Lab Two was to try Blind Contour Drawing. You have a reference image, in this case, giraffes. You don’t look at what you’re drawing, but use your eyes to follow the line of the giraffe in the reference image. I loved doing this. I concentrated on the outline of the giraffe and didn’t worry about the interior.
The boys struggled a bit more with this lab than the cats in bed. Abe, who is eight, kept looking at my drawings and saying, “You draw all day. That’s why yours are so good.” I let him know that there is no good or bad in drawing, it just is. And as with anything, the more you do it, the more comfortable you are with your results.
Eli, who is five, really tried to follow the instructions. Because of his age or because he just recently started to draw, I let him move on from the assigned task and just draw the giraffes he wanted to draw, smiley faces included.
The order below is Abe, then Eli, then me.
My friend, Angie, is having a link-up for the book, Drawing Lab on her blog. She’s going to attempt weekly labs with the three generations of her family and is inviting anyone else to draw along. Stop by to post your link with her lab or just take a look at all the participant’s drawings.
Hahaha! We did use the same reference giraffe. I LOVED this assignment. I felt so good doing it. It was strangely liberating after spending all day working under strict guidelines. I love Abe’s giraffes. They are clearly giraffes and they don’t look like “kid” art. Impressive! Kate had similar issues as Eli. I assume it’s a developmental thing. I love his smily faces. Kate’s had hearts for spots! Interesting how we used the same reference, but our interpretations were so different. I went painfully slow and yours were quick and fluid. I love them both! Thanks for playing! Next week: Scout!
I LOVE your drawings. There’s a flow and beauty to your lines that I adore (and envy!)