Some people appear to have a natural flair for drawing, yet others struggle with rendering an accurate portrayal of what lies in front of them.
Why Some Adults Find it Hard to Draw
Many people give up drawing in childhood and pursue a career where this skill is seldom required. One might revisit this pastime in adulthood only to throw the pencil down in disgust with the lament: “I cannot draw!”
Picture Dyslexia
This is the brain’s inability to put down an accurate portrayal of what lies in front. The most common examples are: eyes too far up the head, hands and feet too small, limbs too thin, problems with angles, ellipses, perspectives and foreshortenings. The drawing might look squashed up and tight, or just plain “wrong.”
Accurate Drawing and the Right side of the Brain
The brain consists of two hemispheres. Each sees the world in a different way. The left hemisphere views things in their parts, it is logical, analytical, assigns labels to things and endeavours to make sense of the world. The right hemisphere sees holistically, is illogical and sees things as they really are.
Avoid Inaccurate or Childish Drawing
When presented with a chair, the left brain tells itself, “This is a chair.” The left brain further categorises the chair as having a square seat and four legs. The left brain tells itself that all chairs have this in common.
The right brain simply sees the chair as a series of abstract shapes, and does not attempt to categorise it as having a square seat and four legs, or to tell itself, “This is a chair.”
How the Left Hemisphere Interferes with Drawing
Those with low drawing ability experience a dilemma between these two ways of seeing. A chair may have four legs, but all four might not be visible from a particular angle. The seat might be square, but the effect of foreshortening might make it anything but. The left brain sees only what it believes it sees, the right brain sees it as it really is. Betty Edwards’ book “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” (HarperCollins: 2001) explores this effect more fully.
Hints and Tips on How to Sketch Accurately
A good drawing will result in a good painting (see fig 4).The secret to improving drawing ability is to learn to see. This entails forestalling the left side of the brain. The following tips might help.
- Turn the drawing upside down or view it through a mirror. This will cause mistakes to become obvious.
- Stand ten feet away from the drawing. This will force the brain to view the drawing holistically.
- Do not look at the drawing for two minutes. This will reboot the brain and encourage a fresh viewpoint.
- Flick the eyes at regular intervals from the scene to the drawing in order to get a comparison between the two.
Making the Drawing Accurate
- The first line will never be accurate. This is why drawing from light to dark is important. Mistakes can be overdrawn and accuracy is built up as each adjustment is made.
- Become aware of negative shapes. This is the shape of the background and foreground around the main objects.
- Measure the relative length of things by using a pencil. Hold it at arm's length and close one eye. Compare how high or wide things are (see fig 2).
- Use a viewfinder and imagine a cross in the centre. Plot the drawing in relation to the cross (see fig 5).
Handedness and Drawing Ability
The right brain’s ability to draw might explain why a significant number of artists are left-handed. The right brain sees things as they really are, not what it thinks it sees. The secret to improving drawing ability is to forestall the left side of the brain.
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