The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

The N e w

Drawing on the Right Side of

the Brain

Betty Edwards

J e r e m y P. T a r c h e r / P u t n a m a m e m b e r of

Penguin P u t n a m Inc.

N e w York

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P u b l i s h e d s i m u l t a n e o u s l y in C a n a d a

L i b r a r y o f C o n g r e s s C a t a l o g i n g - i n - P u b l i c a t i o n Data

Edwards, Betty.

T h e new d r a w i n g on the right side of the brain / B e t t y E d w a r d s . — Rev. and e x p a n d e d ed.

p. c m .

Rev. and e x p a n d e d ed. of: D r a w i n g on the right side of the brain.

Includes bibliographical references.

I S B N 0 - 8 7 4 7 7 - 4 1 9 - 5 (hardcover). — I S B N 0-87477-4Z4-1 (pbk.)

1. D r a w i n g — T e c h n i q u e . 2. Visual p e r c e p t i o n . 3. C e r e b r a l d o m i n a n c e . I. Edwards, Betty. D r a w i n g on the right side of the brain. II. T i t l e . III. T i t l e : D r a w i n g on the right side of the brain.

NC730.E34 1999 9 9 - 3 5 8 0 9 C I P 741.2—dc2i

C o v e r d r a w i n g : B e t t y Edwards

Instructional drawings: B e t t y Edwards and Brian B o m e i s l e r D e s i g n : J o e M o l l o y

T y p e s e t i n M o n o t y p e Janson b y M o n d o T y p o , Inc.

Printed in the U n i t e d States of A m e r i c a

40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 (hardcover)

T h i s book is printed on acid-free paper. ©

40 39 38 37 36 35 (pbk)

To the memory of my father, who sharpened my drawing pencils with his pocketknife

when I was a child

Contents

Preface

Introduction

I. D r a w i n g and the A r t of B i c y c l e R i d i n g

2. T h e D r a w i n g Exercises: O n e Step at a T i m e

3. Y o u r Brain: T h e R i g h t and Left of It

4. C r o s s i n g O v e r : E x p e r i e n c i n g the Shift from Left to Right

5. D r a w i n g on M e m o r i e s : Your History as an Artist

6. G e t t i n g A r o u n d Your S y m b o l System: M e e t i n g Edges and C o n t o u r s

7. P e r c e i v i n g the Shape of a Space: T h e Positive Aspects of N e g a t i v e Space 15 87 67 49

2 7 11

1 X V I I

X

8. Relationships in a N e w M o d e : Putting Sighting in Perspective

9. Facing Forward: Portrait D r a w i n g with Ease

10. T h e Value of Logical Lights and Shadows

11. Drawing on the Beauty of C o l o r

Afterword: Is Beautiful Handwriting a Lost Art? 253

Postscript 267

Glossary 275

Bibliography 279

Index 283 12. T h e Z e n of Drawing: D r a w i n g O u t the Artist Within

137

161

193

229

247

Acknowledgments

F I R S T ,

I

my new readers and to thank all those w h o have read this book in the past. It is y o u w h o make this t w e n t i e t h - y e a r e d i t i o n possible by y o u r loyal support. O v e r the past t w o decades, I have received many letters expressing appre- ciation and e v e n affection. T h i s shows, I think, that in this e l e c - tronic age, b o o k s can still bring authors and readers together as f r i e n d s . I t r e a s u r e this t h o u g h t , b e c a u s e I l o v e b o o k s m y s e l f and c o u n t as friends authors I have never met e x c e p t through their books.

M a n y p e o p l e have contributed to this work. In the following brief acknowledgment, I wish to thank at least a few.

Professor R o g e r W. Sperry, for his generosity and kindness in discussing the original text with me.

Dr. J. W i l l i a m B e r g q u i s t , w h o s e u n t i m e l y death in 1987 sad- d e n e d his family, friends, and c o l l e a g u e s . Dr. Bergquist gave me unfailingly good advice and generous assistance with the first edi- tion of the book and with the research that preceded it.

My publisher,Jeremy Tarcher, for his enthusiastic support of the first, second, and now the third edition of the book.

My son, Brian Bomeisler, who has so generously put his skills, energy, and e x p e r i e n c e as a artist into revising, refining, and adding to these lessons in drawing. His insights have truly moved the work forward over the past ten years.

My daughter, A n n e B o m e i s l e r Farrell, w h o has been my best editor d u e to her u n d e r s t a n d i n g of my work and her superb lan- g u a g e skills.

M y closest c o l l e a g u e , R a c h a e l B o w e r T h i e l e , w h o keeps e v e r y t h i n g on track and in order, and w i t h o u t whose dedicated help I'd have had to retire years ago.

V I I I A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

M y esteemed designer, Joe M o l l o y , w h o makes superb design seem effortless.

M y friend Professor D o n D a m e , for g e n e r o u s l y l e n d i n g m e both his library of books on c o l o r and his time, t h o u g h t s , and expertise on color.

M y editor a t T a r c h e r / P u t n a m , W e n d y Hubbert.

M y team o f teachers, Brian Bomeisler, M a r k a H i t t - B u r n s , A r l e n e C a r t o z i a n , D a n a C r o w e , L i s b e t h F i r m i n , L y n d a G r e e n - berg, Elyse Klaidman, Suzanne Merritt, Kristin N e w t o n , Linda Jo Russell, and Rachael T h i e l e , w h o have worked with me at various sites around the nation, for their u n f a l t e r i n g d e v o t i o n to o u r efforts. T h e s e fine instructors have added g r e a t l y to the s c o p e of the work by reaching out to n e w groups.

I am grateful to T h e B i n g h a m T r u s t and to the A u s t i n F o u n - dation for their staunch support of my work.

A n d finally, my warmest thanks to the hundreds of students—

actually, thousands by n o w — I have been privileged to k n o w over the years, for making my work so rewarding, both personally and professionally. I hope you go on drawing forever.

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

Preface

T w e n t y years have passed since the first publication of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain in J u l y 1979. T e n years ago, in 1989, I revised the book and published a second edition, bringing it up to date with what I had learned during that decade. N o w , in 1999, I am revising the book one more time. T h i s latest revision repre- sents a c u l m i n a t i o n of my lifelong e n g r o s s m e n t in d r a w i n g as a quintessentially human activity.

How I came to write this book

O v e r the years, m a n y p e o p l e have asked me how I c a m e to write this book. As often happens, it was the result of numerous chance events and s e e m i n g l y r a n d o m c h o i c e s . First, my training and b a c k g r o u n d w e r e in fine a r t s — d r a w i n g and painting, not in art e d u c a t i o n . T h i s p o i n t is important, I think, b e c a u s e I c a m e to teaching with a different set of expectations.

After a modest try at living the artist's life, I began giving pri- vate lessons in painting and d r a w i n g in my studio to help pay the bills. T h e n , n e e d i n g a steadier s o u r c e of i n c o m e , I returned to U C L A to earn a t e a c h i n g credential. On c o m p l e t i o n , I began t e a c h i n g at V e n i c e H i g h S c h o o l in L o s A n g e l e s . It was a mar- v e l o u s job. We had a small art d e p a r t m e n t of five teachers and lively, bright, c h a l l e n g i n g , and difficult students. A r t was their favorite subject, it seemed, and our students often swept up many awards in the then-popular c i t y w i d e art contests.

At V e n i c e H i g h , we tried to reach students in their first year, q u i c k l y teach them to draw w e l l , and then train them up, almost like athletes, for the art c o m p e t i t i o n s d u r i n g their junior and senior years. (I now have serious reservations about student c o n -

P R E F A C E

tests, but at the time they provided great motivation and, perhaps because there w e r e so m a n y w i n n e r s , a p p a r e n t l y c a u s e d little harm.)

