehead,"andthe proportion "Eye level to chin equalsbackof tlteey
to the backof the ear."Thesearethe two key proportionsfor successful
profile portraits.
Drawing by student Tom Nelson.
nxtnclsn z6
pRopoRTIoNs oF THE HEAD IN pRoFILE
93
Profile view: General proportions of the head and placement of the ear. Portrait of Sconby instructor Beth Fermin.
Drawing by student Heather Tappen.
Demonstration drawing by the author.
94
EXERCISE 26
pRopoRTIoNs
oF THE HEAD IN PRoFILE
EXERCISE 26
PROPORTIONS OF THE HEAD IN PROFILT
9t
Part lll
The Perception
of Relationships
E X E R C I S E2 7
Copying aMaster
Drawirg of a Profile
Portrait
Materials:
eraser
This beautiful1883
drawingMme.PierreGautreau(also
known as
MadameX), by EnglishartistJohnSingerSargent,providesperfect
practicefor seeingand drawingedges,spaces,
and relationshipsespeciallythe 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,

you will find the printed format.
99
)' Using a pencil,lightly draw the crosshairson the format.
+. Lay your PicturePlane/Viewfinderdirectly on top of the Sargent

reproductionandnote wherethe crosshairsfall on the portrait profile.
t. Choosea BasicUnit. I suggesrusingthe lengthof the nose(from the

innermostcurveto the outermosttip) for comparingall other proportionsin the drawing.For example,the proportionof the noselengthto
the foreheadis the ratio one to one and a half,or rtYr.Make two marks,
one at the innermostcurve and one at the tip of the nose.
Using yorr #z pencil,transferthe two marksof your BasicUnit to the
paper.
7. I suggestthe following sequenceof steps,correspondingwith the
numberedstepsin the diagram:
r. In the upper right quadrant,find the point wherethe foreheadmeets
the hairline.Double-checkit, usingyour BasicUnit to measurethe
placement.Mark that point, andusethe negativespacein front of
the foreheadto draw the forehead'scurve.
z. You locatedthe tip of the nosewhenyou markedyour BasicUnit.
Double-checkthe positionof the mark againstthe crosshairs.
3. Draw the shapeof the negativespacein front of the nose/forehead.
Recallthe conceptof sharededges.
+. Imaginea line that touchesthe tip of the noseandthe tip of the chin
in the reproductiondrawing.Lighdy draw that sightline on your
papet checkingthe angleagainstvertical.Compareyour BasicUnit
96
EXERCTSE27
COPYING A MASTER DRAWTNG OF A PROFILE PORTRAIT
to the length from nose-tip to chin-tip. The ratio is yt%.Markthe

tip of the chin on your sight line.
t.
Draw the shape of the negative spacedefined by your sight line. This
will give you the shapeof the upper lip, the lower lip, and the chin.
6. Relative to the crosshairs,find the innermost curve of the chin/neck.

Mark that point on your drawing.
7. Look at the shape of the negative spacemade by the chin and neck.
Draw that shape.
8. Relative to the crosshairs,locate the back of the head and draw
the edge.
9. Locate the back of the ear and draw the ear.
ro. Locate the back of the neck and draw that edge.
rr. Observe how small the eye is relative to your Basic Unit. Draw the
eye,locating it relative to the innermosr curve of the nose.
rz. Draw the eyebrow relative to rhe eye,checking rhe curve of the
eyebrow by looking at the negarivespacebeneath the eyebrow.
13. Observe the size of the mouth relative to rhe eye and draw the
mouth.
4.
Locate the ear relative to rhe crosshairsand compare the length

of the ear to your Basic Unit. Surprisingly, the ratio is nearly r:r %.
Draw the ear,checking the negative spacebehind the ear.
rt. Draw the shapeof the head and hair.

ft.
When you are finished, erasethe crosshairs.Sign and date your

drawing with the noration'After Sargent."
If you lay one fingeroverthe fearuresin the
Sargentdrawing,you will seewhat a smallproportion of the wholeform is occupiedby the
featuresof the face.It is often quite surprising
when you first really seethe proporrionsof the
humanhead.
This exercisehasprovidedpracticein
flexibly movingthroughthe first threeskills
of drawing:edges,
spaces,
andrelationships.
As you will find with further practice,these
strategiesof seeingaresomewhatinterchangeable.If you arehavingtrouble drawingan
edge,the adjacentnegativespacewill solvethe
problem.If you arehavingtrouble assessing
an
angle,envisionthe angleasa negarivespace
boundedby an imaginaryverticalor horizontal
edge.This redundancyof strategieshelpsto
makedrawingeasyandenjoyable.
EXERCISE 27
COPYING A MASTER DRAWING OF A PROFILE PORTRATT
97
John Singer Sargent. Madame X. Graphite on oG

white paper. The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
Gift of Frances Ormond and Miss Emily Sargent,
r93r.$r.43.3).
98
EXDRCTSE27
COpyrNG A MASTER DRAWTNG OF A PROFTLE PORTRAIT
EXERCISE 27
COPYING A MASTER DRAWING
OF A PROFILE PORTRAIT
99
.-,.----:::
Part lll
The Perception
of Relationships
EXERCISEZB
Materials:
erasef
Now that you havelearnedthe proportionsof the headin profileby

copyingthe two-dimensionalimageof theJohnSingerSargentdrawing
the next stepis to draw a profilefrom life, using a model.Drawingfrom
life is alwaysmore challengingandthereforemore satisfying.
Drawinga Profile
Portrait
Felt-tip marker
Instractions:
Graphitestick andpapertowel for

settingthe ground
Note:Forthis exercise,you will need
a modelwilling to posefor 3oto 6o
minutes(with breaks,of course;the
model.canbe readingor watching
television).
Time needed:
About r hour
Turn to pagero2of the workbook,with the printed format.

2.
Seta groundandthen lightly draw in the crosshairs.
) Seatyour modelin profile view,and seatyourself fairly closeto the
model.(Four or five feet awayis a gooddistance.)SeeFigurez8-I.

Usingthe PicturePlane/Viewfinder,composeyour drawingsothat the
model'sheadis framedwithin the edgesof the Viewfinder.
t. Choosea BasicUnit: I suggesteyelevelto chin for this drawing.Mark

the BasicUnit on your PicturePlane/Viewfinderwith your felt-tip
marker.Two marks,one at the model'seyelevel and one at the bottom
of the chin, areenoughto establishyour BasicUnit. You may wishto
draw the outline of the head.but be awarethe line will be shakv.See
Figuresz8-z andz83.
Next, transferthe two marksdefiningthe BasicUnit to your format.See
Figure z8-4.
Figure z8-1.
Be sure to check the proportions you learned in Exercise 26.
EXERCISE 2E
DRA\ryING A PROFILE PORTRAIT
Figure
re z8-3.
Figure z8-4.
Start with the featuresin profile by drawing the negztiae

tpaceinftont
of the forehead,nose,lips, andchin. SeeFiguresz8-5and z8*6.
8. Now, follow steps4 through 15in Exercise26.
9. If you wish,erasethe ground aroundthe head.This helpsgreatlyin
seeingthe large form of the head and the relationshipof the featuresto
the wholehead.
II.
In drawing the model'shair, squint your eyesto seethe larger highlights

and the shadows.Aztoiddrawingsymbol,ic
hair-repeatedparal,l,el
or carlylines.
Hair forms a shape.Focuson drawingthat shape.
,
Be sure to include the model'sneck and shoulders,which provide a support for the head,and include someindication of the model'sclothing.
tz. When your drawing is finished,erasethe crosshairsif you wish. Sign and
date the drawing,addingthe model'sname.

