Art Fun Cheap

By Remi Engels, guest blogger

For untutored artists the problem with seeing lies in the conflict that exists between the concrete visual reality of an item and the way the mind attempts to represent our perception of this reality on the drawing paper. This attempt invariably involves the propensity to draw our symbolic preconception instead of the actual reality.

Iconic preconceptions are part of a involuntary visual language that uses symbols to represent known objects. This lingo of icons evolved as a mechanism to help us survive as a species. These symbols aid us, for instance, to instantly recognize food sources or treacherous predators.

When we observe an unknown object, our subconscious mind instantantly tries to form a new symbol to characterize and store the item in memory. Often novice artists will more accurately draw unknown entities than familiar ones because they are not yet wedded to the new icons.

However, when they try to sketch the same object a second time, it is likely that a more symbolic picture will emerge because ready to use symbols have already been stored in the brain.

Consider, for instance, the word “head”. At once an picture comes to mind which is symbolic for the head. Unfortunately, this symbol is only a iconic picture of a head and is invariably a gross simplification of a real head. Nevertheless, there is a strong involuntary pull to draw the icon instead of what we actually see.

It is this conflict that artists must learn to overcome. This is particularly a difficulty for pencil portrait artists. When sketching a portrait the artist must resolve numerous layers of symbols to reach a realistic effect.

We now will describe a very good exercise to learn to overcome the problem of icon sketching.

We will be sketching from an upside-down photograph. This way our symbolic preconception of the head is interrupted. We will be forced to draw without our icons. The result will be a purer drawing experience unfettered by a contaminated observation.

As you draw the lines and block-in the tones you will feel quite awkward in your sketching. This is a good thing. Do not be concerned with the quality of your drawing. This is an exercise in seeing.

When practicing line and tone this way, starting artists often get better results than from the right-side up way. Trust yourself and throughout the exercise only look at your photo in the upside-down position even though it may feel quite uncomfortable.

You will learn to see and draw value as shapes and will be able to break down hard edges into short, straight lines instead of the common symbols your mind will give to the nose, the ears, etc.

Thinking of and naming perceived items will lead you down the garden path of oval shaped eyes, two circles for nostrils, a cluster of lines for hair, cauliflower ears and something that looks like the letter M sitting on a bowl for a mouth instead of what is actually there.

Artists will never be free of symbolic fixations. The schematics actually change and become more refined. It is only by constantly analyzing and abstracting form that we are able to sketch realistically.

Do you want to learn the secrets of pencil portrait sketching? Download my brand new free pencil portrait drawing tutorial here: portrait drawing course.

Remi Engels is a pencil portrait artist and oil painter and practiced drawing teacher. See his work at graphite pencil portraits by Remi.

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