Complete Idiot''''s Guide to Drawing- P10 potx

Part 2
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Now You Are Ready to Draw
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Where to Start—Location, Location, Location
Basically, you start with a spot and a shape—of negative space. Perhaps we can call this a
“spot of space,” a basic shape that you can see, from which you can proceed to the next.
We will base our “seeing” of the negative space on this first “spot of space.”
Remember that it is a “spot of space” somewhere in or around the chair.
1. Hold the viewfinder frame very still and frame the chair in the
window. Rearrange the chair if necessary to see it at an interest-
ing angle. See the relative angles of the seat, the back, and the
legs.
2. Try to pick a spot of space somewhere inside your chair to start,
and really see it. Maybe it is the space between the rungs on
the ladder, or between the slats of the back of a rocking chair.
Close one eye and “see” that spot until it becomes more real
than the chair. You will know when this has happened because
it will pop forward as a spot of space while the chair itself will
fade or recede.
3. Now see where that spot is relative to the grid lines on your
viewfinder frame. You can also look at the spot through your
plastic picture plane to isolate just where it is relative to the
grid. If you choose, you can draw your spot on the plastic first
and then transfer it to the paper after you see how it works.
Or, you can do your “seeing” through the grid on the plastic
and draw the negative spots of space on your paper; it will be a
little easier to see where the spots of space are on the plastic
grid.
Draw the spaces between
your chair and the edges

of the frame and all
the spaces within the
chair itself—a study in
relativity. You’ll see.
Back to the Drawing Board
Drawing in, and being sensitive
to, a format such as negative
space is a common problem in
beginning drawings. The concen-
tration and focus are on the ob-
ject and the background is filled
in later. But this method often
results in the image being poorly
placed on the page. No consid-
eration is given to the siting of
the object on the page, and the
negative space around the object
is not part of the arrangement.
Usually, it’s not considered at all!
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Negative Space as a Positive Tool
4. Either way, use the grid on your paper to draw the first spot of space on the paper.
5. Think relatively and relationally. Try to see where your spot is relative to the marks on
the frame, the grid on the plastic, and the light lines on the paper.
Draw the Holes, not the Thing
Check your spot of space shape and the lines that make it, the angle, whether they curve or
not, which way, and how far. Check again against the frame. Even if your drawing is larger
than the frame, the two are in proportion, so all the relative positions will be the same.

Now, stay focused on the space. As for the chair … forget about it!
Keep one eye closed and find your next spot of space. Find the
shape of that spot by seeing it relative to your grid marks. Draw
the holes, not the thing.
Here are some things to consider as you draw the negative space:
➤ Try to not think about the chair itself. Think about compar-
ing the shapes of the negative space and the edges of those
shapes. Are the lines horizontal or vertical? If they aren’t, try
to see the angle relative to horizontal or vertical and draw
what you see.
➤ Gauge any shape—its lines and angles, curves, or lengths—by
seeing it relative to the horizontals, verticals, and diagonals.
Begin to see new shapes of negative space relative to the ones
you have already drawn.
➤ Draw each new space shape as you can see it. Work carefully,
checking each new shape, and remember that they are all in
relation to each other.
Holding the viewfinder
very still, frame the
chair within it so that
there is an interesting
angle.
Try Your Hand
If you are confused, you can
take a moment and look again
through the plastic picture
plane. You can draw the shape
of the space there and then
transfer it to paper. If you can
see where it is on the plastic,

draw the shape of that spot of
space on your drawing.
Part 2
➤
Now You Are Ready to Draw
72
➤ Don’t think about the chair at all.
➤ If you talk to yourself while drawing, talk to yourself about the relationship between
lines and shapes of negative space. Otherwise, don’t talk at all. Enjoy the process of
real visual thinking, just seeing and drawing shapes of negative space that you have
never seen before.
See the Object Through the Space
Around It
As you draw more and more of the negative space shapes, it will be eas-
ier and easier to fit in the remaining ones. The spaces around your
chair will be defining the chair itself!
When you have drawn all the negative spaces on your drawing, check
each one in turn against the chair itself. Make small corrections to the
shapes of the negative spaces as you see them. You can lightly shade
the negative space shapes as you refine them, if you’d like. Your chair
will take turns with the space around it; one will appear positive and
the other negative, then they will flip.
When you are finished, your drawing will be a very different record of
seeing. The chair will come out of the space you have drawn around it.
Back to the Drawing Board
If you get confused or have a
problem, remember to see the
shape relative to the guides—the
marks on the frame, the grid on
the plastic, the grid on your

