Look at your picture backwards
A blogmate recently (and unbeknownst to him, no doubt, since he was talking about something slightly different!) reminded me of a good technique for looking objectively at our drawings. I’m pretty sure the same technique is detailed in Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain*, which I’ve mentioned before. Ad infinitum. I’m not Betty Edwards in disguise, honest.
This method works especially well for subjects that require a fairly accurate portrayal of proportion, like life-drawing (pictures of people can look really wrong if one part of the body is drawn too big or too small).
The thing is, that when you get too close to a drawing, you often can’t see what’s wrong with it. So the suggestion is that you look at it backwards. No, not you - the picture. Low-tech method: hold it up to a mirror. High-tech method: scan it ino your computer and flip it over. Desperate measures method: hold it up to the window and look through from the back of the paper.
Even if there’s nothing wrong with your picture, seeing it this way round might really surprise you. You might even like it better! It’ll also help you think about composition and balance and how the thing sits on the page.
Quick task: Find a picture you’ve done recently, flip it, and come back and comment on what you notice. Maybe post both versions?
Slightly longer task: Draw something first, then do the same. A face (even your own one) would be good.
Click to see these pictures both forwards and backwards.
I had fun doing these today - as you can see, I discovered a few new brushes and techniques on Photoshop. I wonder if anyone would like a few posts on some of the Photoshop tools and how to use them.
That aside, flipping the picture did show me something about the girl picture, in particular: the image you see in the thumbnail is the original. Until I flipped it, I just didn’t see how her jaw was bulging out to the left. You may have seen it right away. Once I’d looked at the reverse image, I couldn’t stop noticing it in either version. But I left it in to show you what I am talking about…
*Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain - amazon.co.uk
Drawing on the Right side of the Brain - amazon.com
Posted: June 26th, 2007 under Technique, Loosening up, Composition.
Comments: 5
5 Comments
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That’s really interesting… I’ve never heard of this technique before, but I’ll definately have a go (at some point) because I’m constantly getting things out of proportion, especially when I do life drawing. And I can see what you mean about the jaw as well, I never even noticed it until you pointed it out.
I keep meaning to do all these tasks but I’m working full time this week (oh woe is me, actual real 9-5 work, i’m so tired!!) so every time I think ‘i’ll draw now…”, I generally find something mind numbing on the telly that I can use 0% brain power watching instead.
…How do you people have the energy to have a full time job every day, as well as do other stuff with your life e.g. living??
Maybe I need to eat some of those slow release carbs everyone raves about.
(Sorry, mini tangent there, uh, yes, I WILL draw tonight.)
Hmm, personally I think it’s the ‘living’ that’s gone out of the window with me… that, and the housework.
Flippancy aside, I do rememebr what a shock it is working full time when you’re not used to it. Somehow your brain becomes numbed to it and you get used to having to go to the bank at lunch time, etc, etc..
So don’t push yourself too much; your job comes first! Then again, there’s always the old ‘mindless doodling while the telly’s on’ technique.
“I wonder if anyone would like a few posts on some of the Photoshop tools and how to use them.”
Ooo yes please. I am first and foremost a photographer and so my limited PS (I have CS - 1 v8.0) experience/expertise is mostly from that POV!
Marvellous - I don’t need any more encouragement than this! As I’ve said above, though, I am entirely self-taught so my methods might be rather eccentric. OTOH it might get a debate going about quicker and easier ways of doing things, which would benefit me, too.
I use the technique of holding up the paper to the light all the time. I find my problem is that everything gets slanted. It’s to do with the angle I hold the pen and the movement of the hand when sketching.