Keys to Drawing

by Bert Dodson

Shape tie-ins

Do I want a vertical or a horizontal composition? Do I want more subject or more background? Can I reduce my subject to five shapes or less?

a horizontal composition; a vertical composition; a close-up composition (horizontal or vertical); a distant view (horizontal or vertical).

Sometimes, as when drawing blind, you draw better when you don't even look at your picture. You can discover your own tendencies through copying and emulating someone else. You strive to create illusions while simultaneously reminding viewers that they are looking at a drawing. Your goal is to draw accurately yet it is also desirable to intensify certain aspects. You can tie figure and background together in a common shape that is neither and both at the same time.

The earthy, realistic, cynical one illuminates the romantic, idealistic, deluded one.

Don Quixote encouraged me to present drawing as an adventure, a quest filled with high risks but offering great rewards. Sancho told me to come back down to earth and explain the little tricks, the how-to's, the step-by-step procedures of drawing.

It moves a step beyond merely reproducing what is seen in order to impose a stronger sense of pattern.

Complexity invests a picture with diversity and richness while simplicity gives it coherence and unity.

Maybe you can coax them, if only for a moment, out of the world of things and into the world of shape and design. This may seem like a small achievement, but it represents the gift of lifting others out of old habits of seeing.

Small shapes can balance larger ones by means of their location, contrast, or emotional associations. Higher contrasts catch our eye more readily than lower, and isolated elements carry more significance than the same elements closely grouped together. Some objects are simply more interesting to us than others — like the human face or form.

This straddle is particularly suited to drawing the figure. Although the human body is symmetrical, even in repose, we usually want to present it in a way that illustrates its dynamic qualities as well.

On the passive side — in addition to keeping the shapes simple — lowering contrasts, blurring edges, or even merging with a background rectangle can help to subdue the shape.

shapes, tones, and textures

None of us need ever fear that we don't have an active imagination, because imagination is mostly a willingness to entertain a strange idea now and then.

By being curious about your subject and refusing to be too “result oriented,” you obtain the best results. A sense of humor helps, too.

Anything that makes us see reality in a fresh or unusual way, reawakens our eyes.

When my son was a small child, I used to emulate his drawing style in an attempt to get his boldness and assertiveness into mv own handwriting.

I am talking about making some lifetime longing or hidden fear the subject of your drawing.

What if people don't like what you draw? What if your ideas seem shallow and obvious? What if you're really not much of an artist anyway and this is going to prove it? If critical dialogue like that emerges, I hope you've learned to control it by now. Maybe with your added sense of craft and control, you have more confidence in yourself. Maybe drawing has already helped you get in touch with deep feelings and now you're ready to risk more.

The Moving Finger Writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.

“heuristic”

Romantic feelings associated with loneliness, isolation, and mystery are key aspects of the empty environment.

Be playful. Adopt an attitude of looseness, friendliness, and sense of humor toward your subject and yourself. Rather than worry about how your drawing will turn out, get into the spirit of the moment. It's not necessary and it's probably not wise to know exactly where you're going when you start. If a strange idea occurs to you in the middle of a drawing, go with it.

the most powerful of sources: your own intimate and personal experiences.

imagination, curiosity, open-mindedness, spontaneity, and sense of humor.