T h o s e five years at Venice H i g h started my p u z z l e m e n t about drawing. As the newest t e a c h e r of the group, I was assigned the job of bringing the students up to speed in drawing. Unlike m a n y art educators w h o b e l i e v e that ability to d r a w w e l l is d e p e n d e n t on inborn talent, I expected that all of the students w o u l d learn to draw. I was astonished by h o w difficult t h e y found d r a w i n g , no matter how hard I tried to teach them and they tried to learn.

I w o u l d often ask myself, " W h y is it that these students, w h o I know are learning other skills, have so m u c h trouble learning to draw something that is right in front of their eyes?" I w o u l d s o m e - times quiz them, asking a student who was having difficulty draw- ing a still-life setup, " C a n y o u see in the still-life here on the table that the orange is in front of the vase?" "Yes," replied the student,

"I see that." " W e l l , " I said, "in y o u r drawing, y o u have the orange and the vase o c c u p y i n g the same space." T h e student answered,

"Yes, I know. I didn't know how to draw that." " W e l l , " I w o u l d say carefully, "you look at the still-life and y o u draw it as y o u see it."

"I was l o o k i n g at it," the student replied. "I just didn't k n o w h o w to draw that." " W e l l , " I w o u l d say, v o i c e rising, " y o u just look at i t . . . " T h e response would come, "I am looking at it," and so on.

A n o t h e r p u z z l e m e n t was that students often s e e m e d to "get"

how to draw s u d d e n l y rather than a c q u i r i n g skills gradually.

A g a i n , I questioned them: " H o w c o m e y o u can d r a w this w e e k when y o u couldn't draw last w e e k ? " Often the r e p l y w o u l d be, "I don't know. I'm just seeing things differently." "In what way differ- ently?" I w o u l d ask. "I can't say—just differently." I w o u l d pursue the point, u r g i n g students to p u t it into words, w i t h o u t success.

Usually students ended by saying, "I just can't describe it."

In frustration, I began to o b s e r v e myself: W h a t was I d o i n g when I was drawing? S o m e things q u i c k l y s h o w e d u p — t h a t I couldn't talk and draw at the same time, for e x a m p l e , and that I lost track of time while drawing. My p u z z l e m e n t continued.

P R E F A C E X I

O n e day, on i m p u l s e , I asked the students to c o p y a Picasso d r a w i n g u p s i d e d o w n . T h a t small e x p e r i m e n t , m o r e than any- t h i n g else I had tried, s h o w e d that s o m e t h i n g v e r y different is g o i n g on d u r i n g the act of drawing. To my surprise, and to the students' surprise, the finished d r a w i n g s w e r e so e x t r e m e l y well d o n e that I asked the class, " H o w c o m e y o u can draw upside d o w n w h e n y o u can't draw right-side up?" T h e students r e s p o n d e d , " U p s i d e d o w n , w e didn't k n o w what w e w e r e draw- ing." T h i s was the greatest p u z z l e m e n t of all and left me simply baffled.

D u r i n g the f o l l o w i n g year, 1968, first reports of p s y c h o b i o l o - gist R o g e r W. S p e r r y ' s research on h u m a n b r a i n - h e m i s p h e r e functions, for w h i c h he later received a N o b e l Prize, appeared in the press. R e a d i n g S p e r r y ' s w o r k caused in me s o m e t h i n g of an A h - h a ! e x p e r i e n c e . His s t u n n i n g finding, that the human brain uses t w o f u n d a m e n t a l l y different m o d e s of thinking, one verbal, analytic, and sequential and one visual, perceptual, and simulta- neous, s e e m e d to cast light on my questions about drawing. T h e idea that o n e is shifting to a different-from-usual way of think- i n g / s e e i n g f i t t e d m y o w n e x p e r i e n c e o f d r a w i n g and illuminated my observation of my students.

Avidly, I read e v e r y t h i n g I could find about Sperry's work and did my best to explain to my students its possible relationship to drawing. T h e y too b e c a m e interested in the problems of drawing and soon t h e y w e r e a c h i e v i n g great advances in their d r a w i n g skills.

I was w o r k i n g on my master's d e g r e e in A r t at the time and r e a l i z e d that if I w a n t e d to s e r i o u s l y search for an educational application of Sperry's work in the field of drawing, I would need further study. E v e n though by that time I was teaching full time at L o s A n g e l e s T r a d e T e c h n i c a l C o l l e g e , I d e c i d e d to return yet again to U C L A for a d o c t o r a l d e g r e e . For the f o l l o w i n g three years, I attended e v e n i n g classes that c o m b i n e d the fields of art, p s y c h o l o g y , and e d u c a t i o n . T h e subject o f m y doctoral disserta- tion was " P e r c e p t u a l Skills in D r a w i n g , " u s i n g u p s i d e - d o w n d r a w i n g as an experimental variable. After receiving my doctoral d e g r e e in 1976, I began teaching d r a w i n g in the art department of

X I I P R E F A C E

California State University, L o n g Beach. I needed a drawing text- book that included Sperry's research. D u r i n g the next three years I wrote Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.

Since the book was first published in 1979, the ideas I e x p r e s - sed about learning to draw have b e c o m e surprisingly widespread, much to my a m a z e m e n t and delight. I feel h o n o r e d by the m a n y foreign language translations of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. E v e n more surprising, individuals and g r o u p s w o r k i n g in fields not r e m o t e l y c o n n e c t e d w i t h d r a w i n g have found ways to use the ideas in my book. A few examples w i l l indicate the diver- sity: nursing schools, drama workshops, corporate training s e m i - nars, sports-coaching schools, real-estate marketing associations, psychologists, counselors of delinquent youths, writers, hair s t y l - ists, even a school for training private investigators. C o l l e g e and university art teachers across the nation also have i n c o r p o r a t e d many of the techniques into their teaching repertoires.

P u b l i c - s c h o o l teachers are also using my book. After t w e n t y - five years of b u d g e t cuts in schools' arts programs, I am h a p p y to report that state d e p a r t m e n t s of e d u c a t i o n and p u b l i c s c h o o l boards of e d u c a t i o n are starting to turn to the arts as o n e way to help repair our failing educational systems. Educational adminis- trators, however, tend to be ambivalent a b o u t the p u r p o s e of including the arts, often still relegating arts education to "enrich- ment." T h i s term's hidden meaning is "valuable but not essential."

My view, in contrast, is that the arts are essential for t r a i n i n g specific, visual, perceptual ways of thinking, just as the "3 R's" are essential for training specific, verbal, n u m e r i c a l , analytical ways of thinking. I believe that both thinking m o d e s — o n e to c o m p r e - hend the details and the other to " s e e " the w h o l e picture, for example, are vital for c r i t i c a l - t h i n k i n g skills, e x t r a p o l a t i o n of meaning, and problem solving.

T o help p u b l i c - s c h o o l administrators see the u t i l i t y o f arts education, I believe we must find new ways to teach students how to transfer skills learned t h r o u g h the arts to a c a d e m i c subjects and p r o b l e m solving. Transfer of l e a r n i n g is t r a d i t i o n a l l y regarded as a most difficult kind of instruction and, unfortunately, transfer is often left to chance. T e a c h e r s h o p e that students w i l l

3- W O R K I N G D R A W I N G F R O M W H I C H T H E O R I G I N A L P H O N O G R A P H WAS B U I L T

In the history of inventions, many creative ideas began with small sketches. T h e examples above are by Galileo, Jefferson, Faraday, and Edison.

