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Drawing is a process that is intertwined with seeing. To draw, you need to see the way an artist sees.

How to see like an artist is a hard thing to explain, so most people never learn the skill-- but it is learnable by anyone, with practice.

Seeing like an artist involves shifting from the verbal/logical use of your brain to the visual/intuitive side. When you use the right side of your brain, you will enter that state where you can't access words, awareness of time disappears, yet you feel alert, relaxed, and happy. And then you will also begin to see things the way artists do.

Vase-Face Drawing: 
This exercise is one way to practice the shift from left to right brain. Using pencil, draw a symbol of a profile of a face- the left brain can easily draw a symbol from memory.
  1. Begin on the left side of your paper, so the face is facing to the right. (If you are left-handed, reverse it).
  2. Start at the top of the head, and use one uninterrupted line.
  3. Make the face approximately 5" tall, ending at the neck.
  4. Add lines at the top and bottom going to the right, about 2-3".
  5. Now, start at the top right and draw the profile in reverse. Go slowly, and look for the hints that you are seeing in a different way. 
What did you experience? You probably found yourself scanning back and forth in the space between the profiles to see the angles and curves in relation to each other. You made constant small adjustments to get the best match in proportion and shape. You were not thinking about a profile, but only about the visual relationships. This is exactly what you need to do to draw well.

Blind contour line drawing:

Supplies: Paper, tape, pencil, objects that are complex enough to challenge your seeing (Plants, shoes, pinecones, machinery, furniture, etc.)

We will learn several parts to drawing- each a skill that involves seeing things. The first basic skill of drawing is to be able to see the edges of things.

In art, edges are called contours. Anyplace where two things come together is a contour- the outside edges or outline, or where two things meet, and any lines or details on the surface.

Practice blind contour line drawings - don't look at the paper- only the object. The reason to draw blind is to bypass L-brain idea of "how to draw" and go to R-brain seeing the angles and curves.

You will need to tape your paper so it doesn't slide around, and turn so you can look at the subject. 
  1. First sit quietly and look at the subject and all its contours. I often use my finger to air-trace the shapes to begin to see them.
  2. View the subject from the same angle the whole time. 
  3. Keep your eyes only on the subject. 
  4. Draw very slowly. Move your eyes along the contours and your pencil on the paper both at the same speed- your pencil will record what your eyes see.
  5. Don’t worry that the proportions aren’t right; just surrender to the experience of seeing the edges.
  6. Draw big- fill the picture plane.
  7. Draw the outside edges and inside lines. Record every variation you see, every little bump and change in direction.
  8. No talking: Talking uses your left-brain, and drawing needs your right brain.
  9. Take your time- I suggest 20 minute per drawing  If it seems excruciating at first, just keep going- your left brain will give up eventually and let your right brain enjoy the process!
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