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.
*u:*.'50".r,
Figure z8-6. Draw the negative shapes around

eyeglasses.
rxnncrsn
z8
DRAwING A pRoFILE poRTRAIT
EXERCISE 2U
DRAWING A PROFILE PORTRAIT
Part lll
The Perception
of Relationships
E X E R C I S E2 9
.tl
Still Life with

AmericanFlag
Materials:
Charcoalandpapertowel,for setting a ground
Sofaq you havebeenfocusedon the first three componenrskillsof

drawing:edges,spaces,
andrelationships.
This exerciseis a rerurn to
still-life drawing emphasizingthe samethreeskillsbut using a different
subject-the Americanflag.
The flagis usefulasa subjectbecausewe know it so well. We havean
embeddedknowledgethat the flag'sstripesarestraightand all the same
width, andthat the starsare all the sameshape.Becausewe "know" this,
when we try to draw the flagit canbe dificult for us to acceprthe perceptionof crossedstripesthat occurswheneverthe flagis foldedon
itself.Equally difficult ro acceptareperceprionsthat the stripewidths
appearto changedue to ripplesin the fabric,andthat the starscan
appearto be variedin their shapesdependingon how the fabricis folded.
For this reason,the flagis a goodsubjectfor practicingdrawingexactly
what you seeon the plane,without second-guessing
the visualdata.
Charcoalpencil and eraser

Felt-tipmarker
An Americanflagof any size
(or,if a flagis not available,a striped
towelor shirt)
Time needed:
30to 40 minutes
Instructions:
I.
Turn to pagerot in the workbook,with the printed format.
2.
Tone your paperto a palegroundwith your charcoal,rubbingwith a

papertowel to a smoothtone.Lightly draw the crosshairswith your
charcoalpencil.
Arrangean Americanflagon a table,hangingat an anglefrom a flagpole,
or drapedover a chair,sothat the stripesappearro cross.
A student's pre-instruction drawing of a flag.
EXERCISE 29
L-.
A post-instruction drawing of aflag
STILL LIFE WITH AMERICAN FLAG
ro3
Usingthe PicturePlane/Viewfinder,composeyour drawing.Choosea

BasicUnit-perhaps the width of the field of stars-and draw it with
your felt-tip markeron the plasticplane.
t. Transferyour BasicUnit to your tonedpaper.With your charcoalpencil,

startyour drawingby completingthe edgesof the field of stars.
Useyour pencil to sightthe anglesof the stripesasthey appearon rhe
plane.Anglesarealwaysassessed
relativeto verticaland horizontalon
the plane.If you arenot sureof your sights,hold up the PicturePlane
and checkthem relativeto the vertical andhorizontaledgesof the plane
andthe crosshairs.
Draw the anglesjust asthey appearon the plane.
7. If your flaghasripplesin the fabric,closeone eyeandobservethat the
widthsof the stripesappearto change(seethe accompanyingdrawing).
Draw thesewidth changesjust asyou seethem.
8. Note that the starsin the flagwill appearto changeshapebecauseof
the effectsof perspectiveon them.They may not alwaysbe symmetrical;
they may appearto be quite distortedin shape.Draw the starsjust as
they appearon the plane.
9. Sign anddateyour finisheddrawing.
Post - exerci se remark s:

Often,the seeminglysimplestsubjectsprovidethe bestlessonsin
drawing.This is true of the flag.This
drawingmay seemdifficult at
first,but onceyou acceptwhat you
seeon the plane,it becomeseasy.
Learningthat is an importantlesson.
Drawing shouldbe easy,andit is easy,
oncewe stopfightingour storedconceptualknowledgeabout
how things"shouldbe" andsimply
acceptperceptionsasthey appear
on the plane.
The next exercises
will focuson
the fourth skill: seeinglights and
shadows.
After the rigorsof sighting
joy returnsto drawing,becauselights
and shadowsarepowerfulelements
in depictingthe three-dimensionality
of forms-or in "makingthings
look real,"asmy studentssometimes
put it.
ro4
EXERCISE 2g
STILL LIFE WITH AMERICAN FI-tc
EXERCISE 29
STILL LIFE WITH
AMERICAN
FI/,G
rot
- ." .,:.;;"riLS
Part lV
The Perception
of Lights
and Shadows
EXERCISE
30
Materials:
Purposeof tbe etcerctse:
Charcoalandpapertowel,for toning
a ground
This exerciseintroducesthe fourth skill, the perceptionof lights and

andrelationshadows,andbuildson the first threeskills (edges,spaces,
ships).You will seethe edgesof the shapesof lights and shadowsas
either negativeshapesor positiveforms,andyou will seethe shapesof
lights andshadowsin relationshipto eachother andto the wholeof the
drawing.
Lights andshadowsareusuallynot perceivedat a consciouslevelin
ordinary life. We seelights and shadowssubconsciously;
they tell us the
shapesof things,but we aregenerallynot awareof this mentalprocess.
In drawing however,we needto seelights and shadowsat a conscious
level.They arevery beautiful,andseeinganddrawingthem is extraordinarily satisfying.SeeFigure 3o-r.
In traditionalart instruction,there arefour aspectsof light and
shadow.Together,thesearecalledthe logic of light, or, in short,light
logic.Theseaspectsare:highlight,castshadow,reflectedlight, andcrest
shadow.SeeFigures3o-r)3o-2,
and3o-3.
Highlights arethe lightestlightsin a picture.
Castshadowsarethe darkestdarksin a picture.
Reflectedlights arenot aslight ashighlights.
Crestshadowsarenot asdark ascastshadows.
DrawinganEggLighted
from Above
Charcoalpencilanderaser
Felt-tipmarker
White-shelledeggor eggs,in an egg
carton
Pieceof whitepaper,9"x 12"
Lampor spotlight
Time needed:
About z5minutes
gles
Note;Thelightestlight you canachieveis the white of the paper.The

darkestdark you can achieveis the darkestmark your pencil or charcoal
will make.
In this exercise,you will be drawingan eggoEif you prefer,several
eggs.Becausethe useof light logic appliesespeciallyto roundedforms,
an egglighted from aboveeffectivelydemonstrates
the four characteristics of lights and shadows.
Instructions:
Figure 3o-r.Drawing by student Elizabeth

Arnold.
to6
r. T\rrn to pagero8of the workbook,with the printed format.Look at the

accompanyingdrawingof an egg,pointing out the four areas-highlight, castshadow;reflectedlight, and crestshadow.Light rays,bouncing
offthe flat surfacethe eggsitson andsoftly lighting the undersideof the
egg,createareasof reflectedlight. Light raysbypassingthe eggresultin
crestshadowson the outermostcrestof the egg'scurvedform.
EXERCISE 30
DRA\ryrNG AN EGG LTGHTED FROM ABOVE
Figure 3o-2.
1.\
'7
r*
!t
z. Usingyour charcoal,tone the paperwithin the format to a palegray.

