Part 2 ➤ Now You Are Ready to Draw 70 Where to Start—Location, Location, Location Basically, you start with a spot and a shape—of negative space. Perhaps we can call this a “spot of space,” a basic shape that you can see, from which you can proceed to the next. We will base our “seeing” of the negative space on this first “spot of space.” Remember that it is a “spot of space” somewhere in or around the chair. 1. Hold the viewfinder frame very still and frame the chair in the window. Rearrange the chair if necessary to see it at an interest- ing angle. See the relative angles of the seat, the back, and the legs. 2. Try to pick a spot of space somewhere inside your chair to start, and really see it. Maybe it is the space between the rungs on the ladder, or between the slats of the back of a rocking chair. Close one eye and “see” that spot until it becomes more real than the chair. You will know when this has happened because it will pop forward as a spot of space while the chair itself will fade or recede. 3. Now see where that spot is relative to the grid lines on your viewfinder frame. You can also look at the spot through your plastic picture plane to isolate just where it is relative to the grid. If you choose, you can draw your spot on the plastic first and then transfer it to the paper after you see how it works. Or, you can do your “seeing” through the grid on the plastic and draw the negative spots of space on your paper; it will be a little easier to see where the spots of space are on the plastic grid. Draw the spaces between your chair and the edges of the frame and all the spaces within the chair itself—a study in relativity. You’ll see. Back to the Drawing Board Drawing in, and being sensitive to, a format such as negative space is a common problem in beginning drawings. The concen- tration and focus are on the ob- ject and the background is filled in later. But this method often results in the image being poorly placed on the page. No consid- eration is given to the siting of the object on the page, and the negative space around the object is not part of the arrangement. Usually, it’s not considered at all! 71 Chapter 6 ➤ Negative Space as a Positive Tool 4. Either way, use the grid on your paper to draw the first spot of space on the paper. 5. Think relatively and relationally. Try to see where your spot is relative to the marks on the frame, the grid on the plastic, and the light lines on the paper. Draw the Holes, not the Thing Check your spot of space shape and the lines that make it, the angle, whether they curve or not, which way, and how far. Check again against the frame. Even if your drawing is larger than the frame, the two are in proportion, so all the relative positions will be the same. Now, stay focused on the space. As for the chair … forget about it! Keep one eye closed and find your next spot of space. Find the shape of that spot by seeing it relative to your grid marks. Draw the holes, not the thing. Here are some things to consider as you draw the negative space: ➤ Try to not think about the chair itself. Think about compar- ing the shapes of the negative space and the edges of those shapes. Are the lines horizontal or vertical? If they aren’t, try to see the angle relative to horizontal or vertical and draw what you see. ➤ Gauge any shape—its lines and angles, curves, or lengths—by seeing it relative to the horizontals, verticals, and diagonals. Begin to see new shapes of negative space relative to the ones you have already drawn. ➤ Draw each new space shape as you can see it. Work carefully, checking each new shape, and remember that they are all in relation to each other. Holding the viewfinder very still, frame the chair within it so that there is an interesting angle. Try Your Hand If you are confused, you can take a moment and look again through the plastic picture plane. You can draw the shape of the space there and then transfer it to paper. If you can see where it is on the plastic, draw the shape of that spot of space on your drawing. Part 2 ➤ Now You Are Ready to Draw 72 ➤ Don’t think about the chair at all. ➤ If you talk to yourself while drawing, talk to yourself about the relationship between lines and shapes of negative space. Otherwise, don’t talk at all. Enjoy the process of real visual thinking, just seeing and drawing shapes of negative space that you have never seen before. See the Object Through the Space Around It As you draw more and more of the negative space shapes, it will be eas- ier and easier to fit in the remaining ones. The spaces around your chair will be defining the chair itself! When you have drawn all the negative spaces on your drawing, check each one in turn against the chair itself. Make small corrections to the shapes of the negative spaces as you see them. You can lightly shade the negative space shapes as you refine them, if you’d like. Your chair will take turns with the space around it; one will appear positive and the other negative, then they will flip. When you are finished, your drawing will be a very different record of seeing. The chair will come out of the space you have drawn around it. Back to the Drawing Board If you get confused or have a problem, remember to see the shape relative to the guides—the marks on the frame, the grid on the plastic, the grid on your drawing, and the parts of your drawing that you are sure of. Here are some drawings done by Lauren and two students, concentrating on negative space rather than on the object itself. Each negative space drawing is another chance to really see rather than think your way through a drawing. By concentrating on the negative space shapes, you can see relation- ships that will make drawing difficult things easier. Practice in considering negative space will steadily improve your ability to select an image, arrange an interesting composition, place it well on the page, and draw! 73 Chapter 6 ➤ Negative Space as a Positive Tool Getting Negative Next, try this exercise with a complicated kitchen gadget like an eggbeater or a handheld can opener. Try a pair of glasses on a table. Try a bicycle for a real challenge. The important thing is to concentrate on the negative space rather than the object itself. As you can see, drawing the negative space can make a difficult drawing easy, particularly when it comes to foreshortening or complicated shapes, because you can focus on the space to tell you, visually, about the shapes it surrounds. And the more you work on negative space drawings, the more you’ll develop a heightened perception of negative space, which will tremendously improve your composition skills as you do more complicated composi- tions. In Part 3, “Starting Out: Learning You Can See and Draw,” we will look at setting up a place to work, artists’ studios, and exactly how to get started with the simple compositions—the seeing, selecting, placing, and drawing. Part 2 ➤ Now You Are Ready to Draw Your Sketchbook Page Try your hand at practicing the exercises you’ve learned in this chapter. 75 Chapter 6 ➤ Negative Space as a Positive Tool The Least You Need to Know ➤ Our memory of things—the left side of the brain at work—can actually inhibit our ability to see what is really there. ➤ The logical left side does not remember or understand negative space too well, so it’s up to the visual, relational right side to step in and see more clearly. ➤ Negative space is the area around any object or objects that share edges. ➤ Negative space can make a difficult drawing easy, particularly foreshortening or complicated shapes, because we can focus on the space to tell us, visually, about the shapes it surrounds. ➤ A heightened perception of negative space will tremendously improve composition in more complicated compositions. Part 3 Starting Out: Learning You Can See and Draw How do artists choose what to draw and what to draw it with? How do you begin to arrange ob- jects in a composition? What makes a good composition? How do you learn to draw the form or volume into some- thing? And what about all those important details you have to draw? In this part, we’ll answer all of your questions. We’ll start with simple contour drawings of objects and then move on to form, volume, light, and shadow in more complicated still lifes, exploring why artists throughout the ages just love those fruits and veggies. Then, we’ll look at a few new materials, as well as details, details, and more details—and how to balance them for a finished drawing that will really please you. . choose what to draw and what to draw it with? How do you begin to arrange ob- jects in a composition? What makes a good composition? How do you learn to draw the form or volume into some- thing?. of the space you have drawn around it. Back to the Drawing Board If you get confused or have a problem, remember to see the shape relative to the guides—the marks on the frame, the grid on the. a Positive Tool 4. Either way, use the grid on your paper to draw the first spot of space on the paper. 5. Think relatively and relationally. Try to see where your spot is relative to the marks