Going At It Old/New School
Oct. 9th, 2006 06:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolphins_logI've mentioned that I've been working through Betty Edwards' "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain". Actually the title is now "The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain". One of the things I've discovered is that I'm not the same "beginner" as I was when I first went through the book back in the early 80's.
The first exercises is to draw 3 pre-instruction images. One is a self portrait seen in a mirror. Two is to draw someone else from memory. [![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
miko2 I have a picture of you which you will likely never see.] The third is a drawing of your non dominant hand. We're supposed to set these aside and compare them to drawings we do after going through the book.
The examples in the book are more in line with my 1980s pictures, where many "hurry up" symbols for images step in. Things like round head, almond eyes near the top, a crumpled "U" shape for the nose, perhaps you get the idea.
My 2006 pictures show that I have, indeed, left a lot of those symbols behind. Some of it has returned as I haven't practiced. I've never practiced. That's some, if not all, of my problems with drawing. But the fact that I "Do" know how to shift my way of thinking and I "do" know how to "See"... All of that is very promising.
Why am I going through the book again after 25 years? One, the book is updated. It's got some new things in it. One of the first things I've found that made me say "Ah Ha!" was that she's acknowledged two other levels of learning. That's drawing from memory and drawing from imagination. My frustration with those two aspects has kept me from pushing forward with art. Here she says that those two are beyond the first steps of learning. [stating the obvious? Sometimes we need the obvious stated.]
The second reason I'm doing this now is because I have the time. I've pulled back from non-work and I'm focusing on the "Next" in my life.
The third reason is that these techniques in drawing, or shifting the way you think, can be transferred into many many other walks of life. So the third reason is extremely philosophical in nature.
My day has been spent reading and drawing. It's been a good day.
The first exercises is to draw 3 pre-instruction images. One is a self portrait seen in a mirror. Two is to draw someone else from memory. [
miko2 I have a picture of you which you will likely never see.] The third is a drawing of your non dominant hand. We're supposed to set these aside and compare them to drawings we do after going through the book.The examples in the book are more in line with my 1980s pictures, where many "hurry up" symbols for images step in. Things like round head, almond eyes near the top, a crumpled "U" shape for the nose, perhaps you get the idea.
My 2006 pictures show that I have, indeed, left a lot of those symbols behind. Some of it has returned as I haven't practiced. I've never practiced. That's some, if not all, of my problems with drawing. But the fact that I "Do" know how to shift my way of thinking and I "do" know how to "See"... All of that is very promising.
Why am I going through the book again after 25 years? One, the book is updated. It's got some new things in it. One of the first things I've found that made me say "Ah Ha!" was that she's acknowledged two other levels of learning. That's drawing from memory and drawing from imagination. My frustration with those two aspects has kept me from pushing forward with art. Here she says that those two are beyond the first steps of learning. [stating the obvious? Sometimes we need the obvious stated.]
The second reason I'm doing this now is because I have the time. I've pulled back from non-work and I'm focusing on the "Next" in my life.
The third reason is that these techniques in drawing, or shifting the way you think, can be transferred into many many other walks of life. So the third reason is extremely philosophical in nature.
My day has been spent reading and drawing. It's been a good day.