Henning Nelms, Thinking With a

P R E F A C E X I I I

"Analog" drawings are purely expressive drawings, with no nam- able objects depicted, using only the expressive quality of line—or lines.

Unexpectedly, persons untrained in art are able to use this language—

that is, produce expressive draw- ings—and are also able to read the drawings for meaning. T h e drawing lessons of the seminar's first seg- ment are used mainly to increase artistic self-confidence and confi- dence in the efficacy of analog drawing.

"get" the c o n n e c t i o n , say, b e t w e e n learning to draw and "seeing"

solutions to problems, or b e t w e e n learning English grammar and logical, sequential thinking.

Corporate training seminars

M y w o r k w i t h various corporations represents, I believe, one aspect of transfer of learning, in this instance, from drawing skills to a specific kind of p r o b l e m s o l v i n g sought by corporate e x e c u - tives. D e p e n d i n g on h o w m u c h c o r p o r a t e time is available, a t y p i c a l seminar takes three days: a day and a h a l f focused on d e v e l o p i n g d r a w i n g skills and the r e m a i n i n g time devoted to using drawing for problem solving.

G r o u p s vary in size but most often number about twenty-five.

P r o b l e m s can be v e r y specific ("What is ?"—

a specific c h e m i c a l p r o b l e m that had troubled a particular c o m - pany for several years) or v e r y general ("What is our relationship with our customers?") or s o m e t h i n g in b e t w e e n specific and g e n - eral ( " H o w can m e m b e r s of our special unit work together more productively?").

T h e first day and a h a l f of d r a w i n g exercises includes the lessons in this b o o k t h r o u g h the d r a w i n g of the hand. T h e t w o - fold objective of the d r a w i n g lessons is to present the five p e r c e p - tual strategies e m p h a s i z e d in the book and to demonstrate each participant's potential artistic capabilities, given effective instruc- tion.

T h e p r o b l e m - s o l v i n g s e g m e n t begins with exercises in using d r a w i n g to think with. T h e s e exercises, called analog drawings, are described in my book Drawing on the Artist Within. Participants use the so-called "language of line," first to draw out the problem and then to make v i s i b l e possible solutions. T h e s e expressive d r a w i n g s b e c o m e the v e h i c l e for g r o u p discussion and analysis, guided, but not led, by me. Participants use the concepts of edges (boundaries), negative spaces (often called "white spaces" in busi- ness p a r l a n c e ) , relationships (parts of the p r o b l e m v i e w e d p r o - p o r t i o n a l l y and "in p e r s p e c t i v e " ) , lights and shadows (extra- polation from the k n o w n to the as-yet u n k n o w n ) , and the gestalt

x i v

of the problem (how the parts fit—or don't fit—together).

T h e p r o b l e m - s o l v i n g s e g m e n t c o n c l u d e s w i t h a n e x t e n d e d small d r a w i n g of an object, different for e a c h participant, w h i c h has been chosen as s o m e h o w related to the problem at hand. T h i s drawing, c o m b i n i n g p e r c e p t u a l skills w i t h p r o b l e m s o l v i n g , evokes an extended shift to an alternate m o d e of thinking which I have termed " R - m o d e , " d u r i n g w h i c h the participant focuses on the p r o b l e m u n d e r discussion w h i l e also c o n c e n t r a t i n g on the drawing. T h e g r o u p then e x p l o r e s insights d e r i v e d from this process.

T h e results o f the seminars have b e e n s o m e t i m e s startling, sometimes almost amusing in terms of the obviousness of e n g e n - dered solutions. An e x a m p l e of a startling result was a surprising revelation e x p e r i e n c e d b y the g r o u p w o r k i n g o n the c h e m i c a l problem. It turned out that the g r o u p had so enjoyed their special status and favored position and they w e r e so intrigued by the fas- cinating problem that they were in no hurry to solve it. Also, solv- ing the p r o b l e m w o u l d m e a n b r e a k i n g u p the g r o u p and returning to more h u m d r u m work. A l l of this s h o w e d up c l e a r l y in their drawings. T h e c u r i o u s t h i n g was that the g r o u p l e a d e r exclaimed, "I thought that m i g h t be w h a t was g o i n g on, but I just didn't b e l i e v e it!" T h e solution? T h e g r o u p r e a l i z e d that they n e e d e d — a n d w e l c o m e d — a serious d e a d l i n e and assurance that other, equally interesting problems awaited them.

A n o t h e r surprising result c a m e in response to the q u e s t i o n about c u s t o m e r relations. Participants' d r a w i n g s in that seminar w e r e consistently c o m p l e x and detailed. N e a r l y e v e r y d r a w i n g represented c u s t o m e r s as small objects floating in large e m p t y spaces. A r e a s o f great c o m p l e x i t y e x c l u d e d these small objects.

T h e ensuing discussion clarified the group's (unconscious) indif- ference toward and inattention to c u s t o m e r s . T h a t raised o t h e r questions: W h a t was in all of that e m p t y negative space, and h o w could the c o m p l e x areas (identified in discussion as aspects of the work that w e r e m o r e interesting to the g r o u p ) make c o n n e c t i o n with c u s t o m e r concerns? T h i s g r o u p p l a n n e d t o e x p l o r e the problem further.

P R E F A C E X V

Krishnamurti: "So where does

silence begin? Does it begin when thought ends? Have you ever tried to end thought?"

Questioner: "How do you do it?"

Krishnamurti: "I don't know, but

have you ever tried it? First of all, who is the entity who is trying to stop thought?"

Questioner: "The thinker."

Krishnamurti: "It's another thought,

isn't it? T h o u g h t is trying to stop itself, so there is a battle between the thinker and the thought....

T h o u g h t says, 'I must stop thinking because then I shall experience a marvelous s t a t e . ' . . . O n e thought is trying to suppress another thought, so there is conflict. When I see this as a fact, see it totally, understand it completely, have an insight into i t . . . then the mind is quiet. This comes about naturally and easily when the mind is quiet to watch, to look, to see."

— J . Krishnamurti You Are the World, 1972

T h e g r o u p s e e k i n g m o r e p r o d u c t i v e w a y s o f w o r k i n g t o g e t h e r c a m e to a c o n c l u s i o n that was so o b v i o u s the g r o u p a c t u a l l y l a u g h e d a b o u t it. T h e i r c o n c l u s i o n was that they needed to improve communication within the group. M e m b e r s w e r e n e a r l y all scientists h o l d i n g advanced d e g r e e s in c h e m - istry and p h y s i c s . A p p a r e n t l y , e a c h p e r s o n had a specific a s s i g n m e n t for o n e part of the w h o l e task, but they worked in different b u i l d i n g s w i t h different g r o u p s of associates and on i n d i v i d u a l t i m e s c h e d u l e s . For m o r e than t w e n t y - f i v e years t h e y had n e v e r m e t t o g e t h e r as a g r o u p until we held o u r three-day seminar.

I h o p e these e x a m p l e s give-at least s o m e flavor of the c o r - p o r a t e seminars. Participants, o f c o u r s e , are h i g h l y e d u c a t e d , successful professionals. W o r k i n g as I do with a different way of t h i n k i n g , the seminars s e e m to e n a b l e these h i g h l y trained p e o p l e to see things differently. Because the participants them- s e l v e s g e n e r a t e the d r a w i n g s , t h e y p r o v i d e real e v i d e n c e to refer to. T h u s , insights are hard to dismiss and the discussions stay v e r y focused.

