Sponsored

Left Brain, Right Brain, and Sketching

Did you know that your skill and dexterity as an artist depend on which side of the brain you use while making art? The human brain is divided into two halves, known as the left brain and the right brain. Each half of the brain approaches the world in a different manner. The left brain is analytical and rational, while the right brain is intuitive and imaginative.

Each of us exhibits both left brain and right brain characteristics because we need each side to function properly in this world. However, one side of the brain is much better suited to creating art than the other. Can you guess which side it is?

If you guessed the right brain, you are absolutely correct. Unfortunately, the right brain lies dormant in many of us, smothered into silence by lack of encouragement. Throughout our lives, we are mostly taught to favor left-brain thinking. In schools, science and math (left-brain) programs receive almost all of the funding, while art (right-brain) programs get cut because they are often thought of as “play” and are therefore considered “unnecessary”.

It’s no wonder that many of us don’t know how to draw, or else simply lack the confidence to try!

If you want to learn how to become a better artist and to sketch realistic faces, the great news is that all you have to do is nourish your right brain. This is the real secret to becoming a good artist, and you can start at any time!

To get in touch with the artist within, you need to retune your mind to nurture your right brain. Basically, there are two ways of thinking: verbal and nonverbal. Verbal, left-brained thinking uses words, language, and logic to interpret the world and communicate ideas. If you are trying to draw a face, this is the side of your brain that says, “This is how a face looks, so this is what you must draw.” The left brain relies on the stored memory of what faces look like to dictate how you should draw them.

To sketch faces, you need to throw out this mental catalog of faces that is stored in your left brain. You need to learn how to see things as if seeing them for the first time. This is where the right brain shines. The right brain allows you to look at a face, either in person or in a photograph, and instead of drawing the archetype of a face of what your left brain thinks the face should look like, you can sketch what you actually see in front of you. This makes all the difference in the world when learning how to sketch faces.

When the left brain is quiet, the right brain can come out and play and show the world what it can do!

This is why it is important for artists to learn how to switch on the right brain. Only one side of the brain can be in control at a time, and when it comes to sketching faces, you’ll make better art when the right brain is in control.

The right brain allows you to really look at something and draw what you see, rather than draw the archetype that is imprinted in your left brain. To activate the right brain, try the following exercise:

When you sketch a face, start by drawing the outline of the face. Instead of looking at the actual face, look at the space around the face. By not looking directly at the face itself, you are seeing what is actually there more clearly!

Does that sound strange? If so, it might be easier to try this exercise by looking at a photograph of a face first. When we draw something from real life, we are essentially reducing a three-dimensional object into a flat, two-dimensional rendering on paper. This takes practice. Photographs already do this for us, translating 3-D faces into 2-D, making our job much easier.

Look at the face in the photograph. Look at the space around the face – whether it’s an empty background or filled with objects. Look at how whatever is in the background “touches” the edge of the face, creating a distinct outline.

This is what you draw – the edge where the face meets the background. By not looking directly at the face, you have a better chance of drawing a more accurate face. Try it and see!

When you draw the nose, look at the skin that is around the nose. Look at how it joins up with the nose, creating an edge. This is what you draw. The same goes for the lips, the eyes, the ears, and every other part of the face.

When you draw in this way, you are using your right brain. Your right brain sees connections, takes risks and explores possibilities. Your right brain allows you to draw what you really see.

Sponsored