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If we are to paint well we must be able to draw well because the drawing is the foundation of the painting.

The reason that we don't know how to draw is because we don't know what the things we are drawing look like. When we want to draw something, we draw symbols; symbols of trees, houses, chairs, clouds, grass, etc. I'm not just talking about the stick figures, or the lollipop trees you see in children's drawings; as we grow older our symbols become more complex, but they are still symbols. If you stop to think for a moment, you will know that this is true. For example, suppose you decide to draw a cloud. Picture the cloud you want to draw in your mind. Are you able to visualize a real cloud, or just a symbol of a cloud. Try to draw a cloud without looking at a cloud and the result might look like a symbol.

Of course, art is more than just accurately copying on paper what you see in front of you but, learning to draw what you see is part of learning how to create a good painting.

In life, we tend to perceive things in the same way that we do when we try to draw. We see symbols instead of what is really there. We see, men, women, white people, black people, the young and old, dogs, cats, rainy days, sunny days, holidays, work days, marriages, etc., instead of seeing the unique events and individuals they really are. We divide and categorize everything and everyone, and put them into labeled boxes. In other words, instead of seeing what really is, we interpret and judge our experience based upon what we believe it is, or should be. These expectations and beliefs are based upon our interpretations of past experiences- of ours and others as well. Example: It is raining and so it is going to be a dreary day.

When we look around without really seeing, then all we perceive is the past, our past interpretations of similiar people, events, places, and things. We perceive the present through the eyes of the past. The way to accurately perceive our experience in life is by silencing the internal dialogue, in which our mind is constantly telling us what to think about everything.-which is all based on past experiences. The same is true of drawing; we must silence what our mind is telling us about the images we want to draw.

If you don't know what something looks like, you cannot draw it. Learning to draw and paint is about learning to see what something looks like. The way to see is by silencing the internal dialogue. The way to silence the internal dialogue is by giving yourself something to draw that that your mind has no symbol for, can't identify, and can't talk about it.

If you look at a picture of a horse and attempt to draw it, your mind will say “this is a horse, and here is what a horse looks like” and, it will give you its symbol for a horse. Then, when you try to draw the horse, the image of the symbol gets in your way and blinds you from fully seeing the horse and accurately portraying it in your drawing. If you want to draw a horse, then you must not draw a horse but, instead draw lines, shadows, curves, and values.

If you want to capture the energy and life of your subject in a painting, then you must paint what is really there before you, not a lifeless symbol. In the same way, if you want your life experience to be sparkling and new, then you must be able to perceive the living now moment, unobscured by the dead past.

If you want to learn to see/draw the horse in a photo, turn the photo upside down, and then draw what you see, which is no longer a horse, but is something else, and you will be able to draw it more accurately.

If you practice drawing things upside down, this will trick your mind into thinking that the upside down objects are something new, and doing this will teach you how to truly see what you are drawing.

Another way to practice learning to see is by drawing the negative shapes and, their relationship to each other instead of drawing the actual subject. For example, instead of drawing the legs of a chair, draw the shapes of the spaces between them instead. You will be able to draw the object by drawing the negative shapes because the brain doesn't have symbols for these shapes.

Using a grid is another way to learn to see what you want to draw. You divide the picture into smaller squares, and then draw what you see in each square, and when you are finished you will have the complete picture :) Many artists have used grids to accurately copy what they are looking at.




NOTE: A good way to check your drawing's accuracy is to view its reflection in a mirror! This will show you right away where your mistakes are. It is like suddenly viewing an entirely new drawing and, the fresh view of it will show you what's right or wrong about it.


It's quite interesting to notice that when we perceive someone based on our past experiences, then what we are really seeing is ourselves mirrored upon the other; we see ourselves, and not the other person. And, not only do we not recognize our own reflections , but it is very easy for us to point out the flaws and mistakes in those reflections.


Love & Light, Rayne