I can o n l y s p e c u l a t e w h y this process works effectively to

get at information that is often hidden or ignored or "explained

a w a y " by the l a n g u a g e m o d e of thinking. I think it's possible

that the language system ( L - m o d e , in my t e r m i n o l o g y ) regards

d r a w i n g — e s p e c i a l l y analog d r a w i n g — a s unimportant, even as

just a form of doodling. Perhaps, L - m o d e drops out of the task,

p u t t i n g its c e n s o r i n g function on hold. A p p a r e n t l y , what the

p e r s o n k n o w s but doesn't k n o w at a verbal, c o n s c i o u s l e v e l

therefore comes p o u r i n g out in the drawings. Traditional e x e c -

utives, of c o u r s e , m a y regard this information as "soft," but

I suspect that these u n s p o k e n reactions do have some effect on

the u l t i m a t e s u c c e s s and failure o f corporations. B r o a d l y

speaking, a g l i m p s e of u n d e r l y i n g affective dynamics probably

helps more than it hinders.

Introduction

T h e subject of how p e o p l e learn to draw has never lost its c h a r m and fascination for me. Just w h e n I b e g i n to think I have a grasp on the subject, a w h o l e n e w vista or p u z z l e m e n t o p e n s up. T h i s book, therefore, is a w o r k in progress, d o c u m e n t i n g my u n d e r - standing at this time.

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, I b e l i e v e , was o n e of the first practical educational applications of Roger Sperry's pioneer- ing insight into the dual nature of human t h i n k i n g — v e r b a l , ana- lytic thinking m a i n l y located in the left h e m i s p h e r e , and visual, perceptual t h i n k i n g m a i n l y l o c a t e d in the right h e m i s p h e r e . Since 1979, m a n y writers in other fields have p r o p o s e d a p p l i c a - tions of the research, each in turn s u g g e s t i n g n e w ways to enhance both t h i n k i n g m o d e s , t h e r e b y i n c r e a s i n g potential for personal growth.

D u r i n g the past ten years, my c o l l e a g u e s and I have polished and expanded the techniques described in the original book. We have changed some p r o c e d u r e s , added some, and d e l e t e d some.

My main purpose in r e v i s i n g the book and p r e s e n t i n g this third edition is to bring the work up-to-date again for my readers.

As y o u will see, much of the original work is retained, h a v i n g withstood the test of time. But one i m p o r t a n t o r g a n i z i n g p r i n c i - ple was missing in the original text, for the c u r i o u s reason that I c o u l d n ' t s e e it u n t i l after the b o o k was p u b l i s h e d . I w a n t to reemphasize it here, because it forms the overall structure within which the reader can see how the parts of the book fit together to f o r m a w h o l e . T h i s k e y p r i n c i p l e is: D r a w i n g i s a g l o b a l o r

"whole" skill requiring only a limited set of basic components.

T h i s insight c a m e to me about six months after the b o o k was published, right in the middle of a s e n t e n c e w h i l e t e a c h i n g a

I N T R O D U C T I O N X V I I

Please note that I am referring to the learning stage of basic realistic drawing of a perceived image.

T h e r e are many other kinds of drawing: abstraction, nonobjective drawing, imaginative drawing, mechanical drawing, and so forth.

Also, drawing can be defined in many other ways—by mediums, historic styles, or the artist's intent.

g r o u p of students. It was the classic A h - h a ! e x p e r i e n c e , with the strange physical sensations of rapid heartbeat, caught breath, and a sense of joyful e x c i t e m e n t at seeing e v e r y t h i n g fall into place. I had been r e v i e w i n g with the students the set of skills described in my book w h e n it hit me that this was it, there were no more, and that the book had a hidden content of w h i c h I had been unaware.

I c h e c k e d the insight w i t h my c o l l e a g u e s and d r a w i n g experts.

T h e y agreed.

Like other global skills—for example, reading, driving, skiing, and w a l k i n g — d r a w i n g is m a d e up of c o m p o n e n t skills that b e c o m e integrated into a w h o l e skill. O n c e you have learned the c o m p o n e n t s and have i n t e g r a t e d t h e m , y o u can draw—just as o n c e y o u have l e a r n e d to read, y o u k n o w h o w to read for life;

once y o u have learned to walk, y o u know how to walk for life. You don't have to go on forever adding additional basic skills. Progress takes the form of practice, refinement of technique, and learning what to use the skills for.

T h i s was an exciting discovery because it meant that a person can learn to draw within a reasonably short time. A n d , in fact, my c o l l e a g u e s and I now teach a five-day seminar, fondly k n o w n as o u r " K i l l e r C l a s s , " w h i c h enables students to acquire the basic c o m p o n e n t skills of realistic drawing in five days of intense learn- ing.

Five basic skills of drawing

T h e global skill of d r a w i n g a p e r c e i v e d object, person, landscape (something that you see "out there") requires only five basic c o m - p o n e n t skills, no m o r e . T h e s e skills are not d r a w i n g skills. T h e y are perceptual skills, listed as follows:

O n e : the perception of edges T w o : the perception of spaces T h r e e : the perception of relationships Four: the perception of lights and shadows Five: the perception of the whole, or gestalt

X V I I I I N T R O D U C T I O N

I am aware, of course, that additional basic skills are required for imaginative, expressive d r a w i n g l e a d i n g to "Art w i t h a capital A." Of these, I have found t w o and o n l y t w o additional skills:

drawing from m e m o r y and d r a w i n g from imagination. A n d there remain, naturally, m a n y t e c h n i q u e s o f d r a w i n g — m a n y w a y s o f manipulating d r a w i n g m e d i u m s and endless subject matter, for example. But, to repeat, for skillful realistic d r a w i n g of one's per- ceptions, using p e n c i l on paper, the five skills I w i l l teach y o u in this book provide the required perceptual training.

T h o s e five basic skills are the prerequisites for effective use of the two additional " a d v a n c e d " skills, and the set of s e v e n m a y constitute the entire basic global skill of drawing. M a n y books on drawing actually focus mainly on the two advanced skills. T h e r e - fore, after y o u c o m p l e t e the lessons in this b o o k , y o u w i l l find ample instruction available to continue learning.

I need to e m p h a s i z e a further point: G l o b a l or w h o l e skills, such as reading, driving, and drawing, in time b e c o m e automatic.

As I mentioned above, basic c o m p o n e n t skills b e c o m e c o m p l e t e l y integrated into the smooth flow of the global skill. But in acquir- ing any new g l o b a l skill, the initial l e a r n i n g is often a s t r u g g l e , first with each c o m p o n e n t skill, then with the smooth integration o f c o m p o n e n t s . E a c h o f m y students goes t h r o u g h this process, and so will you. As each new skill is learned, y o u w i l l m e r g e it with those p r e v i o u s l y learned until, o n e day, y o u are s i m p l y drawing—just as, one day, y o u found y o u r s e l f s i m p l y d r i v i n g without t h i n k i n g about h o w to do it. Later, o n e almost forgets about having learned to read, learned to drive, learned to draw.

In order to attain this smooth integration in drawing, all five c o m p o n e n t skills must be in place. I'm happy to say that the fifth skill, the perception of the whole, or gestalt, is neither taught nor learned but instead seems to e m e r g e as a result of a c q u i r i n g the other four skills. But of the first four, none can be omitted, just as learning how to brake or steer cannot be o m i t t e d w h e n l e a r n i n g to drive.

In the original book, I believe I explained sufficiently w e l l the first two skills, the p e r c e p t i o n of e d g e s and the p e r c e p t i o n of spaces. T h e i m p o r t a n c e o f sighting (the third skill o f p e r c e i v i n g

I N T R O D U C T I O N X I X

T h e global skill of drawing

"You have two brains: a left and a right. Modern brain scientists now know that your left brain is your verbal and rational brain; it thinks serially and reduces its thoughts to numbers, letters, and words Your right brain is your non-verbal and intuitive brain; it thinks in pat- terns, or pictures, composed of 'whole things,' and does not com- prehend reductions, either num- bers, letters, or words."