drawing, and the parts of your
drawing that you are sure of.
Here are some drawings done by Lauren and two students, concentrating on negative space rather than
on the object itself.
Each negative space drawing is another chance to really see rather than think your way
through a drawing. By concentrating on the negative space shapes, you can see relation-
ships that will make drawing difficult things easier. Practice in considering negative space
will steadily improve your ability to select an image, arrange an interesting composition,
place it well on the page, and draw!
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Chapter 6
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Negative Space as a Positive Tool
Getting Negative
Next, try this exercise with a complicated kitchen gadget like an eggbeater or a handheld
can opener. Try a pair of glasses on a table. Try a bicycle for a real challenge. The important
thing is to concentrate on the negative space rather than the object itself.
As you can see, drawing the negative space can make a difficult drawing easy, particularly
when it comes to foreshortening or complicated shapes, because you can focus on the space
to tell you, visually, about the shapes it surrounds. And the more you work on negative
space drawings, the more you’ll develop a heightened perception of negative space, which
will tremendously improve your composition skills as you do more complicated composi-
tions.
In Part 3, “Starting Out: Learning You Can See and Draw,” we will look at setting up a place
to work, artists’ studios, and exactly how to get started with the simple compositions—the
seeing, selecting, placing, and drawing.
Part 2
➤
Now You Are Ready to Draw
Your Sketchbook Page

Try your hand at practicing the exercises you’ve learned in this chapter.
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Chapter 6
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Negative Space as a Positive Tool
The Least You Need to Know
➤ Our memory of things—the left side of the brain at work—can actually inhibit our
ability to see what is really there.
➤ The logical left side does not remember or understand negative space too well, so
it’s up to the visual, relational right side to step in and see more clearly.
➤ Negative space is the area around any object or objects that share edges.
➤ Negative space can make a difficult drawing easy, particularly foreshortening or
complicated shapes, because we can focus on the space to tell us, visually, about the
shapes it surrounds.
➤ A heightened perception of negative space will tremendously improve composition
in more complicated compositions.

Part 3
Starting Out: Learning
You Can See and Draw
How do artists choose what to draw and what to draw it with? How do you begin to arrange ob-
jects in a composition?
What makes a good composition? How do you learn to draw the form or volume into some-
thing? And what about all those important details you have to draw? In this part, we’ll answer
all of your questions.
We’ll start with simple contour drawings of objects and then move on to form, volume, light,
and shadow in more complicated still lifes, exploring why artists throughout the ages just love
those fruits and veggies. Then, we’ll look at a few new materials, as well as details, details, and
more details—and how to balance them for a finished drawing that will really please you.

Chapter 7
A Room of
Your Own
In This Chapter
➤ Making your own space to draw
➤ Finding the time
➤ Tools of the trade
➤ Beginning practice
If you have an empty wall, you can think on it better. I like a space to think in.
—Georgia O’Keeffe
Now that you’ve mastered the beginning exercises that can help you to see as an artist sees,
it’s time to get serious, get yourself some materials and a place to work, set aside some time,
and get to it.
In this chapter, we’ll begin exploring the places you create and playthings you acquire that
help you become an artist. No room, you say? No time? Let’s take a closer look at fitting
drawing into your life—and your home.
Finding Space and Time
A studio or a place to draw is almost as important as your interest in learning to draw. We
live in a hectic world that’s full of deadlines and responsibilities. A space of your own, how-
ever small and simple, will become a refuge from the rest of your day. You will look forward
to the time you can spend there.
Time alone—to observe, learn, experience, and grow—is often disregarded in the pressure-
ridden careers and lives we lead. Drawing, a visual, meditative, learning experience, can
help you enjoy your time alone. You deserve a space and the time to immerse yourself in a
pastime like drawing.