Embedded Files
This post may contain Blick & Amazon affiliate links which means I may receive a commission from purchases made through links. I will only recommend products I have personally used! Learn more on my private policy page.
Sometimes what gets in the way of drawing is familiarity. You draw "how it should be" instead of what it actually is. There are a number of exercises to draw what you see not "how it should it should be." For some to become a better drawer, one has to become a better seer. This is where drawing upside down comes in.
Take a drawing of something you like and flip it upside down. Works with a normal picture too, but with a drawing someone has already done the hard work of simplifying the subject/picture into lines. Here is a free stock photo I found.
Draw
Draw
Instructions:
Start wherever you like
Try not to figure out what you are drawing
Finish the drawing in one sitting
Pick a line and continue to draw neighboring lines and spaces, taking in the fully drawing piece by adjacent piece
Think of everything as shapes not without thinking of what the really are (i.e. nose, eyes, ...)
It could help to cover parts of the drawing that you aren't working on.
This is an exercise I learned from "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards. It's a great book for folks at any stage that are trying to improve their drawing.
If you want to start your painting journey, I've put together a list of all my go to supplies to get you started.
Report abuse