From The Fabric of Mind, by the eminent scientist and neurosur- geon Richard Bergland. N e w York:

Viking Penguin, Inc., 1985, p. 1.

relationships) h o w e v e r , n e e d e d g r e a t e r emphasis and clearer e x p l a n a t i o n , b e c a u s e students often tend to give up too q u i c k l y on this c o m p l i c a t e d skill. A n d the fourth skill, the p e r c e p t i o n of lights and s h a d o w s , also n e e d e d e x p a n d i n g . M o s t of the content changes for this n e w edition, therefore, are in the last chapters.

A basic strategy for accessing R-mode

In this edition, I again reiterate a basic strategy for gaining access at c o n s c i o u s l e v e l to R - m o d e , my term for the visual, perceptual m o d e of the brain. I c o n t i n u e to believe that this strategy is prob- a b l y my m a i n c o n t r i b u t i o n to e d u c a t i o n a l aspects of the "right- h e m i s p h e r e s t o r y " that b e g a n w i t h R o g e r S p e r r y ' s c e l e b r a t e d scientific work. T h e strategy is stated as follows:

In order to gain access to the subdominant visual, perceptual R - m o d e of the brain, it is necessary to present the brain with a job that the verbal, analytic L - m o d e will turn down.

For most of us, L - m o d e t h i n k i n g seems easy, normal, and familiar ( t h o u g h perhaps not for m a n y c h i l d r e n and d y s l e x i c i n d i v i d u a l s ) . T h e p e r v e r s e R - m o d e strategy, i n contrast, may s e e m difficult and u n f a m i l i a r — e v e n "off-the-wall." It must be l e a r n e d in o p p o s i t i o n to the "natural" t e n d e n c y of the brain to favor L - m o d e because, in general, language dominates. By learn- i n g to control this t e n d e n c y for specific tasks, one gains access to powerful brain functions often obscured by language.

A l l of the e x e r c i s e s in this book, therefore, are based on t w o o r g a n i z i n g p r i n c i p l e s and major aims. First, to teach the reader five basic c o m p o n e n t skills of d r a w i n g and, second, to p r o v i d e c o n d i t i o n s that facilitate m a k i n g c o g n i t i v e shifts to R - m o d e , the t h i n k i n g / s e e i n g m o d e specialized for drawing.

In short, in the process of learning to draw, one also learns to c o n t r o l (at least to s o m e d e g r e e ) the m o d e by w h i c h one's o w n brain handles information. Perhaps this explains in part w h y my b o o k appeals to i n d i v i d u a l s from such diverse fields. Intuitively, t h e y see the link to o t h e r activities and the possibility of s e e i n g things differently by l e a r n i n g to access R - m o d e at conscious level.

x x

Color in drawing

C h a p t e r E l e v e n , " D r a w i n g on the B e a u t y of C o l o r , " was a n e w chapter in the 1989 edition, written in response to m a n y requests from my readers. T h e c h a p t e r focuses on u s i n g c o l o r in d r a w - i n g — a fine transitional step toward painting. O v e r the past decade, my t e a c h i n g staff and I have d e v e l o p e d a five-day i n t e n - sive course on basic c o l o r theory, a c o u r s e that is still a "work in progress." I am still using the concepts in the chapter on color, so I have not revised it for this edition.

I b e l i e v e the l o g i c a l p r o g r e s s i o n for a p e r s o n starting o u t in artistic expression should be as follows:

From L i n e to V a l u e to C o l o r to P a i n t i n g First, a person learns the basic skills of d r a w i n g , w h i c h p r o - vide k n o w l e d g e o f line (learned t h r o u g h c o n t o u r d r a w i n g o f edges, spaces, and relationships) and k n o w l e d g e of value (learned through r e n d e r i n g lights and shadows). Skillful use of c o l o r requires first of all the ability to perceive color as value. T h i s abil- ity is difficult, perhaps impossible, to a c q u i r e unless o n e has learned to p e r c e i v e the relationships of lights and s h a d o w s through drawing. I h o p e that my c h a p t e r i n t r o d u c i n g c o l o r in d r a w i n g will p r o v i d e an effective bridge for those w h o want to progress from drawing to painting.

Handwriting

Finally, I am retaining the b r i e f section on handwriting. In m a n y c u l t u r e s , w r i t i n g is r e g a r d e d as an art form. A m e r i c a n s often deplore their handwriting but are at a loss as to how to improve it.

Handwriting, however, is a form of drawing and can be improved.

I r e g r e t t o s a y t h a t m a n y C a l i f o r n i a s c h o o l s a r e s t i l l u s i n g handwriting-instructional methods that w e r e failing in 1989 and are still failing today. My suggestions in this regard appear in the Afterword.

I N T R O D U C T I O N X X I

An empirical basis for my theory

T h e u n d e r l y i n g t h e o r y o f this revised edition remains the same:

to e x p l a i n in basic terms the relationship of d r a w i n g to visual, p e r c e p t u a l brain processes and to p r o v i d e m e t h o d s of accessing and c o n t r o l l i n g these processes. As a n u m b e r of scientists have noted, research on the h u m a n brain is c o m p l i c a t e d by the fact that the brain is struggling to understand itself. T h i s three-pound organ is perhaps the only bit of matter in the universe—at least as far as we k n o w — t h a t is o b s e r v i n g itself, w o n d e r i n g about itself, t r y i n g to a n a l y z e itself, and a t t e m p t i n g to gain better control of its o w n capabilities. T h i s p a r a d o x i c a l situation no doubt c o n - tributes—at least in part—to the d e e p mysteries that still remain, despite rapidly expanding scientific k n o w l e d g e about the brain.

O n e q u e s t i o n scientists are s t u d y i n g i n t e n s e l y is w h e r e the t w o major t h i n k i n g m o d e s are specifically l o c a t e d in the human brain and h o w the o r g a n i z a t i o n of m o d e s can vary from individ- ual t o i n d i v i d u a l . W h i l e the s o - c a l l e d location c o n t r o v e r s y c o n - tinues to engage scientists, along with myriad other areas of brain research, the e x i s t e n c e in e v e r y brain of two fundamentally dif- ferent c o g n i t i v e m o d e s is no l o n g e r controversial. C o r r o b o r a t i n g research since Sperry's original work is overwhelming. Moreover, even in the midst of the a r g u m e n t about location, most scientists a g r e e that for a majority of individuals, i n f o r m a t i o n - p r o c e s s i n g based primarily on linear, sequential data is mainly located in the l e f t h e m i s p h e r e , w h i l e g l o b a l , p e r c e p t u a l d a t a i s m a i n l y processed in the right hemisphere.

C l e a r l y , for e d u c a t o r s like myself, the precise location of these m o d e s in the i n d i v i d u a l brain is not an important issue.

W h a t is important is that i n c o m i n g information can be handled in t w o f u n d a m e n t a l l y different ways and that the two m o d e s can a p p a r e n t l y w o r k t o g e t h e r in a vast array of combinations. Since the late 1970s, I have used the terms L - m o d e and R - m o d e to try to avoid the location controversy. T h e terms are intended to differ- entiate the major m o d e s o f c o g n i t i o n , regardless o f w h e r e they are located in the individual brain.

