Anyone can draw faster. If you watch any toddler with a pencil you’ll marvel at how fast they can draw. It doesn’t look that good, but they're fast.
And anyone, with enough determination, can draw more accurately. But if you’ve ever watched someone slogging in front of a drawing, white-knuckling the pencil...that doesn’t look like much fun.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could do both? Draw accurately, faster?
Well you can. You just have to think of drawing differently.
Symbolically Speaking
When you were a child you learned that you could draw nearly anything. Actually you learned to draw symbols for things. It was only later that you felt frustrated. Part of your brain recognized that those symbols didn’t really look like the things in the real world.
And that’s the problem. Beginning artists are so focused on wanting to draw “things” they don’t realize that’s just what’s holding them back.
We need to trick our brains into letting us see shapes instead of things. And negative space is the tool that will help you the most.
Negative Space is a Positive Thing
Here’s an example of how I use negative space when I’m drawing. Let's say I want to draw a picture of our cat Zelda.
The first problem beginning artists encounter is they think of the name of the object they’re trying to draw. When they do this their brains automatically throw out the symbol of that object they learned as a child.
Instead, you need to shift your attention away from the object to the space around the object.
It's a matter of looking for large shapes first, then looking for smaller shapes next.
When I start to make a drawing, first I try to find two or three of the largest negative shapes. In this photo these are the first lines I'd sketch in.
Once I’ve found these first large shapes, I look at how those can be broken down into smaller shapes.
As you focus on the negative shapes around the object, you'll automatically end up drawing the object itself.
This same thing applies as you start to focus on the detail areas, like the face. Don’t think of it as a cat’s face (we have symbols for that tucked away in our brains). Just look for the different negative spaces around the features.
I’ve made a video about observing negative spaces that goes into more detail:
When you’re learning to draw, the one skill that will give you the biggest bang for the buck is observing negative space. All the skills are important, but this one will help you make the greatest progress the fastest.
Even if you’re a more experienced artist you can benefit by consciously paying attention to negative space. The more experienced you are the more automatic it becomes.
Just as slowing down and focusing on your breathing helps you relax, slowing down and paying attention to the negative space around objects will help you draw more accurately, with more confidence, and ultimately, faster.
Look Ma, No Hands!
This is even a skill you can practice without pencil and paper. Next time you’re just sitting and waiting, look around and switch your focus to the negative shapes around things.
This will keep the skill present in your mind enough so that when you do sit down to draw, it'll be there at the ready.
Develop a Negative Attitude
...At least when you're drawing.
This one skill will take your drawing to new heights. You'll find that as you practice you're able to draw faster with more confidence.
If you want a deeper look into negative space and the other drawing skills, I have several videos on my YouTube channel devoted to them.
Or if you learn better by reading, check out my 46-page PDF How to Draw What You See.
I wish you the best in your new negative perception of the world!
Your support keeps me going, I couldn't do it without you!
