Drawing Upside Down

Learning to draw what you see!A visual exercise for building observational skills.

Marsha Devine © 2007

Why Upside Down Drawing?

• Create a shift from left to right brain activity by drawing a picture upside down.

• Learn to see lines in relationship to each other, rather than as preconceived shapes.

• Develop observational skills• Have fun with drawing

How does upside down drawing build observational skills?

• Familiar things do not look the same upside down. • Our left brain expects to see things oriented in the

customary way – with the right side up. • In upright orientation, we recognize familiar things, name

them, and categorize them by matching what we see with our stored memories and concepts.

• When an image is upside down, the visual cues don't match. We see the shapes and the areas of light and shadow, We see lines, instead of real objects.

Upside-down Drawing Steps

• You are to copy an upside-down image. • Copy the drawing just as you see it. • Your drawing will be done upside down. • Do not turn the original, or your drawing,

around until you are finished. • Limit your time on this drawing to about

45-60 minutes

Simple in steps, complex in action…

• take a line drawing • place it upside down • and copy it.• observe shapes, lines and their

relationships rather than naming objects & features.

The following slides have images that are upside down. Copy each image – having few distractions and taking time

to observe the lines and spaces of the original.

Do your best, but remember – this is not supposed to be a perfect piece of artwork – this is a visual exercise – like

Pilates for the brain!

Turn over only when you are finished.

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Portrait of Igor Stravinsky.

Paris, May 21, 1920

Ballerina, Edgar Degas

Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471-1528), The Rhinoceros

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Cottage among Trees, 1648-50

Danny Gregory – Artist & Author

• Website http://www.dannygregory.com/index.php

• See him draw a portrait with a Koh-in-noor Rapidograph and then fill it in with a wash of Sumi Ink all the while keeping his sketchbook upside down. http://www.dannygregory.com/2007/03/portrait_688.php

Reflect & Review

• After completing your upside-down drawing, compare it to the original – look at how the lines, shapes, and spaces relate to each other.

• Is your drawing similar to the original?• Whenever you are looking to ‘free-up’ your mind,

hone your observational skills, or just have a little drawing fun – try this technique again!

References

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

• 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.17.