The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain - Betty Edwards [68]
Why does this skill seem so difficult? First, it is a two-part skill. The first part is sighting angles relative to vertical and horizontal, and the second part is sighting proportions relative to each other. In addition, the skill requires that one deal with ratios and comparisons that seem quite “left-brained.” And, finally, it requires that one confronts and deals with paradoxes. For example, we can know that a ceiling is flat and the corner is a right angle. But on the picture plane, the edges of the ceiling are not horizontal and the corner angles are not right angles at all. They are oblique angles. As you can imagine, we’ll have to carefully outmaneuver your L-mode, which will soon be saying, “This doesn’t make sense!” Or, “This is too complicated! I’ll never get it!” Or, “This stuff is stupid!”
On my word, learning how to sight relationships is not boring; it is powerful—it unlocks space. I agree, the skill is complicated, but you’ve learned other complicated things before this—how to read and write, for example. And sighting is definitely not stupid; it is intellectually fascinating—witness the many great thinkers of the Renaissance who grappled with the problem of how to depict space on a flat surface.
Once L-mode complaints are set aside, I believe you will actually enjoy learning this skill. I’m sure you can see the connection between learning to see and draw what is right there in front of your eyes and learning to be a more “clear-sighted” person, able to deal with contradictory information and the many paradoxes of our world. Be prepared for all of the objections. Your L-mode will have a field day, but stay with me! I’ll try to be as clear as possible.
Demonstration drawing by Grace Kennedy.
Demonstration drawing by the author.
Fig. 8-1. Roll up a tube of paper and check the relationship of sizes of a nearby object (someone’s head, for example) and a similar object farther away. You will be surprised at the apparent change in size.
Fig. 8-2. Laurie Kuroyama. Notice the great change in head size from near to far.
Fig. 8-3.
On dealing with the two-part skill of sighting angles and proportions
The term sighting really means seeing, but seeing in the artist’s special way—seeing relationships on the picture plane (See Figures 8-1 and 8-2). All of sighting is comparison: What is this angle compared to vertical? How big is the apple compared to the melon? How wide is the table compared to its length? All comparisons are made relative to constants: Angles are compared to the constants vertical and horizontal. Sizes (proportions) are also compared to a constant—our Basic Unit.
On dealing with ratios: The root of the word “relationship” is ratio. In mathematics, ratios are expressed as numbers—1:2 means one of this to two of that. Ratios seem like a left-brained concept because they are strongly connected in our minds with mathematics. But we use ratios in many ordinary activities. In cooking, for example, candy is one part liquid to two parts sugar—that is, 1:2. In map reading, city X is three times as far as city Y—the ratio is 3:1. In drawing, ratios become handy tags to assess proportional relationships among the parts of a composition. The artist chooses something to be “One,” our Basic Unit, and that unit is rationalized or proportionalized with all other parts.
To illustrate, the width of a window can be called “One,” the Basic Unit. In comparison, let’s say that the window is twice as long as it is wide. The ratio is 1:2. The artist draws the width, calls it “One,” measures it as “One” and then measures off two Basic Units, counting “One to one, two.” The ratio is 1:2. It’s an easy way to tag and remember a proportion long enough to transfer it into your drawing.
On dealing with paradox: Seen flattened on the plane, a table may appear (by taking a sight) to be narrower than you know it to be (see Figure 8-3). The sighted ratio might be 1:8, for example. You must learn to “swallow” this visual paradox and draw what