O v e r the past d e c a d e or so, a n e w i n t e r d i s c i p l i n a r y field of

X X I I I N T R O D U C T I O N

brain-function study has b e c o m e formally k n o w n as c o g n i t i v e neuroscience. In addition to the traditional discipline of n e u r o l - ogy, cognitive n e u r o s c i e n c e e n c o m p a s s e s study o f o t h e r h i g h e r cognitive processes such as l a n g u a g e , m e m o r y , and p e r c e p t i o n . C o m p u t e r scientists, linguists, n e u r o i m a g i n g scientists, cognitive psychologists, and neurobiologists are all contributing to a g r o w - ing understanding of how the human brain functions.

Interest in "right brain, left brain" research has subsided somewhat a m o n g e d u c a t o r s and the g e n e r a l p u b l i c since R o g e r Sperry first published his research findings. N e v e r t h e l e s s , the fact of the profound a s y m m e t r y of h u m a n brain functions remains, b e c o m i n g e v e r m o r e central, for e x a m p l e , a m o n g c o m p u t e r s c i - entists trying to emulate human mental processes. Facial r e c o g n i - tion, a function ascribed to the right hemisphere, has been sought for decades and is still beyond the capabilities of most computers.

Ray K u r z w e i l , in his r e c e n t b o o k The Age of Spiritual Machines (Viking, 1999) contrasted human and c o m p u t e r capability in pat- tern seeking (as in facial r e c o g n i t i o n ) and sequential p r o c e s s i n g (as in calculation):

T h e h u m a n b r a i n h a s a b o u t 100 b i l l i o n n e u r o n s . W i t h a n e s t i m a t e d a v e r a g e o f o n e t h o u s a n d c o n n e c t i o n s b e t w e e n e a c h n e u r o n and its n e i g h b o r s , w e h a v e a b o u t 100 t r i l l i o n c o n n e c t i o n s , e a c h c a p a b l e o f a s i m u l t a n e o u s c a l c u l a t i o n . T h a t ' s r a t h e r m a s s i v e p a r a l l e l p r o c e s s i n g , and o n e key t o t h e s t r e n g t h o f h u m a n t h i n k i n g . A p r o f o u n d w e a k n e s s , h o w e v e r , i s the e x c r u c i a t i n g l y s l o w s p e e d o f n e u r a l c i r c u i t r y , o n l y 200 c a l c u l a t i o n s p e r s e c o n d . F o r p r o b l e m s t h a t b e n e f i t f r o m m a s s i v e p a r - a l l e l i s m , s u c h a n e u r a l - n e t - b a s e d p a t t e r n r e c o g n i t i o n , t h e h u m a n brain d o e s a g r e a t job. F o r p r o b l e m s t h a t r e q u i r e e x t e n s i v e s e q u e n t i a l thinking, the h u m a n brain is o n l y m e d i o c r e , (p. 103)

In 1979, I proposed that d r a w i n g required a c o g n i t i v e shift to R - m o d e , now postulated to be a massively parallel m o d e of p r o - cessing, and away from L - m o d e , postulated to be a s e q u e n t i a l processing mode. I had no hard e v i d e n c e to support my proposal, only my e x p e r i e n c e as an artist and a teacher. O v e r the years, I have been c r i t i c i z e d o c c a s i o n a l l y by various neuroscientists for o v e r s t e p p i n g the boundaries o f m y o w n f i e l d — t h o u g h not b y

In a conversation with his friend Andre Marchand, the French artist Henri Matisse described the process of passing perceptions from one way of looking to another:

"Do you know that a man has only one eye which sees and registers everything; this eye, like a superb camera which takes minute pic- tures, very sharp, tiny—and with that picture man tells himself:

'This time I know the reality of things,' and he is calm for a moment. T h e n , slowly superim- posing itself on the picture, another eye makes its appearance, invisibly, which makes an entirely different picture for him.

"Then our man no longer sees clearly, a struggle begins between the first and second eye, the fight is fierce, finally the second eye has the upper hand, takes over and that's the end of it. N o w it has command of the situation, the sec- ond eye can then continue its work alone and elaborate its own picture according to the laws of interior vision. This very special eye is found here," says Matisse, pointing to his brain.

Marchand didn't mention which side of his brain Matisse pointed to.

— J . Flam

Matisse on Art, 1973

I N T R O D U C T I O N X X I I I

A recent article in an educational journal summarizes neuroscien- tists' objections to "brain-based education."

"The fundamental problem with the right-brain versus left-brain claims that one finds in educational litera- ture is that they rely on our intu- itions and folk theories about the brain, rather than on what brain science is actually able to tell us.

O u r folk theories are too crude and imprecise to have any scien- tific predictive or instructional value. What modern brain science is telling us—and what brain-based educators fail to appreciate—is that it makes no scientific sense to map gross, unanalyzed behaviors and skills—reading, arithmetic, spatial reasoning—onto one brain hemisphere or another."

But the author also states:

"Whether or not [brain-based]

educational practices should be adopted must be determined on the basis of the impact on student learning."

—John T. Bruer

"In Search o f . . .

Brain-Based Education,"

Phi Delta Kappan, May

R o g e r Sperry, w h o b e l i e v e d that m y application o f his research was reasonable.

W h a t kept me w o r k i n g at my "folk" t h e o r y (see the margin excerpt) was that, w h e n put into practice, the results were inspir- ing. Students of all ages made significant gains in d r a w i n g ability and, by e x t e n s i o n , in p e r c e p t u a l abilities, since d r a w i n g well d e p e n d s o n s e e i n g w e l l . D r a w i n g ability has always been regarded as difficult to acquire, and has nearly always been addi- tionally b u r d e n e d by the notion that it is an extraordinary, not an ordinary, skill. If my m e t h o d of t e a c h i n g enables p e o p l e to gain a skill t h e y p r e v i o u s l y t h o u g h t c l o s e d off to t h e m , is it the n e u r o - l o g i c a l e x p l a n a t i o n that makes the m e t h o d work, or is it s o m e - thing else that I may not be aware of?

I k n o w that it is not s i m p l y my s t y l e of t e a c h i n g that causes the m e t h o d to w o r k , since the h u n d r e d s of t e a c h e r s w h o have reported equal success u s i n g my methods o b v i o u s l y have w i d e l y differing t e a c h i n g s t y l e s . W o u l d the e x e r c i s e s work w i t h o u t the n e u r o l o g i c a l rationale? It's possible, but it w o u l d be v e r y difficult to p e r s u a d e p e o p l e to a c c e d e to such u n l i k e l y exercises as u p s i d e - d o w n d r a w i n g without some reasonable explanation. Is it, then, just the fact of g i v i n g p e o p l e a rationale—that any rationale w o u l d do? Perhaps, but I have always been struck by the fact that my e x p l a n a t i o n s e e m s to make sense to p e o p l e at a subjective l e v e l . T h e t h e o r y seems to fit their e x p e r i e n c e , and certainly the ideas derive from my own subjective experience with drawing.

In e a c h e d i t i o n of this b o o k I have made the f o l l o w i n g state- ment:

T h e t h e o r y and m e t h o d s p r e s e n t e d in my b o o k have proven e m p i r i c a l l y successful. In short, the m e t h o d works, regardless of the e x t e n t t o w h i c h future s c i e n c e may e v e n t u a l l y d e t e r m i n e exact location and confirm the degree of separation of brain func- tions in the two hemispheres.

I h o p e that e v e n t u a l l y scholars u s i n g traditional research methods will help answer the many questions I have myself about this work. It does appear that recent research tends to corroborate my basic ideas. For e x a m p l e , n e w findings on the function of the h u g e b u n d l e of nerve fibers c o n n e c t i n g the t w o hemispheres, the

x x i v

corpus callosum, indicate that the corpus callosum can inhibit the passage of information from hemisphere to hemisphere w h e n the task requires noninterference from one or the other hemisphere.

