Negative Space Drawing

Negative Space Drawing

VDL Categories: Art & Design

(from Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, p. 11)

Project type

Source

Common.
Some particulars from Betty Edwards, The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Workbook: Guided Practice in the Five Basic Skills of Drawing, Jeremy P. Tarcher, 2002. ISBN: 1585421952. p. 49-65

Background Materials

Readings

Betty Edwards, The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, Putnam Publishing Group; Rev&Expand edition, 1999. ISBN: 0874774241.

Relevance to VDL

Basic drawing skills are essential for recording and conveying visual objects and scenes. tba.

Interactive multimedia software

none.

Materials Needed

Examples of relevant applications of the module content

Virtually all successful representational (and much abstract) artwork has strong "negative spaces." More tba.

Activities

Draw a designated chair at the front of the room (or side) using only "negative space."
Negative space is the space that IS NOT the chair.
Why draw negative space? While your brain knows a lot about chairs, it doesn't know much about randomly shaped blobs of space between chairs. Drawing that space, which conveniently defines the chair, prevents your knowledge of chairs from interfering with your reporting of this particular chair and the view you have of it.

Assessment

If the negative space is drawn carefully, the chair should pop into being. Although lacking in any internal detail or shading it will look like the chair you are viewing/drawing.