ART MATTERS: Observation 16 on developing and 'Drawing Skills'

Session 1: “Vase/Faces”

By Janet Cornacchio
Drawing skills may be something that come easier to some of us than others, but like any skill it requires exercise, practice and time to develop. For most of this year, the focus here has been on art history. Now seems like a good time to take a break and focus for a few weeks on the creative end of the process. Grab some paper, even the back side of copy sheets will work, or pick up an inexpensive drawing pad and keep that and a soft pencil (no2) with point that’s slightly rounded and a good eraser with you. When you’re waiting on a train or an appointment, watching kids’ sports, at a large meeting, etc., you can sketch what you see. Pick something simple you find interesting or are close enough to see clearly and draw what you see. Do this as often as you can, at least once a day. Don’t worry about more than trying to draw what you see (not what you think you see!) and keep practicing daily!
Over the next few columns, I’m going to suggest some specific exercises to expand your artistic side. They’re not unique to me, rather they’re examples I’ve saved from classes I’ve taken over the years.
This first exercise is one you’ve probably seen in examples of trick drawings that read differently depending on how you look at them. This optical illusion known as “Vase/Faces” is a chance to experience trying to draw the reverse sides of an image. First, if you’re right-handed, cut out or copy the picture marked right; if you’re left, cut out or copy the picture marked left. If you’ve cut out the drawing, tape it to a blank sheet of paper. Now, pick up a sharp pencil and redraw the profile beneath your taped one. (You might want to run your pencil over the copy above several time until you’re comfortable reproducing it below.) The parts of the profile you’re drawing are “forehead, nose, upper lip, lower lip, chin and neck.” Now, draw the profile to complete the vase. Hint: you’ll need to reverse the image. Start by saying forehead, nose, upper lip, lower lip, chin then neck while drawing them. Hard to reverse it in your head -- isn’t it. They may not line up exactly either unless you look carefully at the other side while you draw. If/when you start to have trouble, try to break it into to the different segments of the profile as a design & ignore what body parts they are. This exercise is designed to allow you to experience the kind of hesitation of not knowing exactly where to place the line. This conflict is a natural part of learning to draw, plus by focusing on them as body parts instead of focusing on what you’re seeing, it inhibits your drawing. With training you can learn to work through this conflict. According to left brain/right brain theory, you’re learning to work the right side of your brain.
Here are some different ways you can work on reversing the image successfully.
• Tell yourself: “Don’t think about the profile parts, just follow where the line goes in and out.”
• Draw from the bottom up and ignore the profile parts.
• Draw a line down the middle. This will help to plot the changes in the line curves.
• Grid the drawing. Then place the different curves where they belong.
• Turn the drawing upside down. This way it’s no longer obviously a profile. This is my favorite approach. It works with all kinds of objects that are hard to draw the two opposite sides equally-vases, bowl rims, anything with an ellipse, for example.
Now try drawing them several times!
Ultimately, this exercise makes an important point about learning to draw. The need to get away from your verbal perception and switch to non-verbal aka visual mode. More about this and another exercise or two next time.

Janet Cornacchio is an artist member of Front Street Gallery, president of Scituate Arts Association and a Realtor. Reach her at jcornacch@aol.com.

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