Rub it to a smoothtone.Lightly draw crosshairsin the formatusingyour
charcoalpencil.
j. Arrangea still life with an eggor severaleggson a pieceof white paper.
Usethe lamp or spotlightto illuminate rhe still life from aboveand
slightly to one sidein order to producecastshadows,meaningthe shadowsproducedwhen objectsblock light rays.
4. Usingthe PicrurePlane/Viewfinder,chooseyour compositionandthen
choosea BasicUnit; I suggestthe width or lengthof one egg.
y. Useyour charcoalpencil to transferyour BasicUnit to the format.
6. Now draw the main edges,spaces,
andrelationshipsof the eggsandthe
shadowsthey cast.The negativespacesaroundthe eggsandcastshadows
will help you to seethe shapesaccurarely.
I
Figure 3o-3.The two drawings above demonstrate how lights and shadows change when
the light source is moved. Where is the light
coming from in Figure 3o-zl In Figure 3o-3?
In Figure 3o-4?
7. Squint your eyesand searchthe still life for the lightesilightsand the
darkestdarks.
Erasethe highlightson the eggsanddarkenthe castshadowswith your charcoalpencil.
8. Carefullyobservethe crestshadowsandthe reflectedlights on rhe eggs.
SeeFigure 3o-r.Usingyour eraserand charcoalpencil,slightly lighten
the reflectedlights andslightly darkenthe crestshadowsto approximate
the valuesyou seein thoseareasof the eggs.
signand dateyour drawing.
9. Carefullyerasethe crosshairs;
Post-exerciseremarkr
More than anything,I believe,studentswanrto know how ro "shade"
their drawingsso that formslook three-dimensional.
The abiliry ro see
subtledifferencesin values(the lightnessor darknessof one areacomparedto another)is one of the key requirementsfor achievingthis goal.
The four aspectsof light that you havelearnedin this lessonwill help
you to seethosedifferencesby knowingwhat to look for andthen bringing them to your consciousawareness.
Onceyou canseethe four aspects
of light, you candraw them.
Figure 3o-4.
EXERCTSE30
DRAWING AN EGG LIGHTED FROM ABOVE
r07
g
:
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E;I
tt-
EXERCISE
3I
Part lV
The Perception
of Lights
and Shadows
CharlieChaplinin Light
and Shadow
hi
g
fr
=
b
=
fh
=!
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=
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=
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i-
Materials:
Charcoal,naturalor syntheric
In the exerciseson edges,spaces,

and relationships,
you wereencouraged
to seeanddraw fine detailsin order to increaseyour ability to discriminateslight changesin edges,shapes,angles,andproportions.
With the fourth skill, the perceptionof lights andshadows,
the focus
shiftssomewhat.
The visualsystemof the humanbrain canvisualize-that is,seein
the mind'seye-missing informationfrom incompletecues.In drawing
this meansthat if you giveyour viewerjust enoughcluesaboutthe subject of a drawing,the viewer canenztision
the missingparts,andviewers
of drawingsseemto greatlyenjoythe envisioningprocess.
The photographof Charlie Chaplin you will be copyingin this exerciseis a good
exampleof allowingshadowsto obscuredetails,thus requiringthe viewer to fill in the missingparts.
Norr.'Because
of the harshlight usedin the Hartsookphotoof
Chaplin,reflectedlights and crestshadows(which you drew in the previousexercise)areobscured.
Charcoalpencilanderaser
h
;l
Time needed:
-l
30to 40 minutes
.t
h
=l
E
=l
L-r
-h.
-b
:
bi
Instructions:
b
-I.
T\rrn to pagerrrof the workbook,with the printed format.
2.
Tone your format to a fairly dark shadewith charcoal,rubbingto smooth

the tone.The naturalcharcoalis soft and easyto usefor settinga ground,
but it smearseasily.Syntheticcharcoalmakesa darkertone andis less
subjectto smearing,but it doesnot eraseaseasilyasthe naturalcharcoal
Try both on somescratchpaperand choosethe one you like best.
-h
EI
h
EI
ET
i
Usingyour charcoalpencil,lightly draw crosshairs

both within your
format and on the reproductionof the Chaplin photo.
-r
hr
=l
-
Choosea BasicUnit andtransferit to your drawingusingthe charcoal

pencil.The width of the crown of the hat would makea goodBasicUnit.
>.
E=
i
5. Usingthe crosshairsandyour BasicUnit to guideyou,copythe main

edgesof the portrait,payingcloseattentionto the shapesof the negative
spacesaroundthe figureaswell asthe interior negativeshapes.
b
?
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I
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i
Charlie Chaplin. Photograph by Hartsook.

International Portrait Gallery.
EXERCISE 3I
CHARLIE CHAPLIN IN LIGHT AND SHADO\ry
ro9
With your erase!beginto eraseout rhe lightedshapes,leavingthe

shadowshapesin the dark tone of the ground.It may help to rurn the
drawingupsidedown for part of your drawingtime.
7. Notice how little detail is requiredin the fearures.Draw only what you
see.Chaplin'sright eye,for example,is almostentirely portrayedby
the largedark shapearoundthe eyeandthe tiny shapeof the white of
the eye.
Regardlines asnarrowshadowshapes:
seethe edgesof the vestandthe
shadowsaroundthe mouth.
9. Useyour charcoalpencil to finishthe drawing but be carefulnot to overdraw the image.Do not addwhat is not there.
IO.
When you arefinished,erasethe crosshairs.

Signanddateyour drawing
adding "Charlie Chaplin,aftera photo by Hartsook."
Post - exercise remarks:
In light/shadowdrawing,the lighted
shapesandthe shadowedshapescan
be thoughtof aspositiveandnegative spaces:
if you draw (or erase)
one,you havesimultaneouslydrawn
the other.If there seemsto be an
error somewherein your drawing
comparefirst the lighted shapesand
then the shadowedshapesin your
drawingof Chaplin with thosein the
originalphotograph.If one or the
other doesnot matchthe shapesyou
seein the photograph,makethe necessaryadjustments.
One of the secretsto successful
light/shadowdrawingis to allow
your viewerto envisionwhatis left
out. As mentioned,this givesthe
viewer greatpleasure,and the viewer
is gratefulfor beingallowedto "see
into" the drawing.Don't giveaway
the gameby addingtoo much detail.
EXERCISE 3I
CHARLIE CHAPLIN IN LIGHT AND SHADOW
$
b,
I
q.ffiffie&Edeffi#ffieiwP:w::asr444'
EXERCISE3I
CHARLIE CHAPLIN IN LIGHT AND SHADOW
Part lV
The Perception
of Lights
and Shadows
EXERCISE )''
1:
J
Materials:
Purposeof tbe ercerctte:
#z and #4n pencils,sharpener,and

eraser
In Exercisez6,yottlearnedto draw the proportionsof the headin

profile.The next challengeis to draw a portrait in full-faceview,incorporatingthe fourth skill, the perceptionof lights andshadows.
This
exercisein learningthe generalproportionsof the humanheadin fullfaceview is helpful in portrait drawing,becausetheseproportionsseem
to be difficult to seewithout training.The mostfrequenterror is enlarging the featuresrelativeto the wholeshapeof the head.It is well worth
takingthe time to memorizeandthen practiceseeingthe correctproportionsin order to avoidpersistenterrorsin drawingfaces.
Proportionsof the Head

in Full-FaceView
Time needed:
About ry minutes
Instructions:
I.
Turn to pagesu4 and rryin the workbook,which showthe full-face

diagramandthe blank diagramsideby side.
Working carefully and memorizing asyou go,draw in the proportions
of the featuresin the blank diagram.Go backoverthe diagramsat leasr
onceto help you rememberthe main points,especiallythese:
a. Eye level to chin equalseyelevelto the top of the head.
(Note that the thicknessof the hair is addedto the upper proportion.)
b. The spacebetweenthe eyesequalsthe width of one eye.
Checktheseproportionson your own faceby lookingin a mirror.Use
your pencil to measurethe key proportions.If possible,find someone
who is willing to be a measurementmodelfor you andcheckthe proportions again,measuringdirectly on the model'sheadwith your pencil.
You canalsousefull-facephotographsasmeasurement
models.
EXERCTSE 32
PROPORTTONS OF THE HEAD IN FULL-FACE VIEW
Pre-instruction drawing by Howard Rhodes,

