Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

1. Please get out your gold assignment log and then put everything else on the back counter. All you need is a pencil.

2. Drawing on the Right Side ofthe Brain

3. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain • In 1961, Neurosurgeon Roger Sperry won the Noble Prize for his proof of the “Split Brain” Theory. • The brain is divided into two hemispheres. • The right hemisphere is the center for creativity and imaginative functions. • The left hemisphere controls logic and planning.

4. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain • Neurosurgeon Roger Sperry discovered the corpus callosum. The Corpus Callosum is a structure (a thick nerve cable) deep in the brain that connects the right and left hemispheres of the brain, coordinating the functions and communication between of the two hemispheres.

5. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain The following exercise will help you understand how the Corpus Callosum communicates information from the right and left hemispheres. • In your mind, imagine the form (shape) of a cow • Now fill the cow form with the color purple • Also, give the cow yellow stripes • Plus the cow is riding a bike The left hemisphere understands the language and the right hemisphere understands the visuals. Together the corpus callosum allows the hemispheres to communicate with each other. • The left hemisphere sees c-o-w • The right hemisphere sees the visual.

6. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain This exercise will create conflict between the two hemispheres of the brains. “Please read the list of colors you see starting with the first color in the left upper corner!” The Corpus Callosum must work hard to transfer the information from the right to left hemisphere in order to be correct.

7. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain • Whole brain thinking uses the right and left hemisphere of the brain. • Most people show a “Brain Bias” . • “Brain Bias” means that one side of the brain is more dominant and favored when completing tasks. • There is no difference in IQ in either right brain or left brain dominant people. • Whole brain thinking can be achieved by strengthening and developing the non-dominant side of the brain. The non-dominant side of the brain could be developed and stimulated through a series of brain exercises.

8. Drawing on the Right side of the Brain • In the 1980’s artist Betty Edwards published a book “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain”. • The idea for the book originated with the “split brain” research completed by American Neurosurgeon Rodger Sperry. • Betty Edwards wanted to teach people how to draw. • Learning to draw means learning to see things differently – to see in ways not frequently used in ordinary life. • Once learned, drawing can be used to record what you see either in reality or in the minds eye.

9. Drawing on the Right side of the Brain • Betty Edwards understood that drawing a perceived form is largely a right hemisphere function. • She created drawing exercises to teach us how to “turn off” our dominant left hemisphere, with its verbal, symbolic style of working, and to “turn on” our non-dominant right brain, with its spatial relational style, • The exercises allow the right hemisphere to “lead” with tasks that the left brain does not have the ability to do. • The benefit of learning to draw is getting to know your own brain and understanding how your two hemispheres compete and cooperate. • To be successful we must be aware of our childhood symbol system stored in out left hemisphere.

10. Drawing on the Right side of the Brain • The Childhood Symbol System is stored in the left hemisphere and prevents us from seeing things clearly enough to draw them. • From childhood we have learned to see things in terms of words: we name things and we know facts about them. • The dominant left verbal hemisphere doesn’t want too much information about things it perceives. • Drawing requires us to look at something for a long time, perceiving lots of details, registering as much information as possible – ideally everything. • Betty Edwards created exercises to turn off the left hemisphere and allow the right hemisphere to see and perceive things.

11. Drawing on the Right side of the Brain The Childhood Symbol System exercise Draw the first symbol that comes to mind with this list of words. • House • Tree • Car • Umbrella • Bird

12. Drawing on the Right side of the Brain The Childhood Symbol System exercise • House • Tree • Car • Umbrella • Bird Share your images with the other students in your class. Are you surprised how similar your symbols are? These are the left hemisphere symbols we need to block when we really want to learn how to see and perceive with our right hemisphere.

13. Drawing on the Right side of the Brain Right Brain Theory The Theory behind right brain exercises for artists is that the left brain easily gets bored and switches off, leaving the right brain ‘in charge’. This is not to imply that the right brain exercises are boring and dull, rather they may be something that feels ‘unnatural’ or that you can’t see the logic in doing. But try a right-brain exercise at least once, ideally twice; you may well be very surprised by the results.

14. Drawing on the Right side of the Brain Right Brain Drawing Objective The right brain exercises are about making marks on a sheet of paper that will track the way your eyes move across a subject, as if your eyes and hand were directly connected. The aim is make marks at the same kind of speed at which your eyes move , so as your eyes move up, down, across, so does your hand.

15. Drawing on the Right side of the Brain Drawing Exercise 1:Vases and Faces Step One If you are right handed - Draw a profile of a human face on the left side of your paper. If you are left handed- Draw a profile of a human face on the right side of your paper. Right Hand Example Left Hand Example

16. Drawing on the Right side of the Brain Drawing Exercise 1:Vases and faces Step Two Take your pencil and go over the lines, naming the parts as you go, like this: “Forehead…eye… nose… upper lip… lower lip… chin and neck.”

17. Drawing on the Right side of the Brain Drawing Exercise 1:Vases and Faces Step Three Go to the other side and start to draw the missing profile that will complete the symmetrical vase. As you draw the opposite profile mental conflict can occur between the L-mode and R-mode. The L-mode has difficulty when it is not able to label. Right Hand Example Left Hand Example

18. Drawing on the Right side of the Brain Drawing Exercise 2:Upside down drawing: Which of your drawings look more like the original? If you are like most people, the upside down version will look the best. Why is that? When the image is upside down the left hemisphere is not able to recoginize or label the parts of the drawing and allows the right hemisphere to draw what it sees. Using a pencil, in your sketchbook draw the upside down picture to the right. Label it “upside down.” When you are done, turn the picture right side up and draw it again. Label it “right side up.”

19. Drawing on the Right side of the Brain Drawing Exercise 2:Pure Blind Contour Drawing Tape down your paper so it does not shift around. Face all the way around to the opposite direction of your paper gazing at your non-drawing hand. Be sure to rest your hand on some support because you are going to be holding it for a while. You are going to be drawing your hand without ever glancing at your paper. In order to really get the full effect of pure or blind contour drawing it is important that you really focus and not talk. You want to draw only what you see and not what you think you know. Do not assume you know what your hand looks like. When turned away from your paper and looking at your hand, please notice each crevice and wrinkle of the hand. Remember a contour drawing is one continuous line. Place your pencil on your paper and continue to stare at your hand as you begin to draw. Match the movement of your eyes looking at you hand with the movement of your hand with your pencil on the paper.

20. Drawing on the Right side of the Brain A Pure Blind Contour Drawing allows us to bypass our Left Hemisphere Symbol System. Focusing on the edges of an object Perceiving edges of an object present the brain with a job that the verbal, analytic Left hemisphere will turn down. A pure blind contour drawing allows the right hemisphere to take charge.

21. Drawing on the Right side of the Brain Exercise 3: Negative-Space Drawing: When spaces take shape. In this exercise we will draw a subject using its negative space . This exercise will allow the right hemisphere to have total control. Take a object and create it by drawing all the negative shapes around and in it. Do not focus on the object only the negative spaces. The concept of ‘Negative Space’ and ‘Negative Space’ Drawing turns the left hemisphere off and shifts to the right hemisphere.