M e a n w h i l e , the work appears to bring a g r e a t deal of joy to my students, w h e t h e r or not we fully understand the u n d e r l y i n g process.

A further complication

O n e further c o m p l i c a t i o n o f s e e i n g needs m e n t i o n i n g . T h e eyes gather visual information by constantly s c a n n i n g the e n v i r o n - ment. But visual data from "out there," g a t h e r e d by sight, is not the end of the story. At least part, and perhaps m u c h of w h a t we see is changed, interpreted, or c o n c e p t u a l i z e d in ways that depend on a person's training, mind-set, and past experiences. We tend to see what we expect to see or what we d e c i d e we have seen.

T h i s e x p e c t a t i o n or d e c i s i o n , h o w e v e r , often is not a c o n s c i o u s process. Instead, the brain frequently does the e x p e c t i n g and the d e c i d i n g , w i t h o u t o u r c o n s c i o u s awareness, and then alters or rearranges—or e v e n s i m p l y d i s r e g a r d s — t h e raw data o f v i s i o n that hits the retina. L e a r n i n g p e r c e p t i o n t h r o u g h d r a w i n g seems to change this process and to allow a different, more direct kind of seeing. T h e brain's editing is s o m e h o w put on hold, t h e r e b y per- mitting one to see more fully and perhaps more realistically.

T h i s e x p e r i e n c e i s often m o v i n g and d e e p l y affecting. M y students' most frequent c o m m e n t s after l e a r n i n g to draw are

"Life seems so m u c h richer n o w " and "I didn't realize h o w m u c h there is to see and how beautiful things are." T h i s new way of see- ing may alone be reason enough to learn to draw.

" T h e artist is the confidant of nature. Flowers carry on dialogues with him through the graceful bending of their stems and the har- moniously tinted nuances of their blossoms. Every flower has a cor- dial word which nature directs towards him."

— Auguste Rodin

I N T R O D U C T I O N X X V

Fig. I - I . Bellowing Bison. Paleolithic

Drawing by Brevil. Prehistoric artists were probably thought to have magic powers.

D

is

so i n t e r t w i n e d w i t h s e e - i n g that the t w o can hardly be separated. A b i l i t y to draw d e p e n d s on ability to see the way an artist sees, and this kind of seeing can marvelously enrich your life.

In m a n y w a y s , t e a c h i n g d r a w i n g is s o m e w h a t like t e a c h i n g s o m e o n e to ride a b i c y c l e . It is v e r y difficult to explain in words.

In t e a c h i n g s o m e o n e to ride a b i c y c l e , y o u m i g h t say, " W e l l , y o u just get on, push the pedals, balance yourself, and off you'll go."

Of c o u r s e , that d o e s n ' t e x p l a i n it at all, and y o u are likely finally to say, "I'll g e t on and show y o u how. Watch and see how 1 do it."

A n d so it is with drawing. M o s t art teachers and drawing text- book authors exhort beginners to "change their ways of looking at things" and to "learn h o w to see." T h e p r o b l e m is that this differ- ent way of seeing is as hard to explain as how to balance a bicycle, and the t e a c h e r often ends by saying, in effect, " L o o k at these e x a m p l e s and just k e e p t r y i n g . If y o u p r a c t i c e a lot, e v e n t u a l l y y o u m a y g e t it." W h i l e n e a r l y e v e r y o n e learns to ride a b i c y c l e , m a n y i n d i v i d u a l s n e v e r solve the problems of drawing. To put it m o r e p r e c i s e l y , most p e o p l e n e v e r learn to see well e n o u g h to draw.

Drawing as a magical ability

B e c a u s e o n l y a few individuals s e e m to possess the ability to see and draw, artists are often r e g a r d e d as persons with a rare G o d - given talent. To many p e o p l e , the process of drawing seems m y s - terious and s o m e h o w beyond human understanding.

Artists themselves often do little to dispel the mystery. If you ask an artist (that is, s o m e o n e w h o draws well as a result of either l o n g t r a i n i n g o r c h a n c e d i s c o v e r y o f the artist's way o f seeing),

" H o w do y o u draw s o m e t h i n g so that it looks real—say a portrait or a landscape?" the artist is likely to reply, "Well, I just have a gift for it, I g u e s s , " or "I r e a l l y don't know. I just start in and work things out as I go along," or " W e l l , I just look at the person (or the l a n d s c a p e ) and I draw w h a t I see." T h e last reply seems like a l o g i c a l and straightforward answer. Yet, on reflection, it c l e a r l y

T H E N E W D R A W I N G O N T H E R I G H T S I D E O F T H E B R A I N

doesn't e x p l a i n the process at all, and the sense that the skill of drawing is a vaguely magical ability persists (Figure I - I ) .

W h i l e this attitude of w o n d e r at artistic skill causes p e o p l e to appreciate artists and their work, it does little to e n c o u r a g e i n d i - viduals to try to learn to draw, and it d o e s n ' t h e l p t e a c h e r s explain to students the process of drawing. Often, in fact, p e o p l e even feel that they shouldn't take a d r a w i n g c o u r s e b e c a u s e they don't know already h o w to draw. T h i s is like d e c i d i n g that y o u shouldn't take a French class b e c a u s e y o u don't a l r e a d y speak French, or that y o u s h o u l d n ' t sign up for a c o u r s e in c a r p e n t r y because you don't know how to build a house.

Drawing as a learnable, teachable skill

You will soon discover that d r a w i n g is a skill that can be l e a r n e d b y e v e r y normal p e r s o n w i t h a v e r a g e e y e s i g h t and a v e r a g e e y e - hand coordination—with sufficient ability, for example, to thread a needle or catch a baseball. C o n t r a r y to popular opinion, manual skill is not a p r i m a r y factor in d r a w i n g . If y o u r h a n d w r i t i n g is readable, or if y o u can print legibly, y o u have a m p l e d e x t e r i t y to draw well.

W e need say n o m o r e here a b o u t hands, b u t a b o u t e y e s w e cannot say e n o u g h . L e a r n i n g to draw is m o r e than l e a r n i n g the skill itself; by s t u d y i n g this b o o k y o u will learn how to see. T h a t is, y o u will learn h o w to process visual information in the s p e c i a l way used by artists. T h a t way is different from the way y o u u s u a l l y process visual information and seems to require that y o u use y o u r brain in a different way than y o u ordinarily use it.

You will b e learning, therefore, s o m e t h i n g a b o u t h o w y o u r brain handles visual information. R e c e n t r e s e a r c h has b e g u n to throw new scientific light on that m a r v e l of c a p a b i l i t y and c o m - plexity, the human brain. A n d one of the things we are learning is how the special p r o p e r t i e s of o u r brains e n a b l e us to draw p i c - tures of our perceptions.

Roger N. Shepard, professor of psychology at Stanford University, recently described his personal mode of creative thought during which research ideas emerged in his mind as unverbalized, essen- tially complete, long-sought solu- tions to problems.

"That in all of these sudden illumi- nations my ideas took shape in a primarily visual-spatial form with- out, so far as I can introspect, any verbal intervention is in accor- dance with what has always been my preferred mode of t h i n k i n g . . . . Many of my happiest hours have since childhood been spent absorbed in drawing, in tinkering, or in exercises of purely mental visualization."

— Roger N . Shepard Visual Learning, Thinking, and Communication, 1978

"Learning to draw is really a matter of learning to see—to see correctly—and that means a good deal more than merely looking with the eye."

— Kimon Nicolaides The Natural Way to Draw,

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G e r t r u d e Stein asked the French artist Henri Matisse whether, when eating a tomato, he looked at it the way an artist would. Matisse replied:

"No, when I eat a tomato I look at it the way anyone else would. But when I paint a tomato, then I see it differently."