Septemberr, r984.
l,,lFqFf.**llf sf * frl"
:,'?iiF'K{i**ffi*$&s
'
,llwreh*eq 1*j- ?$*4
Post-instruction drawing by Howard Rhodes, December ro, 1984.
EXERCISEJ2
PROPORTIONS OF THE HEAD IN FULL-FACE VIEW
II3
E"
GENERAL
PRopoRrroNs
oFmE Hm
JrH
usEAsA Gr,rrDE
ro pRopoRrroNs
SPACEBETWEENTI{E
EYES = ONE EYE
EYELEVEL
wrDrHoFyr \
CORNERSOFMOUTH
WIDTHOFNECK
EYE TO TI{E CHIN = ErrETO TTG TOp OF THE SKIJLL
rr4
EXERCISE
J2
PROPoRTIONS
OF THE HEAD rN FULL-FaCE
vIEw
EXERCTSEl2
pRopoRTIoNS
OF THE HEAD IN FULL-FACMEW
u5
EXERCISE
33
Part lV
The Perception
of Lights
and Shadows
CnpyingaFull-F'ace
Portrait
Materials:
Charcoalandpapertowel,for toning
a ground
In this exercise,you will be usingcharcoalto copy a full-faceselfportrait by Picasso,alsodrawnin charcoal.You will gainpracticenot
only in drawingthe proportionsof the head,but alsoin usingcharcoal
to createa rangeof dark and light values.
Portrait drawingrequiresprecisediscriminationsin termsof edges,
spaces,
relationships,and lights andshadows.Beforeyou startyour
drawing comparethe generalizedproportionsof the headasshownin
the Exercise3zdiagramwith the proportionsof Picasso's
head.You will
find minute variations.For example,Picassodrew his left eyeslightly
lower than his right eye.The mouth is slightly wider on the right sideof
his facethan on the left. His right earis slightly higher than his left ear.
By makingthesevery fine visualdiscriminationsand drawingyour perceptionsjust asyou seethem,you will capturePicasso's
likeness.
Charcoalpencil and eraser

Time needed:
About3ominutes
Instructions:
I.
Ttrrn to pageu8 in the workbook,the reproductionof Picasso's

SeF
Portrait,Barcelona,
r899-r9oo.
On pagerr9is a format with approximately
the sameproportionsasthe original.
Tone your paperlightly with charcoal,rubbingit to a smoothtone with
the papertowel.Lightly draw crosshairswith charcoalpencil and,if you
wish,draw crosshairson the reproductiondrawing.If you prefer,you
canlay your PicturePlane/Viewfinderdirectly on top of the reproduction to providethe crosshairs.
l. Choosea BasicUnit eyelevelto chin,the lengthof the nose,the distancefrom the outsidecornerof one eyeto the outsidecornerof the
other eye,or any BasicUnit you prefer.tansfer your BasicUnit to your
tonedground,usingthe crosshairsto guidethe placement.
Usingthe crosshairsto guideyou,beginto draw the headon your toned
paperwith your charcoalpencil.You may startwith the featuresor the
largeshapeof the head.
t, Checkall the proportionsasyou draw.Youwill find that thoughthey

closelyconformto the full-facediagramproportions,there areslight
differences.
Paycloseattentionto thosedifferencesanddraw them just as
you seethem.
n6
EXERCTSE 33
COPYTNG A FULL-FACD PORTRATT
6. Use the shapesof the negativespacesaroundthe head-for example,the

dark shapeon the left side of the reproduction,which will definefor you
the shapeof the jaw,ear,and hait Use your charcoalstick to darkenin
thosenegativespaces.
7. Try using the whites of the eyesasinterior negativeshapes,rather than

drawing the irisesof the eyes.This will help you to placethe irises
correctly.
8. Once you havesketchedin the main features,begin erasingout lighted
areasand darkeningshadowedareas.Squint your eyesto seethe lightest
lights (the highlights) on the nose,the temple, and the shirt. Draw the
castshadowsbesidethe nose,under the brow,the cheekbone,
the upper
lip, and the chin. Softly erasethe reflectedlight on the rightiaw and
darkenthe crestshadowson the right cheekboneand jaw.Be surenot to
add more detail than you seein the drawing.
9. When your drawing is finished,carefully erasethe crosshairs.Sign and
datethe.drawing,noting that it is "After Picasso."Sincecharcoaldrawings smeareasily,you may want to sprayyour drawing with charcoal
fixative,but be awarethat the fixativewill slightly changethe appearance
of the charcoal.
Po$- exercise retnark s:
This exercisehasprovided practicein four of the basicperceptual
skills-seeing and drawing edges,spaces,relationships,and lights and
shadows-as well aspracticein seeingand drawing the headin correct
proportion andin usingcharcoalasa drawingmedium.
The Charlie Chaplin drawingwasin two valuesonly: blackand
white. The Picassodrawing hasa wider rangeof values-very light,
light, medium, and dark-and thereforehasgiven you an opportunity to
seeand draw the four aspectsof light logic highlights,castshadows,
reflectedlights,andcrestshadows.
All of this is helpful preparationfor
the next challenge,drawing your self*portrait.
EXERCTSEJ3
COPYTNG A FULL-FACE PORTRATT
T17
Pablo Picasso (r88r-r91), Self-Portra't,Barcelona,

r895r9oo. Charcoal on paper, zz.5x16.5 cm..
Picasso Museum, Barcelona. @zoozEstate of Pablo
Picasso/Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York.
II8
EXERCTSE 33
COPYING A FULL-FACE PORTRAIT

I
-id
EXERCISE 11
COPYING A FULL-FACE PORTRAIT
II9
Part lV
The Perception
of Lights
and Shadows
EXERCISE
34
Materials:
Mirror
Self-portraitsareoften describedasone of the mostdifficult tasksin

drawing but they are actually neither different from nor more difficult
than other kindsof drawing.All drawingsrequirethe samebasiccomponent skillsthat you havebeenstudying:seeingedges,spaces,
relationships,andlights andshadows.
I believethe real problemis that eachof
us hasa stronglyembedded,memorizedsetof symbolsfor the human
face,developedduring childhood.Settingthis symbolsystemasideis
the difficult part.Moreover,we havebeliefsaboutour own appearance
(both positiveandnegative),aswell asmemoriesof how we appeared
in the past,andthesecanaffectour perceptions.
As always,the solution is to draw just what you see,always
checkingrelationshipsagainstone another.A reminder:in drawing
your self-portrait, rememberto include seeingand drawing negative
spacesin order to strengthenyour compositionandthe unity of spaces
andshapes.
eraser
Felt-tip marker
Dampenedtissuefor corrections
Graphitestick andpaperrowel,
for setting a ground
Note:Yotwill needa floor lamp or
clip-on light to illuminate one side
of your head.
Time needed:
r to z hours
DrawingYour
Self-Portrait
in Light and Shadow
Remember, drawing is not photography.

Self-portraits drawn by the same artist vary
greatly one from another as shown in these
drawings by instructor Brian Bomeisler.
While still portraying a likeness, the setting
and mood change.
EXERCTSE34
DRAWTNG YOUR SILF-PORTRATT IN LIGHT AND SHADOW
:,
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 ' '
r :,
.P,.'ll':
" ,.r,;ii,
Before and after self-portraits

by a student in a five-day workshop.
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EXERCTSE34
DRAWTNG YOUR SELF-PORTRATT rN LrcHT
AND SHADOW
Instructions:
r. Turn to pageDSof the workbook,with the printed format.Using
graphiteand a papertowel,seta groundwith a medium-darktone.
Lightly draw a setof crosshairswithin the format with your #z penEil.
z. Sit in front of the mirror. Reachforward,andwith the felt-tip marker'
and a ruler, draw a format edgeon the mirroq about6" x8Yr".Now,draw
crosshairson the mirror within the format.When you aredrawinga
self-portrait,the mirror becomesthe picture plane.The mirror {lattens
your image.SeeFigure 34-r.
Figure34-r.
3. Gazeat your reflectionin the mirroq trying variousposirionsof your

