After my initial attempt at drawing was a frustrating failure, I thought that I should start simpler. And since I am in my comfort zone learning from a book, I thought it would go a long way to purchase a book on how to draw. I selected Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. After perusing the bookshelves of B & N, I decided on this one because it is specifically designed for people who consider themselves completely unable to draw -- like me. The book is also based on a five day class that Betty Edwards teaches. She maintains that she can teach anyone to draw by helping them to see things with the right side of the brain instead of the left.
The book contains samples of before and after drawings of students who took the five day class, and their progress is remarkable and, according to Edwards, common. Rare is the student who does not progress.
Edwards cautions against doing the lessons out of sequence, and since I already learned my lesson about not starting at the beginning, I willingly completed the first assignment: three "before" drawings, which are meant to be no pressure drawing to use as tangible evidence of my progress. The three drawings are 1) self portrait 2) portrait from memory 3) my own hand in any position.
Another assignment that Edwards suggests is to write about what it felt like to draw these three pictures. Since we are supposed to blog about our experiences, I will do that here.
Self Portrait:
This was done while looking in a mirror. The hardest part was by far the nose. The easiest was the lips. The one thing that I thought would be easiest was the hair, however, after completing the portrait, I have to say that I found the hair to be surprisingly difficult. The finished product was way better than I thought it would be. Perhaps I have exceedingly low expectations of my drawing skills, but seriously, I have rarely attempted more than stick figures.
Portrait from memory:
I chose to do one of my boyfriend. We live together so I see him more than anyone, yet drawing him from memory was a big fat joke. Even though I could see him in my mind's eye, I could not see details. I gave up pretty quickly on trying to make it as detailed as my self-portrait, so it is not good. Oh...and even though you cannot tell it from this portrait, I am not dating Barry Gibb.
My hand:
This was awesome. When I look at it, I cannot believe that I drew it. It has perspective and everything! One thing that really helped me with perspective was blurring my eyes a bit. I know that seems counter intuitive, but it kind of freed my brain from seeing my hand as a hand and made it more a series of lines that intersected at specific places.
I have spent so much time devaluing my innate ability, that it never occurred to me to even try to draw more than stick figures or to seek out a means to learn. Now I am so excited about the possibility of learning how to draw. I have a feeling that it is going to open up new creative potential. But, I am not a genius...yet. I still have to have my first official lesson, at least now I can move forward with confidence -- not frustration.
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ReplyDeleteOh, yeah!! I do that, too. It helps so much to have your vision a bit blurred when beginning a drawing project. When I look at my hand, I see all the details (the scar from the burn I got last Thanksgiving, my knuckles' way of sticking up into the light). These are too many details to try and incorporate when you just need the basic shape. Details come later. The just comes first. Blurring helps to see the bigger picture. Do you think this lesson could be applied to life at all?
ReplyDeleteYou are a natural drawer. You will have no trouble getting ahead. What I think you should learn now is a bit of the science of things. I.e. eyes. Draw and oval. Draw a line directly across the middle. the eyes go here. Draw a verticle line through the middle. The nese goes here. Draw another line between the eye line and the bottom of the oval. The mouth goes here. Much of this has to do with the golden number...or the divine proportion. THus
ReplyDeleteWhat is Phi?
Phi ( = 1.618033988749895... ), most often pronounced fi like "fly," is simply an irrational number like pi ( p = 3.14159265358979... ), but one with many unusual mathematical properties. Unlike pi, which is a transcendental number, phi is the solution to a quadratic equation.
Phi is the basis for the Golden Section, Ratio or Mean
The ratio, or proportion, determined by Phi (1.618 ...) was known to the Greeks as the "dividing a line in the extreme and mean ratio" and to Renaissance artists as the "Divine Proportion" It is also called the Golden Section, Golden Ratio and the Golden Mean.
Circle with a diameter of 1 and circumference of piPhi, like Pi, is a ratio defined by a geometric construction
Just as pi (p) is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, phi () is simply the ratio of the line segments that result when a line is divided in one very special and unique way.
Divide a line so that:
Sectioning a line to form the Golden Section
the ratio of the length of the entire line (A)
to the length of larger line segment (B)
is the same as
the ratio of the length of the larger line segment (B)
to the length of the smaller line segment (C).
This happens only at the point where:
A is 1.618 ... times B and B is 1.618 ... times C.
Alternatively, C is 0.618... of B and B is 0.618... of A.
Phi with an upper case "P" is 1.618 0339 887 ..., while phi with a lower case "p" is 0.6180339887, the reciprocal of Phi and also Phi minus 1.
What makes phi even more unusual is that it can be derived in many ways and shows up in relationships throughout the universe.
Phi can be derived through:
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A numerical series discovered by Leonardo Fibonacci
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Mathematics
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Geometry
Phi appears in:
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The proportions of the human body
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The proportions of many other animals
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Plants
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DNA
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The solar system
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Art and architecture
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Music
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Population growth
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The stock market
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The Bible and in theology
Grab this idea and drawing will be simplified.