Drawing Excercise Instructions Based on: Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

Preconstruction Drawings Each drawing should take approx. 20 minutes. You may set a timer, so you don’t have to worry about checking constantly. 1.Someone’s face/head - (they can watch tv, read, play on their cell phone, etc. as long as they stay still) 2.Full Body – this is the same as #1, but head to toe 3.Hand – position your hand comfortably in front of you to draw 4.Chair – this can be a stool, kitchen chair, desk chair, etc. Do your best to draw these exactly as you see them. They will not be perfect, as you are being timed.

Vases and Faces 1.Goal: Shift from L-mode to R-mode. The first profile you draw, you will name the forehead, nose, lips, etc. The second profile, you will try to match shapes/lines, not necessarily “the nose”. 2.On one side of your paper (right- handed starts on left side, left- handed on the right side) draw the profile of a person’s face. This can be a made up profile. 3.Draw horizontal, parellel lines at the top and bottom of the profile. 4.Starting at the top on the other side, draw the profile in reverse.

Upside Down Drawings You will do 3 of these: Igor (to the right) and 2 others of choice (must be same skill level as Igor) With each of these, you will turn them upside down where you view the bottom as the top/top as bottom Draw these exactly how you see them upside down. Don’t worry about the names of things (hands, nose, etc.) just focus on where the lines are going.

Contour Line Drawings Instructions: 1.Find a place where you won’t be interrupted. 2.Set your timer according to the contour exercise given. You should not stop until the timer goes off. If you get finished way before the 20 mins. is up, then you probably went to fast. 3.Tape a piece of paper down to the table. This ensures no sliding, so your lines can stay constant. 4.Turn and face the opposite direction of your paper. When you begin drawing, you will be tempted to look. DO NOT LOOK. 5.While drawing you should start at one point, perceive the EDGE of your hand, and follow that edge of your hand. You should never pick the pencil up from from the paper. 6.Continue at a slow even pace until all “edges” of your hand are drawn. (This includes ANY lines like wrinkles, nails, creases, etc.)

Reflection Questions Answer these for EACH of the exercises drawn. – Did I follow all of the instructions to ensure I acheived the purpose of the exercise? If not, why and how can I fix it? – What is one thing I did well? – What is one thing I could improve on? – Did I improve from the previous drawings? (especially from hand to hand/chair to chair)

Contour Line Examples:

Contour Line Drawings True contour line drawings should include 1.Your hand (20 minutes) 2.A shoe (20 minutes) 3.A bag – purse/backpack/something similar (20 minutes) 4.Your hand – You may look at your paper on this one, occasionally. When finished, add shading. (40 minutes)

Negative and Positive Space Drawings First Drawing: Find a few objects that have interesting contours (edges). Ex: keys, headphones, office supplies, etc. Arrange them to where you will have areas of open and closed negative space On one side of your sketchbook, draw the objects exactly how you see them, shading and all On the other side of you sketchbook, draw the edges of the objects (just outline), fill in the negative space black, and leave the positive space white. Second Drawing: Find one interesting object (chair works perfectly) Use a viewfinder to find the edges of the paper and fill the negative positive space well compositionally. Repeat the steps above using the viewfinder (see next slide to make a viewfinder)

How to Make a Viewfinder Find a piece of sturdy paper, poster, or mat board Make sure that the proportions match up with the size paper you will be drawing on (ex: 18x24 in = 6x8 in) Draw an X from corner to corner of the paper Around the center, draw a rectangle approx. 1 x 1 ¼ in, making sure that horizontal and vertical lines are parallel Cut out the rectangle Hold it up and close one eye to see what you are drawing. This blocks out other areas that may distract you, and helps determine where your negative and positive space should go.