headto composethe drawing.Choosea BasicUnit-perhaps two marks
that designateeyelevel andthe bottom of your chin.SeeFigure 34-2.
4. Using yo:ur#z pencil,transferthe marksof your BasicUnit ro your
format.This will ensurethat the drawingof your headwill be correctly
sizedwithin the format,neithertoo largenor too small.Then, lightly
sketchin the main edgesandspacesof your headandface.It is not
necessary
to draw in everydetail of your features:sometimesthe parts
you leavefor the viewerto envisionrurn out to be the bestpartsof
a drawing.
t. Now, look for the shapesof lights andshadowsin your image.Work
mainly with the eraserto start,erasingout the largelighted shapes.
For
example,you might eraseout the negativespacesaroundyour head;
alternatively,you might darkenthe negativespaces,
asPicassodid in his
self-portrait.Establishingthe shapeof the headhelpsyou ro envisionthe
features.
6. squint your eyesandlook at your imagein the mirror to find the lightest
lights,the highlights,andthe darkestdarks(which areoftenthe cast
shadows).
Erasethe highlightsanddarkenthe castshadowswith your
#4n pencil.SeeFigure 34-3.
7. Squintyour eyesagainto find any areasof reflectedlight-for example,
light reflectedunder the jaw or chin from a light-coloredshirt or blouse.
Softly erasethe areasof reflectedlight.
8. Squintyour eyesagainto find any areasof crestshadows,oftenfound on
the nose,the cheekbone,
the jaw,or the chin.Carefullydarkenthe crest
shadows.
9. Usethe whitesof your eyesasinterior negativespacesto correctlylocate
your irises.You will probablyfind that the whitesof your eyesarenor as
light ashighlights.carefully eraserhe whitesanddarkenthe irises,comparingthesetonesto your lightestanddarkestvaluesbeforedrawing
them.
ro. Find and eraseany highlightsyou seeon your hair.This will help to
establishthe characterandshapeof the hair.
rr. In continuingto draw the features,leavesomedetailsfor the viewerto
envision,especiallyin the shadowedareas.SeeFigure 34-4.
rz. When the drawingis finished,signand dateit.
Figure34-4.
EXERCTSE34
DRAWTNG YOUR SELF-PORTRATT rN LrcHT
AND SHADOW
I2J
Post-exerciseremarhs:
You will find it interestingto comparethis drawingto rhe pre-instruction self-portraityou drew in Exerciser. I feel surethat you will be
pleasedat the comparison.In the past,I havehad studentswho literally
did not recognizetheir pre-instructionself-portraitsastheir own work,
becausetheir skillshad advancedso much farther.
As you comparethe two drawings,think about what you have
learnedsincethe first drawing andhow that learningis evidencedin
your new self-portrait.Often,studentsfind that the first drawing
includesmemorizedsymbolsfrom childhood,which areoftenparticularly evidentin the eyes,the nose,andthe ears,aswell asin the enlargement of the featuresrelativeto the full head.It might be interestingfor
you to measurethe relationshjp "Eye level to chin equalseyelevel to the
top of the head"in both of your self-portraits.
A secondcharacteristicI haveofrenseenin the pre-instructionselfportraitsis a kind of blandnessor blanknessin expression.
In conrrasr,
the post-instructionself-portraitsareoftenintense-sometimesvery
intenseandserious-and alwaysfull of life.
In judging your drawing and hoping for an exactlikeness,be aware
that self-portraitdrau:ingisnotpbotograpltjt.The
next self-portrait you draw
may showanotheraspectof your appearance,
andthe next yet another.
If you look at a seriesof self-portraitsby the sameartist-for example,
Rembrandtor van Gogh-they look remarkablydifferent from one
another.In eachself-portrait, you recognizethe person,but you seean
imagepainted or drawn with a different mood and from a different point
of view
12+
EXERCTSE 34
DRAWING YOUR SELF-PORTRAIT IN LIGHT AND SHADOW
EXERCTSE J4
DRAWTNG yOUR SELF-PORTRATT rN LrcHT
AND SHADOW
125
PartY
The Perception
of the Gestalt
A Definition a.ndEtcplana.tionof "The perceptionof the Gestalt

The word gestaltliterally means"shape,"but it hasevolvedto signi$r
a setof elements,thoughts,or perceptionsthat,when takenall together,
amountto more than the sum of the parts.The perceptionof the gestalt
is the fifth componenrskill in drawing.The imageis seento be more than
the sum of the materialsfrom which it is made,the subjectit portrays,
andthe other componeit perceptionsof edges,spaces,
relationships,
andlights andshadows.
The image,takenall together,hasa meaningand
a purposeof its own:to porrraythe inherentcharacrerof the subject,
whetherthe drawingis a self-portraitor a depictionof a singleflower,
an egg,or one'sown hand.In the languageof zen,the ancientBuddhist
philosophy,the gestaltrepresentsthe "thingnessof the thing" its essential nature.
In this workbook,I havetaughtyou the first four drawingskillsedges,spaces,
relationships,andlight/shadow-by direct,specific
instructions.The fifth skill, however,the perceptionof the gestalt,cannot be taughtdirectly.I canname,describe,and point it out to you, but it
Ellsworth Kelly Qgz1. ; American). Apples,

1949.Pencil,ry%xzz%inches.Museum of
Modern Art, New York (gift of John S.
Newberry by exchange).
is an experiencethat will needto simply happenasa resultof your slowing down and perceivingsomethingwith the focusedattenrion required
for drawing.I feel surethat you haveexperiencedthe gestaltalready,
perhapswhen you drew the flower andsuddenlyperceivedhow exrraordinarily complicatedandbeautifulthe flowerseemed,or whenyou
drew the profile portrait and weresurprisedat how suddenlybeautiful
the personyou drew seemed.
I believethe perceptionof the
gestaltcanbe equatedwith the
"aestheticresponse,"
which is a term
from the branchof philosophy
calledaesthetics,
the srudyof
beauty.The aestheticresponse
occursat that momentwhen you
suddenlyseethe beautyof something whetheran idea,an elegant
solutionto a problem,or something
Shokei (r628-r7ry),Mia Riting. Signed

"Hokkyo Shokei, aged 86." KanoSchool.
Landscapein ink on paper, z9o x t3o mm.
Bigelow Collecrion, Museum of Fine Arts,
Boston.
rz6
familiar seenin a new way.The perceptionof the gestaltis one of the greatpleasuresof drawing.An artist
who hasexperiencedit oncehopesto havethe experienceagain.The
perceptionof the gestaltcanthus keepyou drawingforever.
In this sectionof the workbook,I will presenta varietyof new exercises,subjectsfor drawing,media,andtechniques.I hopethat you will
experiencethe aestheticresponse,
the perceptionof the gestalt,in every
drawingyou do from this point forward.
THE PERCEPTION OF THE GESTALT
PartV
The Perception
of the Gestalt
EXERCISE
Materialr
Drawingink, suchasIndia ink

or brownink madefor writing pens
Insteadof charcoalor pencil,in this exercise,I'd like you to try usingink

andbrush.This mediumis a bit dauntingat first,becauseyou cannor
eraseto correctmistakes.In this drawing however,you will lightly
sketchthe imagefirst andthen addwater-thinnedink with a brush.This
is a usefultechniquefor makingquick sketches.
In this exercise,you will be copyingan ink-and-brushself-portrait
by Picasso.I havechosenthis drawingnot only becauseit beautifully
demonstrates
ink andbrushtechnique,but alsobecauseit reinforcesthe
lessonyou learnedwith the fourth skill, lights andshadows,rhara surprisingamountof detail canbe left for the viewerto envision.
)< r )(
JJ
UsingInk andBrush
#z pencil,sharpener,and eraser
#7 or #8 warercolorbrush
Sauceror platefor mixing the ink
with water
Jarof waterandsomepapertowels
or cleanrags
Time needed:
Instructions:
Aboutzo minutes
I.
Turn to pager29of the workbook,with an approximatelysquareformat

