{"id":87,"date":"2017-10-31T16:14:44","date_gmt":"2017-10-31T16:14:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/?p=87"},"modified":"2017-10-31T16:23:20","modified_gmt":"2017-10-31T16:23:20","slug":"five-tips-for-teaching-your-child-or-yourself-how-to-draw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/2017\/10\/31\/five-tips-for-teaching-your-child-or-yourself-how-to-draw\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Tips for Teaching Your Child (or Yourself) How to Draw"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><b>By James Pence<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_88\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-88\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-88\" src=\"https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/ian-williams-238621-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/ian-williams-238621-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/ian-williams-238621-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/ian-williams-238621-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-88\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Ian Williams on Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Anyone can learn to how to draw.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">I usually get some raised eyebrows when I make that statement. Skeptical parents shake their heads and say, \u201cNot me. I can&#8217;t even draw a straight line.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201c<span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Neither can I,\u201d I respond. \u201cWhen I want to draw a straight line, I use a ruler.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Then I repeat. \u201cAnyone can learn how to draw.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Drawing is a learned skill. I didn&#8217;t say that anyone can be a great artist. That requires not only skill, but talent. And talent cannot be taught.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">The skill of drawing, however, can be taught, and it\u2019s easier than you might think. The trick is in training the student to draw what she sees, not what she thinks should be there.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Here are five exercises to help you teach your children how to draw what they see. Think of these as artistic \u201ccalisthenics,\u201d exercises for the hand, eye, and brain.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>1. Draw an object without looking at your paper.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">This is called <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>blind contour drawing<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">. As the students practice drawing the contour (outline) of an object without looking at the paper, a slow transformation takes place. Their initial efforts will predictably look like scribbles, but over time their blind drawings begin to improve. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">To do a blind contour drawing, follow these steps:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Place the drawing paper off to your right side rather than in front of you. A sketchbook or tablet will work best here, as it will be less likely to slide around.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Position a simple household object (e.g. a coffee mug) in front and to your left. This makes it necessary to turn your head away from the paper.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Place your pencil on the paper, and do not remove it until the drawing is finished.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Focus your eyes on a single point on the object, and then slowly trace the outline of the object with your eyes.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">As your eyes follow the outside edge (contour) of the object, move your pencil in the same direction. Imagine that your hand and your eyes are connected, so that what your eyes see, your hand draws.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Do not lift your pencil or look at your paper until you have<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<figure id=\"attachment_90\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-90\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-90\" src=\"https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/jelleke-vanooteghem-400044-300x204.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/jelleke-vanooteghem-400044-300x204.jpg 300w, https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/jelleke-vanooteghem-400044-768x522.jpg 768w, https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/jelleke-vanooteghem-400044-1024x696.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-90\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Jelleke Vanooteghem on Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">completely traced the outline of the object. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>2. Do a modified contour drawing.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">After you have practiced blind contour drawing and become comfortable with the process, it&#8217;s time to move to the next step: modified contour drawing.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">This exercise is similar to the first, except that you are allowed to glance back and forth briefly between the paper and the object. You should still spend about 95 percent of your time looking at the object you are drawing, but you are allowed to glance at your paper long enough to make sure your hand and pencil are not drifting off course. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">These two drills can be frustrating at first, but they are extremely powerful. They teach students to slow down and observe. Another exercise that is helpful for learning observation is <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>upside down drawing<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>3. Turn a photograph or line drawing upside down and copy it. <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">When I\u2019m doing this exercise with students, I usually prefer to have them start by working from a line drawing of a familiar object. You can find plenty of line drawings online as clip art or in coloring books. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Choose a relatively simple image, and copy the drawing right-side-up. After you have finished, invert the image, and copy it a second time. Focus on drawing the outline or the contour of the image. Don&#8217;t think \u201cdog\u201d or \u201ccat\u201d or whatever object you are drawing. Instead, focus only on the lines. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>4. Draw <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i><b>negative space<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Another powerful drawing calisthenic is <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>negative space drawing<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">. Instead of drawing the object itself, the artist observes and draws the space in and around the object. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">I discovered negative space drawing when I was a boy. I was infatuated with Superman and wanted desperately to draw the famous letter \u201cS\u201d that was emblazoned on Superman&#8217;s chest. But no matter how hard I tried, it never came out looking right. Then one day I noticed that because the letter S was enclosed in a diamond-shaped shield, the background was made up of several distinct shapes. I decided to draw the shapes around the S rather than the letter itself. I discovered that by when I drew the shapes accurately, I also drew Superman&#8217;s &#8220;S&#8221; shield accurately. That&#8217;s negative space drawing in a nutshell.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">To get started on negative space drawing, try copying the letter D in the image below. But rather than trying to draw the letter, focus on the orange shapes that surround the letter, and draw those. As with the previous exercise, don&#8217;t think about drawing a letter. Think, rather, about copying a shape. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>5. Draw with a grid.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Our last drawing exercise is <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>grid drawing<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">. To do this, you lay a grid over an image you want to draw, and lightly draw a grid of the same proportions onto your paper. If you don\u2019t want to draw the grid directly on your source, draw it on a piece of clear acetate or a page protector. Another alternative would be to add a grid directly to the image with a photo editor.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">After you have drawn your grids, copy the source photo, square by square. By focusing on a single square rather than the entire image, you will apply the same skills you learned in the previous exercises. You will merely be drawing shapes and lines. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_89\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-89\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-89\" src=\"https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/jean-pierre-brungs-39981-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/jean-pierre-brungs-39981-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/jean-pierre-brungs-39981-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/jean-pierre-brungs-39981-1024x576.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-89\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Jean-Pierre Brungs on Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Here is a picture of my dog Skeeter with a grid superimposed. Draw a grid with the same number of vertical and horizontal squares, and copy it square by square. As with the other exercises, you may be surprised at how well you do.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Drawing is a learned skill, and anyone can learn how to do it. All you have to do is train your brain, eyes, and hands to work together. Once you do, you will be able to draw what you see, and draw it accurately.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>James H. (Jim) Pence is a man of many talents. He is a former homeschooling dad, a published author, an accomplished singer and speaker, a performance chalk artist, and in his spare time he teaches karate, writing, and art to homeschooled children. You can learn more about Jim at his website: <\/i><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.jamespence.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i><u>jamespence.com<\/u><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>. James also represents and blogs for <a href=\"file:\/\/\/C:%5CUsers%5Cjedod%5CDocuments%5Cwww%20.seethelightshine.com\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i><u>See the Light<\/u><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Times New Roman,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Copyright, 2015. Used with permission. All rights reserved by author. Originally appeared in The Old Schoolhouse<\/span><\/span><sup><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u00ae<\/span><\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> Magazine, the family education magazine, Summer 2015. Read the magazine free at <\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tosmagazine.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><u>www.TOSMagazine.com<\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> or read it on the go and download the free apps at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tosapps.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana,serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><u>www.TOSApps.com<\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> to read the magazine on your mobile devices.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By James Pence Anyone can learn to how to draw. I usually get some raised eyebrows when I make that<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":90,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[18,19,17,7,32],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91,"href":"https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87\/revisions\/91"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/match-inc.org\/samplenewsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}