Blind Contour Drawing

A contour is an edge.

Blind contour drawing means you draw the edge of an object without looking at the drawing as you do it.

Edges combine to make a whole image.

The most common exercise used to practice pure contour drawing is to draw your own hand.

An edge on your hand would be defined as:

• the outside
• the place where your fingers join
• space between your fingers
• the flesh around each fingernail, and
• where the skin meets to form a wrinkle

Before commencing this activity, make sure you are alone and that you are not likely to be disturbed.

If you are using a single sheet of paper, secure it by taping it down or use a clipboard.

Sit facing the direction away from your paper.

I sat side-on to the table, I turned my chair around so that I had back support. I rested my hand on my leg. I was wearing black pants and they provided an excellent background for my hand. I could identify the edges more easily.

Resist any urge you have to look at your drawing. If you peek, you defeat the purpose of this task.

To start, place your pencil on your paper. Now, facing away from the paper, pick a spot on your hand where you'd like to start. I started at the top of my wrist because I like to draw from left to right.

As you concentrate on the contour of your hand, start to draw what you are seeing. This is a simultaneous process - as your eyes move slowly over your hand, draw it at the same time.

I found my eyes raced away and went too fast for my pencil. I had to really focus and concentrate on one quarter of an inch at a time.

In my blind contour drawing, you can actually see where I started and the little quarter inch bits as I went along.

In hindsight, I should have drawn in the wrinkles, to give myself more of a challenge.

It doesn't matter if your blind contour drawing doesn't resemble your hand. The point of the exercise is to use the right side of your brain and to really see with an artist's eyes.

Your pencil should move in perfect rhythm with your eyes. Concentrate on keeping them in tune. This was the hardest part for me, as I said.

As you get into the drawing, the right side of your brain should have complete dominance.

Once you are finished, think about how you have reacted during the exercise. Did you surrender to the process and feel completely quiet? Could you feel the inner struggle to give in to the need to look at your paper?

This blind contour drawing exercise achieves two purposes:

1. Your attention is focused entirely on the drawing subject.
   
   
2. No attention is given to the drawing.

In other words, the left side of your brain is being completely ignored.

If you successfully drew your hand without looking, and you took your time, then you just used the right side of your brain. The artistic side.

I hope you gain a lot from this activity.

After I finished, I immediately drew my hand while looking at it, hoping for some magic to happen. Obviously, I'm in need of a lot more practice. That's fine with me, I'm not averse to practicing.

Drawing is the most enjoyable thing. I would be a lost soul without it!

I must give thanks to Betty Edwards for her wonderful book "Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain." I refer to it all the time and it contains some good examples of blind contour drawing. It really is a must-have for all would-be artists.