for use with Self-Portrait,Barcelona,
rgooby Picasso,
on pagerz8.
z. You may wantto turn the drawingupsidedown to betterseethe large
shadowshapeon Picasso's
headandface.That shapedefinesthe features.
Then, turn the drawingright sideup andsketchthe main edgesandnegativespacesdirectly onrothe paper.For this drawing,imaginethe
crosshairsandchoosea BasicUnit without literally goingthrough all the
stepsof the process.
)) ' Mark your BasicUnit within the format.Beginto draw the edgesof the
largeshapesof lights andshadows,

sizingthem in proportionto your
BasicUnit. Do notaddmoredetailthanJnuseein tlteoriginal.For example,
half of the lower lip is left undefined.Draw the shapesof the shadowsin
that areajust asyou seethem.
Make sureyour eye-levelproportionis correct.Remember,eyelevelto
chin equalseyelevelto the top of the head.Becausethe hair is thick, you
must adda bit more to the upper proporrion.
t. Onceyour sketchis complete,dip your brushin ink, then in warerto thin

the ink, andbeginto paint the outlinesof the head,the shouldeqand
shirt.Notice that the brushcontinuesaroundthe edseof the formatto
framethe head.
Brush and ink drawing by student Brenda
Sanders.
EXERCISE 1f
USING INK AND BRUSH
r27
6. Dip the brushin ink againandpaint the largeshadowshape,which
shapesthe eyebrow,nose,mouth, and chin.

7. carefully makethe smallshadowshapeson the lighted sideof the head
that completethe features.
When your drawingis finished,signand dateit, adding"After picasso."
This drawingwill surelyillustratefor you the powerof light/shadow
drawing.Can'ryou envisionthe eye,nose,andmouth in the shadowed
sideof Picasso's
head,eventhoughthereis nothing therebut a fearurelessshadow?
Envisioningthe missingfeatureswill help to triggerthe
perceptionof the gestalt.
Pablo Picasso (r88r-r97) Self-Portra' t Barcelona,

r9oo.Pen, ink, and watercolor on paper, 9.5 x g.6 cm.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Raymond paul
donation, in memory of his brother, C. Michael
Paul, 1982.@zoozEstate of Pablo Picasso/Artist
Rights Society (ARS), New York.
I
I
l"
rz8
EXERCISE3t
usrNc rNK aND BRUSH
-fl
E X E R C I S EJ '
USING INK AND BRUSH
r29
PartV
The Perception
of the Gestalt
EXERCISE
36
Materials:
#z pencil
rural landscapeavailable,in
Sincefew of us havean easilyaccessible
more familiar to many of us,
a
scene
this exerciseyou will be drawing
This may seeman unlikely subiectfor a drawing
anurban landscape.
becausesuchscenesareso familiar we barelytakenoticeof them.The
andanysubiect,
purposeof this exerciseis to demonstratethat anj)scene
of
subject
can
be
the
when lovingly viewedand carefullydrawn,
a beautifuldrawing.In this drawing you will concentrateon edges,
relationships,andperceivingthe gestaltof a perhaps
negativespaces,
unlikely subject.
An UrbanLandscape
Drawittg
Free-flowing,fine-tipped,black-ink
writing pen,suchasthe Sanford
Uniball Micro pen
Felt-tip marker
Tineneeded:
30to 4t minutes
r30
nxnncrsr 36
AN URBANLANDScAPEDRAwING
Instrurtions:
I.
Turn to pager3z,with the printed format.
z. By automobileor on foot, exploreyour neighborhoodor town to locate
what you might describeasa truly ugly corner,full of signboards,

stoplights,andstorefronts.
Parkyour car (or setup a folding chair if you areon foot) nearthe truly
ugly corneqandprepareto draw while sitting in your car or on your
folding chair.
Useyour PicturePlane/Viewfinderto framethe view Choosea
composition.
t. Choosea BasicUnit. Draw it on the plasticplanewith the felt-tip

marker.
6. Transferthe BasicUnit to the paperusing your #z pencil.
7. Sketchthe main edges.You may usepencil,or you may startdrawing
directly with the pen if you wish.
Usingline only,beginto draw the sceneboundedby your Viewfinder,at
first focusingmainly on the negativespaces.
If you havesignboards
in
your scene,draw the lettersby drawingthe negativespacesaroundthe
letters.This will unify the letterformsinto the composition(if you drew
the lettersthemselves,
they would "pop out" of the composition).
9 . Work from spacesto adjacentshapes,andfrom shapesto adjacentspaces.
Useyour pencil to sightanglesrelativeto verticalandhorizonral,and
proportionsrelativeto your BasicUnit. Fit the partstogetherasthough
the scenewere a complex,fascinatingpuzzle.
When you havefinisheddrawingall the edgesof the shapesandspaces,
you may wantto useyour pen or pencil to darkenin someof the shapes
or spaces.
Alternatively,you may wish to keepthe drawingasa pure line
drawing.
II.
When you havefinished,signand dateyour drawing.You may wish to

add a title- UrbanLandscape,
Ao Ugb Corner,Fifih andBroadway.
Post - exerci se remarhs:
In this drawing,your subject-the urbanlandscap*was probablymade
up of mostlystraightlinesand angles,but the samedrawingtechnique
canbe readily appliedto other kindsof landscapes
aswell.Negative
spaces,
for example,areenormouslyhelpful in drawingtree trunks,
branches,andthe spacesaroundclumpsof leaves.
I hopethis drawingconvincesyou that subjectmatreris of very little
importancein drawing.Anything-an old pair of shoes,a baseballcap,
a towel hung overthe backof a chair,an unmadebed-can, when
lovingly observed,producea beautifuldrawingandprovide a sense
of the gestalt.
nxnncrsr 36
AN URBAN LANDscApE DRAWTNG
I3I
,).
Ttt
EXERCISE J6
AN URBAN LANDSCAPE DRAWING
r
F
pt
tt'
u-.
PartV
The Perception
of the Gestalt
EXERCISE
37
Materials:
#z and#4r pencils,sharpener,and
eraser
Hatching and crosshatchingare techniquesof shadingwith rapid parallel lines that often intersect or cross.Almost every trained artist uses
hatching or crossharchingto give the effectof shadowor texftre change.
In addition,crosshatching
allowsa lovely senseof light and air ro permeate a drawing.Each artisr over time developsa personalstyle of hatching
or crosshatchingjust asyou willin time developyour own way of crosshatching.In the early stagesof learning to draw,crosshatchingseemsto
require someinstruction, asindicated in the reproduction of a page
from a r93osbook on drawing.
Hatchingand
Crosshatchitrg
6:
Penand ink, or a writing pen with

a medium-finedp
Charcoaland a charcoalpencil
Contecrayon,blackor sanguine
(reddishbrown)
Time needed:
Instractions:
About zo minutes
I.
T\rrn to pager3t of the workbook,printed with six small formats.
) within eachof the formats,practicemakinghatchesandcrosshatches

as
in the examplesgiven in the early drawing manual:

