Upside Down Drawing

Upside down drawing is a fascinating study of learning to see the way an artist sees, while not actually identifying what you are drawing/seeing.

When I was learning to draw, one of the things I enjoyed the most, was the different exercises I was given for practice.

Nothing gave me more of a thrill than to finish up with a drawing when I knew I couldn't draw it if I tried.

In the Betty Edwards book "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain", Betty provides an upside down Pablo Picasso sketch. It is the "Portrait of Igor Stravinsky."

This drawing to the left is my attempt at drawing that sketch upside down. Of course, I have turned it right side up for viewing.

I can tell you, I was over the moon with the outcome of this exercise! Remember, I did this exercise when I had no idea I could draw.

The Picasso drawing is ideal for the exercise as all the lines join together and they form a type of jigsaw puzzle.

It was the first upside down drawing that I ever did and not only did I enjoy it but it also introduced the hobby of drawing into my life.

Before You Start

The Geisha Girl drawing is one that I have practiced with - I always look for drawings with simple lines so I can turn it upside down and see what I can produce.

Before you begin this exercise, you may want to draw a border on your paper with the same measurements as the picture.

Then you can start to copy by focusing only on lines. Keep your mind purposely blank and refuse to try to identify what you are drawing.

Instead, concentrate on the distance of the lines to the border and their relation to each other.

Negative space automatically plays a part because of squares and rectangles that are present in the drawing.

You can choose to draw the shape rather than the lines.

Negative space is the area around the object that you are interested in.

When I finished this upside down drawing exercise, I turned my drawing the right way up. Ok, my drawing isn't great but it resembles the original sketch! It is still exciting!

At a time when I seriously doubted I'd ever be able to draw, this upside down drawing exercise was the starting point of my artistic adventure.

I had the confidence that I needed to keep going. I wasn't afraid to experiment. If I produced a failure, I wasn't deterred, I knew I could draw, I had already proven it!

It is so easy to get lost when you are drawing upside down and everything ends up out of proportion, but that's not the purpose of this exercise.

What is the purpose of Upside Down Drawing?

The purpose of this exercise is to force your left side (thinking) brain to give up identifying what you draw.

So, even if you have a little voice that tells you the name of features or things, - ignore it! Instead, focus on the specific line you are drawing and concentrate on its direction and where it lies in relation to the lines around it.

I have done several upside down drawings and I prefer to go around the whole outline first, even though that is not really recommended.

I do have trouble with matching things up as I come to the end of the drawing because it is obviously out of proportion. That doesn't matter, just connect it all as best as you can. The benefit of the exercise remains.

What is the Benefit of the Upside Down Drawing Exercise?

Simple - it helps to set you on the path of seeing the way an artist sees!

Drawing Exercise

There are so many ways to conquer drawing. We can trace, use a grid or we can do lots of exercises in art books, to name just a few.

Drawing upside down is a favorite exercise of mine. It trains your eyes to really see. You examine the length of a line, the curve in a line, distances from other lines, it's an excellent practice to perform.

You can do this with any line drawing or contour drawing. I've added a couple of line drawings on this page if you would like to copy one right now.




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I tried to do a blind contour drawing (see the drawing on the right) with the upside down drawing of a man (above). So, not only was the reference drawing upside down, I was doing it without looking at my paper as well.

That dual exercise really made my mind go blank, I had no idea what I was drawing but I don't think it's too bad considering it was done without looking at the upside down drawing.

Actually, I think it kind of looks like a quick gesture drawing!

Try to take notice of how your mind "turns off." Your academic brain doesn't recognize what it is you are drawing, so it hands the job over to the artistic side of your brain. Ah, pure peace reigns. You will most likely notice the calmness that takes over your entire being - that means you are drawing from the artistic side of your brain - the right side.

Tip: As with most exercises, if you're intimidated by a picture, try placing paper over the picture and just reveal one portion at a time. You'll only need to do this once or twice. When your confidence builds, you won't even notice the whole picture, you will only be seeing the lines you are copying.

That's the purpose of the upside down drawing exercise - to develop your ability to see only lines and shapes and their relation to each other.

You are not meant to recognize what the drawing is about. At all costs, avoid naming objects and your drawing skills will improve.

Copy the drawing just as you see it and don't be tempted to turn it the right side up at any time throughout the exercise. You can start anywhere on your page that you feel comfortable with.

It is fine if you wish to erase. Sometimes our judgment is a little bit out - I know my hand has a mind of its own and it draws a line that I don't agree with!

Practice upside down drawing by copying images from any art books that you have. Most of all, have fun!

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