Contour Drawing?

Question

I recently started drawing as a hobby. I bought the book "The Natural Way to Draw" because my online research seemed to point it out as the best book on the subject. (that and "Drawing for the Right Side of the Brain", though that book was so focused on drawing the human face that I was turned off when flipping through it). So, as the book I got suggested, I started trying some countour drawing. I'm having a real hard time of it though. First, I think my eyes are going much faster than my pencil and because of that I can't get an accurate representation of my objects contour. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to slow down? Second, I'm not really sure what the author means by "feel" what you are looking at, as if you can touch it, I think that means just observe really closely and look at every point, is that right? And lastly, I'm having big problems keeping porportions, is that normal when starting countour drawing? How do I fix it or does it just come with time?

Answer 1

when i first started contour drawing, it was also hard for me to grasp the concept of making a drawing out of slowly placed lines. my instructor would always get on to me, and tell me that i was going too fast, although i felt like i was going painstakingly slow! i was told to go reallllly slow, and draw ever single detail......every drop and rise in fabric, everything. the result was a drawing that was really wavy (the instructor could always tell how slow i was going by how wavy the lines were.....they aren't supposed to be straight) after practice, i was able to achieve more realistic drawings. also, i don't think the goal is to draw objects exactly how they look, rather it is to get the feel for observing these objects closely. once you have a grasp on this technique, drawing becomes easier, because you are trained to actually "look" at the object you are drawing.

Answer 2

Thanks for the interesting question. I have been doing contour drawing my whole life. You sound like a really intelligent, motivated, careful person. May I give you a tip? You need to forget everything you are trying to accomplish. The whole point of contour drawing is to let go of the outcome, the normal proces of sketching in, the desire for it to look any particular way. Think of your eye/hand/self as actually HIKING that surface, that curve, that landscape.

That is what is meant by feeling what you are looking at.

Here is another tip: practice much more with medium complexity objects that do not look like anything! A big rugged chunk of bark is good. So is a ripped sponge. So is a kooky old rock.

As for your eye going faster, try listening to some relaxing music, take slow deep breaths. And most of all, exist in the present.

Contour drawing is not only a great way to improve creative skills, it is a way to learn in your soul how beautiful it is to just be, to just observe, to just run the finger of your mind's eye slowly across a palpable surface.

You said at one point that you cannot "get an accurate representation" of your object but you see no matter what a teacher or a book might say that defeats the purpose. One of the many great values is to teach you to stop worrying about "how it looks."

I had one summer many years ago where all I did was very slow contour drawings of big shell pieces ... it was so great. None of it ended up looking like the objects BUT it looked really beautiful AND it taught me to slow down and renounce outcome.

And guess what?

Later, my drawings actually got MORE representational because the process taught me patience, humility and keen observation. Have fun!

Answer 3

It does come with time. Keep at it and just think of drawing the lines, not the actual objects. Your mind gets all tied up in the thing instead of the lines your are following. (An occasional peek wouldn't hurt, would it?)