a. In Formatr, useyour #z writing pencil.
b. In Formatz,useyour #4 drawingpencil.
c. In Formatj, usepen andink or a writing pen.
d. In Format4, usecharcoalor charcoalpencil,or both.
e. In Format5, usecontecrayon.
f, In Format 6,useyour favorite style of hatching using any of the
abovemediums.
EXERCISE 37
HATCHTNG AND CROSSHATCHTNG
r33
-9. txF s*{A*F Frffifff.
E$rms;
Rq*
G.@
- q'S-'*:
G,d"#
ftd
" 4Srrssi#
*w'F
!+,
**'t:*r
G
_:*s
*
i.*'
:
;#
.
diF
. E. *T*VY * F*STflEH
.Sffi"
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
iI :
t,
l{
')'t
11 1
EXERCTSE37
HATCHTNG AND CROSSHATCHING
.t
ii
.4
4."-'.w*.*$sf
EXERCISE 37
HATCHTNG AND CROSSHATCHTNG
r3t
PartV
The Perception
of the Gestalt
EXERC
I SE
Materials:
Conte crayon,sanguine(reddish
brown)
In the previousexercises
in this workbook,you haveuseda smoothtone
to delineateshadows.
In this exercise,you will be copyinga figuredrawing by AlphonseLegrosin which nearly all of the shadowsareformedb
hatchedlines.As you cansee,asidefrom the linesdefiningthe edgesof
the form, the drawingis formed almostentirely with hatchedlinesthat
cross,not at right angles,but at very smallangles.Crossingat small
anglesallowsthe artistto build up the hatches,creatingevendarker
tonesby slightly changingthe anglewith eachoverlappingsetof hatches.You will draw your copy of Legros'sdrawing in conte crayonsothat
you canexperiencethe natureof that medium.
38
A fipre Drawing
in Crosshatch
Eraser
Time needed:
30to 40 minutes
Instructions:
I.
Tirrn to pager39in the workbook,with the printed format for usein

copyingthe drawingSeaadMale,byAlphonseLegros,on pager38.Note
that the original drawingwasin red chalk,a somewhatsoftermedium
than contecrayon.
For this drawing,you will practiceputting your skillson automaticby
omitting the drawingof the crosshairs,
usingimaginarycrosshairs
instead.
Choosea BasicUnit-say, the bottom edgeof the negativespaceabove

the thigh.Locatethe BasicUnit by eyewithin the blank format anddraw
that edge.All proportionswill be drawnrelativeto that edge.
Draw the outer edgeof the figure,usingnegativespacesandsightingall
anglesandproportions.
t. Beginto hatchin the shadows,payingattentionto the overallshapeof

eachshadowedarea.Notice that wherethe hatchescross,they crossat
smallangles,not at right angles.Right-anglecrosshatches
canbe very
awkwardto work with, often producinga patchwork-likeeffect.
Tirrn both drawingsupsidedown to comparethe largeshadowshapes
andto seewherethe darkestareasfall. In thoseareas,build up layersof
hatchesby hatchingbackoveryour first setsof hatches,changingthe
angleslightly with eachnew set.
ry6
nxrncrsr,38
A FrcuRE DRAwTNGrN cRossHATCH
when you havefinished,sign dnd date the drawing addingthe notation

'After
Legros."
crosshatchingcan seemlike a complicatedway to achievea shadow
shape,but the effectis so beautiful that the techniqueis well worth learning. It may haveseemeddifficult at first to "fearherour" the hatchesin
order to makea smoothtransition from a shadowedareato a lighted a,rea.
This dependspartly on the amount of pressureyouapply with the pencil
point. I recommendpracticing crosshatchingusing varying pressures
and varying amountsof spacesbetweenthe hatchedlines.
Hatching is the mark of the trained artist. Learning ro usethis technique will give your drawingsa professionallook that is unmistakable.
exrncrsn 38
A FrcuRE DRAwTNG
rN cRossHATcH
tl7
-
*:'";tldg
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
The Perception
of the Gestalt
EXERCISE
39
Materials:
Parposeof tbe exercise:
Smallamountof ink, coffee,tea,

or cola(preferablydiet cola,because
it containsno sugarthat would make
your drawingsticky)
Thus far,the exerciseshavebeenbasedmainly on somethingseenin the

real world. This is a form of drawingcalled"realism."However,drawing
neednot be confinedto portrayalsof real life. Drawing canalsodepict
the world of the imagination.One of the problemswith imaginative
drawing is finding a way to start.This exerciseis inspired by the writing
of Leonardoda Vinci, who recommendedthat artistsstudythe stainson
old wallsto sparktheir imaginationswith envisionedimaginativescenes
andfigures.
An ImaginativeDrawing
Basedon Leonardo
da Vinci'sAdvice
Writing pen
Four or five sheetsof newspaper
Time needed:
About 3ominutesof drying time
and aboutr5minutesfor drawing
Instructions:
r. Turn to page4z of your workbook,with the printed format.(Forthis
drawing you will not needthe teachingandlearningaids,the Picture
Plane/Viewfindeqthe BasicUnit, or the crosshairs.)
z. Placesomesheetsof newspaperbeneathyour drawingPage.Carefully
but deliberatelyspill someink thinned with water,or somecoffee,tea,or
cola,within the format.Allow the liquid to run whereit will, andthenlet
it dry for about3ominutes.
3. Studythe stainson the paper,trying to "see"imagestriggeredin your
mind by the stains.
4. Usingthe writing pen,beginto reinforcethe envisionedimageswith
to createthree-dimenline, perhapsaddinghatchesandcrosshatches
sionalforms.
y. Continuereinforcingimagesuntil you aresatisfiedthat the drawingis
finished.
6. Title your drawing.This is an importantstepandshouldbe givensome
thought.Then, signand dateyour drawing.
Post- exerci se remarks:
This is a good exerciseto repeatagainand againin order to nurrure your
imagination.As you continueto draw imagesof the real world, your
mind will becomestockedwith imagesof remembereddrawings.For
example,canyou call up in your mind'seyethe imageof the floweryou
drew in ExerciseIz,or the man readingthe Biblein Exercise19?These
t40
EXERCTSE39
AN IMAGINATIVE
DRAWING BASED ON LEONARDO DA VINCI'S
ADVICE
imageshaveremarkablelongevityand arereadilycalledup to guide

your drawingwhen,for example,you wantto drav/a floweror a seated
figurefrom your imagination.
Completelyimaginarycrearuresand scenesevolvefrom amalgamations of rememberedimages.The processof drawingimaginarycreaturesitself helpsyou to envisionimages.For example,onceyou have
drawnthe headof an imaginarycrearure,rhe nexrparr-the body-is
generatedasan imaginedextensionof the head.You then draw on the
paperthe imageyou seein your mind. The wholeprocessof imaginary
drawingis strengthenedand enrichedby havinga largerepertoireof
rememberedimagesfrom previousdrawings,just as,for a creativewriter,
havinga largerepertoireof rememberedwritings helpswith imaginative writing.
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
The purposeof this final exerciseis to demonstratethat subiectsfor

drawingsareinnumerableand canbe found everywhere,evenin the
mostunexpectedplaces.In this exercise,you will be drawingfrom an
ordinary,everydayobject,either human-madeor from the naturalworld.
You will enlargea tiny area,Yr"x/r" , of this obiectto a 4" x 4" formatto
producea drawingthat may be unrecognizableasthe original obiectbut
that will presenta nev/,almostabstractimage.This drawingwill require
all of the skillsyou havegained,from Pure contour drawingthrough
andthe perceptionof the gestalt'
light/shadowto crosshatching
A smallpieceof white paper,

aboutz" x 2",with a square/r" x/t"
format cut out.
An objectof your choice(for example,a dried leaf,a pieceof jewelry,
a pieceof popcorn,a shell,bark
from a tree,a flower,a rock, a piece
of weatheredwood)
Instructions:
Time needed:
r. T\rrn to pageI45in the workbook,with the printed 4" x 4" format.
Aboutr hour
z. Examinethe objectyou havechosen.Usethe paPefwith the smallcutout

squafeasa smallversionof the PicturePlane/Viewfinderto choosea
compositionthat you like.
you can
3. Carefullytapethe paperformatto the obiectandplaceit where
closelyview it.
lightly
4. Imaginecrosshairson the objectand on the 4" x 4" format (or
draw in the crosshairswithin the format if you wish)'
5. Sharpenyour pencil andbeginto draw iust whatyou seein the object,
from the Yr"xYr" squareopeningto the
enlargingyour observations
+" x +" format.
Be sure
relationships,andlights/shadows.
6. Draw the main edges,spaces,
in the shadowedareasof your drawing.
to incorporatecrosshatching
7. At the laststageof the drawing work within the drawingitself to bring
all partsto a point of finish,when you feel nothing needsto be addedto
Try to usea rangeof values,
the image.Make sureyou emphasizesPaces.
from very light to very dark.
g. Decideon a title. Titles andsignaturesbecomepart of a drawing.
Carefullywrite or print the title belowthe lower left-handcornerand
signthe drawingbelowthe right-handcorner.
EXERCTSE40
A FOUR-BY-FOUR DRAWING
r+3
Post- exerci se remarks:

You haveiust completed an abstractdrawing.You haveabstracted,or
drawnout, essentialqualitiesfrom an obiectof the naturalworld' This is
the definitionof "abstract"art.These4" x +" drawingsarevery beautiful
andstandon their own asreal drawings.Evenin drawinga smallpart of
a very ordinary obfect,you may haveexperiencedthe perceptionof the
gestaltduring the time you were drawing or after the drawing was
finished.I hopethis inspiresyou to look for subiectsto draw in unlikely
aswell aslikely places.
4+
EXERCISE 40
A FOUR-BY-FOUR DRAWING
EXERCISE40
A F O U R _ B Y _ F O U RD R A W I N G
r4t
Some Suggestions
for Further Study
In time, you will discard your Picture

Plane/Viewfinder. Using your hand and
pencil to form a viewfinder, you will imagine
the crosshairs, choose a Basic Unit, estimate
its size relatiae to tbeformat, mark it on your
paper, and. . . iust start drawing.
46
To keepimprovingyour drawingskills,the importantthing is to continue to draw on a regularbasis.Ten minutesa day is sufficient'Carrying a

sketchbookis very helpful:I recommenda smallsketchbookwith blank
pagesthat will fit in a purse,a briefcase,or a pocket.You may chooseto
usea pen,but if you preferworking with a pencil,you shouldalsocarry
a small,hand-heldpencil sharpener.
Time permitting a drawingclasswill inspireyou with new ideas,
new subjectmatter,and a chanceto seethe drawingsof other people.
If this workbookis your first experiencewith drawing,I recommenda
focuson
classin beginningdrawing.Most beginningdrawingclasses
subjectmatter and a varietyof mediums,not on the very basicstrategies
of perceptionthat you learnedin this workbook.Therefore,a beginning
drawingclasswill probablynot be a repeatof theselessons.
Somecommunitiesandschoolshold uninstructedlife-drawing
classes,
with no instructorbut with a variety of professionalmodelsto
draw from. This is the bestpossiblepractice,andthe mostrewarding
becausethe humanfigureis endlesslyfascinatingto draw.
You may becomeinterestedin addingcolor to your list of mediums.
of familiarity,sincethey aresimply
Coloredpencilshavethe advantage
anotherform of pencil andso arenot an entirely new mediumfor you.
You may wish to try working with pastelpencils,a lovely mediumandan
intermediatestepbetweendrawingandpainting.Pastelpencilsare
than pastelchalksfor a beginnerin drawing
somewhatmore accessible
andthey arelessdusty,aswell.
My final recommendationis to go to seedrawingsin museums
andgalleries.You will learn a greatdealfrom seeinghow othershave
handledparticularproblemsin drawing.In addition,find booksin the
library or bookstoresthat showreproductionsof greatdrawings,andtry
to find time to copysomeof thoseartworks.In timespast,that is how
artistslearnedto draw:by copyingthe worksof greataftists.We arefortunatein our own time to havereproductionsso readily available.
No one everfinisheslearningto draw,but that is one of the reasons
why drawingcansustainyour interestthroughouta lifetime.
SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Portfolio andVideo Ordering
The Drawing on the Right

Sideof the Brain Portfolio
is a completedrawing course.
To order the complete Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain portfolio
or iust the
Video, complete this order form and mail or fax it to us at:
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
rrySz6th Sueeq Box y3o
SantaMonica,CAgo4o3
It includes:
Fax: 562595-7572
Internet Or order via the Internet at www.drawright.com
Telepbone:888oaaw-ror (888372-9ror)
A two-hour videocassette
Drawingboard
Largedrawing paper
Salestax will apply for California.
Smalldrawing paper
Pleaseallow two to four weeksfor delivery.
Smalltemplate
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DeliaerTmoltod: ws
Large template
ExtraJarge template
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LAST NAME
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ADDRESS
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PHONE
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finder
ion 6nder
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ite stick 4r
pencil z
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o check or money order payable to Drawingon tbeRigltt Sideof tbeBrain,Inc.
O Mastercard O Visa O American Express O Discover
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Itemt ordered: @nury
ltem
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eraser
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sumnvc (urs)
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ART/CREATT\rrfY

LnanNrNGTo DRAwis very much like mastering

Tarcher/Penguinbooksareavailableat specialquantirydiscountsfor bulk'

Library of CongressCataloging-in-Publication Data

Cover drawing and instructional drawingsby Brian Bomeisler

Pre-Instruction Drawing of Your Hand

Pre-Instruction Drawing of the Corner of a Room

Warm-up and Free Drawing

Pure Contour Drawing

Drawing Your Hand on the PlasticPicturePlane

Transferring Your Hand Drawing from Picture Planeto Paper

Drawing Your Hand Holding an Object

Drawing I eavesUsing Negative Spaces

Drawing a Chair in Negative Space

Negative-SpaceDrawing of an Actual Chair

Copying a Master Drawing: Man Readingtbe

Sightingan Open Doorway

Sighting a Room Corner

The Knee/Foot Drawing

Sighting a Still Life of Bookson a Table

A Srill Life wiih Eilipses

Proportionsof the Head in Profile

Copying a MasterDrawing of a ProfilePortrait

Drawing a Profile Portrait

Still Life with AmericanFlas

Drawing an Egg Lighted from Above

Charlie Chaplin in Light and Shadow

Proportionsof the Head in Full-FaceView

DrawingYour Self-Portraitin Light and Shadow

Usinglnk and Brush

A Figure Drawingin Crosshatch

An ImaginativeDrawing Basedon Leonardoda Vinci'sAdvice

Some Suggestionsfor Further Study

Portfolio and Yideo Ordering

This workbookis designedasa supplementto my book TheNewDrawing

Noteto tbe reader:

drawnformatsandguiding crosshairsin correctproportionsfor each

The art materialsneededfor the exercisesin this workbook are avaiiable

Charcoal 6 sticksof natural charcoal

z sticksof synthetic charcoal(CharKole

Erasable felt-tip marker

lnk r smallbottle of blackIndia ink

r small bottle of brown writing ink

Abstract drawing.A translation into

isolation, emphasis,or exaggeration of some aspectof the real

Right brain hemisphere.

Left brain hemisphere.

Composition.An ordered relationship among the parts or

Eye level.In portrait drawing the

forms and spaceswithin the

mark on the head.

f mage.Verb:Tocall up in the mind a

Negative spaces.The areasaround

and interpreted or reinterpreted by the brain.

can be parts of positive forms.

by the outer edgesof the format. "Interior" hegative spaces

Right hemisphere.The right half of

Pre-instruction drawingsprovide a valuablerecord of, your skills:in

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

small-say, frr I grr-11irror to the wall.)

+. Draw your self-portrait to the bestof your abiliry.

Pre- InstructionD rarruiry

Look at paget of the workbook,"Pre-InstructionDrawing#2,