Learning to draw...

TwoQuestions

I was looking at the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain to see if I could finally learn to draw. I'm pretty good at logical thinking, as I get straight A's on my programming classes, but my creative thinking sucks. I figure drawing would be a pretty good way to get those particular mental juices flowing.

What do you guys think?

evilthecat

erm ... no.

in short:
The book bases itself on the idea that the 2 hemispheres have different functions and that left-handed and right-handed people will, as a consequence, have different strengths. Grades and self-perceived creativity aren't good measures of which brain-half is bigger/better developed/dominant. There are loads of other factors and studies that come into the equation, I doubt that an art teacher will have considered all of them.
If you want to start drawing, just give it a go. Don't base your decision upon what what other people think you will be or not be good at.

edit:

just noticed it was about becoming more creative. I don't think this book would be a good place to start considering the scientifical approach to it. go grab some neuropsychology papers/textbooks and figure out how creative people's brains operate.

MagicToaster

Drawing is about practicing. Books are great, but books don't teach you how to draw so much as they give you a direction to follow. You'll still have to practice to get better. I'd suggest you buy a small sketchbook and join a drawing class. Being in a group or a community really helps to motivate you when you see what other people are doing.

We have an art community in this very forum. Why don't you come hang with us when you've gotten some stuff done in your sketch book?

UncleSporky

evilthecat wrote: »

erm ... no.

in short:
The book bases itself on the idea that the 2 hemispheres have different functions and that left-handed and right-handed people will, as a consequence, have different strengths. Grades and self-perceived creativity aren't good measures of which brain-half is bigger/better developed/dominant. There are loads of other factors and studies that come into the equation, I doubt that an art teacher will have considered all of them.
If you want to start drawing, just give it a go. Don't base your decision upon what what other people think you will be or not be good at.

edit:

just noticed it was about becoming more creative. I don't think this book would be a good place to start considering the scientifical approach to it. go grab some neuropsychology papers/textbooks and figure out how creative people's brains operate.

Actually it's a fine book. I don't know if it's the best, but it works. I wouldn't call it terribly scientific, it's about exercises that help a non-artist start working on their drawing skills and realize what they need to be looking at. It also encourages the main thing that every prospective artist needs to be doing - drawing from life every day.

One of the earlier exercises is to attempt to duplicate a portrait, and then to do the same thing with the portrait upside down. Most of the time the upside down one will come out looking closer to the original portrait. It's not necessarily for pseudoscientific right-brain-left-brain reasons, it's just from observing this fact over time, and helping people understand that they need to observe the details, the shape of lines, in order to draw better.

Much of what's contained in it could be found elsewhere for free, but as a book to get someone going it's not too bad.

Flay

UncleSporky wrote: »

evilthecat wrote: »

erm ... no.

in short:
The book bases itself on the idea that the 2 hemispheres have different functions and that left-handed and right-handed people will, as a consequence, have different strengths. Grades and self-perceived creativity aren't good measures of which brain-half is bigger/better developed/dominant. There are loads of other factors and studies that come into the equation, I doubt that an art teacher will have considered all of them.
If you want to start drawing, just give it a go. Don't base your decision upon what what other people think you will be or not be good at.

edit:

just noticed it was about becoming more creative. I don't think this book would be a good place to start considering the scientifical approach to it. go grab some neuropsychology papers/textbooks and figure out how creative people's brains operate.

Actually it's a fine book. I don't know if it's the best, but it works. I wouldn't call it terribly scientific, it's about exercises that help a non-artist start working on their drawing skills and realize what they need to be looking at. It also encourages the main thing that every prospective artist needs to be doing - drawing from life every day.

Much of what's contained in it could be found elsewhere for free, but as a book to get someone going it's not too bad.

A quote from my friend studying psychology in regards to this book: 'The psychological aspect is absolute bullshit. The exercises work, but not in the way she claims they do.'

This book helped me a lot when I first started seriously getting in to drawing. But remember that it's only a starting point. You might be able to get it from a library or something, which would probably be a better option than buying it.

UncleSporky

Exactly. It's a drawing teacher who excitedly describes her own psychological theories that are not really grounded in much, but she's still a fine drawing teacher and the end result is still beneficial.

Kendeathwalker

Drawing takes an enormous amount of effort and time. IT takes people months/years to wrap their mind around the idea you are drawing an abstraction of what you see, let alone getting people to stop drawing symbols. Something that might yield creative results you dont hate a bit faster would probably be paper craft or oragami. Im suggesting those because since you are more comfortable with procedural things you will have a defintite procedure to start with. Then you can get creative and deviate a bit from the rules.

rts

Yeah not to be discouraging but there are a lot of other pursuits which you will find easier and probably more rewarding, at least in the short term than drawing. There are a lot of ways to help you develop creativity and drawing is quite a mountain to climb.

And honestly, I am a decent draftsman and I am not creative at all.

Awk

pick up a musical instrument

wakkawa

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=870

Is always fun to look at. The person can paint a mean still life, but I'm not too sure about their creativity. I know people that can produce some really amazing portraits or still lifes but when they try to do something conceptual it all goes to hell.

elfdude

Depends on what your end goal with drawing is to accomplish I'd say.

I'd first work on your muscle control as that seems to be what most people lack. Draw some circles, then draw some lines paralell to each other with even spacing, continue doing it until you can draw nice grids and circles and you can easily start to learn the basics of drawing from that point on. Practicing smooth accurate lines is a must for drawing, estimating size relationships is also very important.

P.S drawing is mostly a function of the right side. There's a tool they can use to temporarily inhibit either hemisphere and the differences are quite drastic. As far as science is concerned your right hemisphere seems to be mostly concerned with what is, whereas the left is more concerned with your opinion on what is. If you remove the left brain most people will completely loose their sense of self.