Figure Drawing Challenges Part 2

For the list of challenges see part one.

Ambidexterity

Developing the ability to draw with both of my hands was first on my challenge list because it allows me to be even more of a Leonardo Da Vinci fan girl. Da Vinci could draw forward with one hand while writing backwards with the other—talk about talent!

I dove in, taking a 20 minute figure drawing session to draw solely with my non-dominant left hand. As to be expected, drawing with my left hand is a slow and clumsy process, but what I didn’t expect was how good it felt.

It felt like an orgasm for the right side of my brain—a side that had been so underused. It was like discovering an ancient tomb in my mind that had been sealed for thousands of years, and suddenly thrusting it open, making way for a massive gust of energy to sweep away all cobwebs and dust it contained. This resulting perspective was fresh and clear.

Brandon did the challenge with me, and he had the same awakening experience. We agreed: It felt exhausting and awesome!

Use your left hand for drawing faces.

As I continued working with my left hand over the coming weeks, I realized that while my left hand was clumsy at anatomy and structure, it was phenomenal at drawing faces. It sounds strange to say: How could one hand be better at a skill than the other? Doesn’t it all come from the same brain?

This realization makes sense when taking into account how the right side of your brain controls the left side of your body, and vice versa. My left hand is better at drawing faces because the right side of my brain is better at recognizing faces.

I noticed that when I draw a face with my right hand, I tend to make assumptions. I cut corners making the end result look like a face, but not the model’s face.

But with my left hand, I see and feel so much more of the model’s features. I don’t just see eyes, but bright eyes, tired eyes, or wise eyes. It becomes a feeling process and a richer experience.

The Divided Sketchbook

Expanding on ambidexterity, here’s a cool idea I’ve had a lot of fun with: divide your sketchbook so you use your left hand on the left pages, and your right hand on the right pages.

Left page/ left hand:

Right page/ right hand:

Switching back-and-forth like this is like pressing a reset button: it makes even my normal right-handed drawings come out phenomenally better.

Conclusion: Use both hands.

Having pursued ambidexterity for a few months, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s best to work with the strengths of both.

The left hand is good to start things out. Laying the initial curved lines—the energy of the person and their movement.

The right hand is good for structure—the anatomy, and any details.

Then the left hand finishes it off with a beautiful face!