The New Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain (1999) - Plot & Excerpts
I’ve just finished reading a A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future – essentially a series of book reviews on books the author found interesting and in which he hopes to be able to draw together ideas in those books into a bit of an overarching theory. He wasn’t quite successful, but he did remind me of this book and that has to be a good thing.I read this book about ten years ago at a dark time in my life when I had just separated and moved out from the ex-wife. I had never been any good at drawing and generally hated books that went on about the right brain / left brain distinction – so I’ve no idea why I picked this up. But I did pick it up and almost immediately became fascinated. You see, it diagnosed my problem with drawing in the first couple of pages and then gave me clear and competent instruction into how to make me a better drawer.For years at Primary and High School I had sat in art classes and learnt next to nothing. I wasn’t exactly the naughtiest boy in the class, I would sit and do whatever was asked of me, but all of my ‘art’ was pitifully bad. Like getting a dyslexic to read Shakespeare aloud for the class, there was something cruel in putting a pencil or paint brush into my hand. The problem was no one ever told me that you need to draw what you see – that is, literally what you see, not what you think you see. When we are kids we learn to draw ‘symbols’ of things. We draw triangles for noses and spread out heart shapes for mouths. But these symbols are not what people actually have. People have real eyes and real chins, not a collection of symbols. Just learning that, and that alone, was enough to change the way I drew. The point wasn’t to draw mouths and ears, it was to draw lines and shade and shapes. The other thing this book really taught me was the idea of flow. That being totally engaged in something is about living outside of time. I’m never going to spend enough time drawing to become a good drawer, but this book taught me that becoming a good drawer isn’t something that is genetically beyond me (something I pretty much assumed must have been the case previously). It taught me that the beauty of drawing is in how lost one becomes while drawing – as one does when writing poetry or extended prose. Time melts away. The point of drawing is to melt time, not really to produce great drawings. And this book taught me how to look. It made trips to the art gallery so much more interesting and worthwhile. The drawing exercises in this book should be virtually compulsory in schools. As a child who would, when asked to draw, scribble something tiny in the upper corner of the page – someone afraid of the momentum of lines (something I’m still afraid of) this book was like a light being turned on in a very dark room I had spent a lifetime stumbling around in. For years afterwards I would sit in meetings drawing my left hand. Like I said, Art teachers should be using this book as a matter of course. If you can’t draw a face without blushing, please, read this book – it will show you what the kids at school who could draw worked out on their own and why, without being shown, you never really had a chance of learning.
This book's title and content would lead one to believe that it attempts to ride the "right-brain-left-brain" car that a lot of pop science publications have been driving for a long time, searching for some fundamental division of human faculties linked to the actual division between the hemispheres of a cerebrum.One's beliefs would be justified, as the book follows the left-right-brain story intently. It's not really the crux of the book, however.From my perception of the book, it is easy and sometimes necessary to separate the scientific motivations behind Edwards' drawing exercises from their rationales and ultimately their results. One enters the book with an explanation for the average person's inability to draw from observation; that is, that drawing for most people is dominated by the symbolic, analytical, linguistic, mathematical chunk of the brain, the studious Left Hemisphere. Hence, the simple barrier to learning to draw from observation is allowing the creative, objective, and somewhat whimsical Right to handle the observation for us. One can benefit from the insights held in this book without the left-right narrative, but the science behind them might, rightly, goad into drawing those who describe themselves as "not really artsy". To a high degree, that's just the person the book is largely marketed to: a person with little experience and asymptotically little interest in drawing.That being said, whether you're a hobbyist or someone just beginning their tortuous self-criticising art career, pick up this book, give it a good read, and do the exercises if you think they'll help. Do that, and pay no more heed afterward to this book, for it limits you intently in what it advises you do to draw well. After looking through this book I very quickly turned to Burne Hogarth, Andrew Loomis, and Robert Beverly Hale, authors who focus primarily on figure drawing for illustration. Their instructions rely heavily on exactly what Edwards warns against: drawing figures by relating a system of symbols to one's perception. In the years since reading DRSB, I can safely say the authors listed prior have given me far more tools for drawing well.Edwards' book is a good primer if you want to learn to draw accurately; if you want to draw masterfully and effortlessly, however, your only venue is, in the end, practice.
What do You think about The New Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain (1999)?
An excellent book for anyone interested in art; most of the focus is on perception and is beneficial for all skill levels. It took me a while to read since I followed all of the exercises, to get anything out of this book I recommend doing the exercises (otherwise I'm not sure any of it would make sense)One could make a strong argument against the "R-mode" and "L-mode" naming conventions, however, the very proven pedagogical basis is hard to fault. Call it "accessing your visual cortex" if you don't like "R-mode", but the end result is the same. But still, there were at times too much emphasis on Right vs LeftThe handwriting section at the end was thoughtful, although a little forced as it seems bad handwriting is a pet-peeve of the author. Despite that, I found treating handwriting as an art to be as fun and engaging as the other exercises.
—Timothy
This book was recommended to me by an art teacher.Yes, I was fascinated by art, love photography and crafts. But felt I was unable to competently draw. I had given up even trying to draw, even though I had enjoyed art and drawing as a child.I love the realization that everyone, even you and me, has the ability and talent to draw - to be artistic. This book will help you to connect with this side of yourself that is often dormant or hidden. This is a wonderful journey into the brain! Read the book, work through the exercises and be patient with yourself while knowing you can do it too! Great learning moments about how you perceive yourself and the world around you. I am grateful for be able to apply these lessons to other parts of my life too. Be amazed at your real potential !
—Heather
This is probably the best book you could read to improve your skills at drawing. The key being that this book teaches you how to 'see'. In order to draw with accuracy it is necessary to let go of your preconceived notions about what things 'should' look like and using symbols to represent features rather than observing what is actually there. This book is an amazing tool for learning how to work with your own brain and become really observant and powerful artistically. I have seen it make a huge impact on my art and that of others I know. I also noted when I first read this book that my first art teacher in school used some of the early assignments to teach us to draw.
—Louisiana Levy