— G e r t r u d e Stein Picasso, 1938

"The painter draws with his eyes, not with his hands. Whatever he sees, if he sees it clear, he can put down. T h e putting of it down requires, perhaps, much care and labor, but no more muscular agility than it takes for him to write his name. Seeing clear is the important thing."

— Maurice Grosser The Painter's Eye, 1951

"It is in order to really see, to see ever deeper, ever more intensely, hence to be fully aware and alive, that I draw what the Chinese call ' T h e T e n Thousand Things' around me. Drawing is the disci- pline by which I constantly redis- cover the world.

"I have learned that what I have not drawn, I have never really seen, and that when I start drawing an ordinary thing, I realize how extra- ordinary it is, sheer miracle."

— Frederick Franck The Zen of Seeing, 1973

Drawing and seeing

T h e m a g i c a l m y s t e r y of d r a w i n g ability seems to be, in part at least, an ability to make a shift in brain state to a different mode of s e e i n g / p e r c e i v i n g . When you see in the special way in which experi- enced artists see, then you can draw. T h i s is not to say that the draw- ings of great artists such as L e o n a r d o da V i n c i or Rembrandt are not still w o n d r o u s b e c a u s e we may know s o m e t h i n g about the cerebral process that w e n t into their creation. Indeed, scientific research makes master d r a w i n g s s e e m e v e n more remarkable because they seem to cause a v i e w e r to shift to the artist's mode of p e r c e i v i n g . But the basic skill of d r a w i n g is also accessible to e v e r y o n e w h o can learn to make the shift to the artist's mode and see in the artist's way.

The artist's way of seeing: A twofold process

D r a w i n g is not really v e r y difficult. S e e i n g is the problem, or, to be m o r e specific, shifting to a particular way of seeing. You may not b e l i e v e me at this m o m e n t . You may feel that y o u are seeing things just fine and that it's the drawing that is hard. But the o p p o - site is true, and the exercises in this book are designed to help you make the mental shift and gain a twofold advantage. First, to open access by conscious volition to the visual, perceptual mode of think- ing in order to e x p e r i e n c e a focus in y o u r awareness, and second, to see things in a different way. Both will enable you to draw well.

M a n y artists have spoken of s e e i n g things differently while d r a w i n g and have often mentioned that drawing puts them into a s o m e w h a t altered state of awareness. In that different subjective state, artists speak of feeling transported, "at one with the work,"

able to grasp relationships that they ordinarily cannot grasp.

A w a r e n e s s of the passage of time fades away and words recede from consciousness. Artists say that they feel alert and aware yet are r e l a x e d and free of anxiety, e x p e r i e n c i n g a pleasurable, almost mystical activation of the mind.

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Drawing attention to states of consciousness

T h e slightly altered c o n s c i o u s n e s s state o f f e e l i n g transported, which most artists e x p e r i e n c e w h i l e drawing, painting, sculpting, or d o i n g any kind of art w o r k , is a state p r o b a b l y not a l t o g e t h e r unfamiliar to you. You may have observed in y o u r s e l f slight shifts in your state of consciousness w h i l e engaged in m u c h more o r d i - nary activities than artwork.

For e x a m p l e , most p e o p l e are aware that t h e y o c c a s i o n a l l y slip from ordinary w a k i n g consciousness into the slightly altered state of daydreaming. As another e x a m p l e , p e o p l e often say that reading takes them "out of themselves." A n d other kinds of activ- ities w h i c h apparently p r o d u c e a shift in c o n s c i o u s n e s s state are meditation, jogging, n e e d l e w o r k , t y p i n g , listening to music, and, of course, drawing itself.

Also, I believe that driving on the freeway p r o b a b l y induces a slightly different subjective state that is similar to the d r a w i n g state. After all, in freeway d r i v i n g we deal w i t h v i s u a l i m a g e s , keeping track of relational, spatial information, sensing c o m p l e x components of the overall traffic configuration. M a n y p e o p l e find that they do a lot of creative t h i n k i n g w h i l e driving, often l o s i n g track of time and e x p e r i e n c i n g a p l e a s u r a b l e sense of f r e e d o m from anxiety. T h e s e mental o p e r a t i o n s m a y activate the s a m e parts o f the brain used i n d r a w i n g . O f c o u r s e , i f d r i v i n g c o n d i - tions are difficult, if we are late or if s o m e o n e s h a r i n g the ride talks with us, the shift to the alternative state doesn't occur. T h e reasons for this we'll take up in C h a p t e r T h r e e .

T h e key to learning to draw, therefore, is to set up conditions that cause you to make a mental shift to a different m o d e of infor- mation processing—the slightly altered state of c o n s c i o u s n e s s — that enables y o u to see w e l l . In this d r a w i n g m o d e , y o u w i l l be able t o draw y o u r p e r c e p t i o n s e v e n t h o u g h y o u m a y n e v e r have studied drawing. O n c e the d r a w i n g m o d e is familiar to y o u , y o u will be able to consciously control the mental shift.

"If a certain kind of activity, such as painting, becomes the habitual mode of expression, it may follow that taking up the painting materi- als and beginning work with them will act suggestively and so presently evoke a flight into the higher state."

— Robert Henri The Art Spirit, 1923

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My students often report that learning to draw makes them feel more creative. Obviously, many roads lead to creative endeavor:

Drawing is only one route. Howard Gardner, Harvard professor of psychology and education, refers to this linkage:

"By a curious twist, the words art and creativity have become closely linked in our society."

From Gardner's book Creating Minds, 1993.

Samuel G o l d w y n once said:

"Don't pay any attention to the critics. Don't even ignore them."

Quoted in Being Digital by Nicolas Negroponte, 1995.

Drawing on your creative self

I see y o u as an i n d i v i d u a l with creative potential for expressing y o u r s e l f t h r o u g h d r a w i n g . My aim is to p r o v i d e the means for releasing that potential, for gaining access at a conscious level to y o u r inventive, intuitive, imaginative powers that may have been largely untapped by our verbal, technological culture and educa- tional system. I am going to teach you how to draw, but drawing is only the means, not the end. D r a w i n g will tap the special abilities that are right for drawing. By le ar ning to draw y o u will learn to see differently and, as the artist Rodin lyrically states, to become a confidant of the natural w o r l d , to awaken y o u r eye to the lovely language of forms, to express yourself in that language.

In drawing, you will delve de eply into a part of your mind too often o b s c u r e d by endless details of daily life. From this e x p e r i - e n c e y o u w i l l d e v e l o p y o u r ability to p e r c e i v e things freshly in their totality, to see u n d e r l y i n g patterns and possibilities for new combinations. C r e a t i v e solutions to problems, whether personal or professional, will be accessible through new modes of thinking and new ways of using the p o w e r of your whole brain.

D r a w i n g , pleasurable and rewarding though it is, is but a key to o p e n the d o o r to o t h e r goals. My hope is that Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain wi l l h e l p y o u expand y o u r powers as an individual through increased awareness of your own mind and its w o r k i n g s . T h e m u l t i p l e effects of the exercises in this book are i n t e n d e d to e n h a n c e y o u r confidence in d e c i s i o n m a k i n g and p r o b l e m solving. T h e potential force of the creative, imaginative human brain seems almost limitless. D r a w i n g may help you come to know this p o w e r and make it k n o w n to others. T h r o u g h draw- ing, y o u are m a d e visible. T h e G e r m a n artist A l b r e c h t D u r e r said, "From this, the treasure secretly gathered in your heart will b e c o m e evident through your creative work."

K e e p i n g the real goal in mind, let us begin to fashion the key.

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