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Getting Started: Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Often, students believe that they can't draw. Drawing is actually a skill that anyone can learn and improve on. Many people do not know how.
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is a course that gives you tools to help you see and perceive more accurately and translate that to your drawings. These skills will help you better perceive shapes, values, and color to make your drawings, paintings, and digital work more accurate. You can see from the images below that completing this course and applying these skills greatly improves people's drawing ability. |
Pre-test Drawings
Before you begin, you need to create a record of your current skills. Don't worry about how good this looks. The worse the before, the greater the transformation. Make sure to date and label each drawing.
Exercise 1: Pre-Instruction Self-Portrait
Time: 30 min
Materials: Sketch paper, pencil, Mirror or webcam
Exercise 2: Pre-Instruction Drawing of Your Hand
Time: 15 min
Materials: Sketch paper, pencil
Exercise 3: Pre-Instruction Drawing of the Corner of a Room
Time: 20 min
Materials: Pencil, sketchpaper, drawing board (optional)
Look around the room and choose one corner to draw.
Exercise 1: Pre-Instruction Self-Portrait
Time: 30 min
Materials: Sketch paper, pencil, Mirror or webcam
- Sit at arms' length from the mirror so you can see your head and face.
- Set a timer for 30 min.
- Draw your self=portrait to the best of your ability
- Sign and date your drawing.
Exercise 2: Pre-Instruction Drawing of Your Hand
Time: 15 min
Materials: Sketch paper, pencil
- Set a timer for 15 min
- Try out various positions of your non-drawing hand and choose a position
- Hold your posing hand still and make a drawing of it to the best of your ability.
- Sign and date your drawing.
Exercise 3: Pre-Instruction Drawing of the Corner of a Room
Time: 20 min
Materials: Pencil, sketchpaper, drawing board (optional)
Look around the room and choose one corner to draw.
- Sit in a chair facing the chosen corner at a distance of about 8-10ft. Use a drawing lap board if needed.
- Set a timer for 20 min
- Draw the corner to the best of your ability
- Sign and date your drawing.
L-Mode vs. R-Mode
Practice
Exercise 5: The Vase Face Drawing
Materials: Vase Face Worksheet for Right-Handers or Left-Handers Pencil Time Needed: 5-10 Minutes The purpose of this exercise is to help you feel the shift from L-mode to R-mode when you are drawing. |
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Exercise 6: Upside Down Drawings
Materials: Reference Drawing Workshets (man, woman, horse, horse and rider) 2 pieces of sketchpaper or a sketchbook Pencil Time: 30+ minutes The purpose of this exercise is to create a situation that the L-mode of the brain doesn't know how to respond to, allowing the R-mode to take over. To draw well, you need to be able to control this left and right brain shift. Keep practicing this skill until you can control the shift and stay in R-mode. |
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