Mas Subramanian and his team at Oregon State University weren’t looking to create colors; they were just mixing chemicals together to see what they could produce. They were aiming for something with an electronics application. Instead, they got YInMn Blue—a new and vibrant blue pigment…. Click HERE to read the article.
“Artists have the job of concentrating experience, not just letting everything rush past, but summing things up contemplatively.”–Katharina Fritsch
An artwork to contemplate: "Gehirn (Brain)", by German artist Katharina Fritsch, in the collection of the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.
The question is not what you look at...
Photo of the great chef at work in his art studio, from his website: The Artistry of Jacques Pepin
The Artistry of a Great Chef: Jacques Pépin
Renowned French chef Jacques Pépin compares the art of cooking with the art of painting in this delightful essay. CLICK HERE for "Jacques Pepin on Cooking and Painting"
He is careful to make the distinction between his superb skills as a chef, honed over a lifetime, and his deep interest in painting, which he practices more as a hobby than as a profession.
This is not to say that his paintings are not wonderful—they are. But it is heartwarming that Jacques Pépin is so forthcoming about the difference between his true artistry with food and his abiding involvement with painting as a side-interest.
This distinction is important and it is one that I have tried to make clear in my own work ever since my first book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, was published in 1979. I have stated over and over that the drawings our students produce as a result of learning to draw are not to be viewed as Art—that is, art with a capital "A." They are skillful drawings, which is a wonderful first step on the long journey toward true artistry. Again, that is not to say that our students’ final self-portraits and other drawings are not impressive and delightful—they are. More important, they provide evidence of a firm foundation for future progress towards the goal of true artistry, if the students so desire.
Better Aging Through Practice, Practice, Practice..of Drawing!
What to do about growing old? In this article in the New York Times, the author Gerald Marzorati suggests that one way to offset the feeling of growing old is to “Find something—something new, something difficult—to immerse yourself in and improve at.” The author cites growing evidence that learning and practicing a complicated skill can improve brain functions, especially memory. Mr. Marzorati chooses tennis as his “skill to be learned, practiced, and improved.”
I would like to offer an alternative—learning to draw—for those of us who are not inclined to learn and practice an arduous and physical skill such as tennis…not that learning to draw isn’t arduous! It is. Because no exceptional physical strength or stamina is required, drawing can be continuously learned and practiced into great age, something that is not true of playing tennis.
Drawing fits Mr. Marzorati’s recommendation for those who are aging to find a skill that can be endlessly learned and improved upon, no matter the age. I can attest to that in my own work, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain®. Since 1979, I have published four editions of my book, each time trying to improve upon and express my new learning about drawing and my continuing search for the best methods to teach those basic skills. I truly believe that I can never completely get to the bottom of it. It is an endless search. And, I should say, there is great pleasure, joy, and satisfaction in continuing to learn.
The great Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) put it this way:
“I have drawn things since I was 6. All that I made before the age of 65 is not worth counting. At 73, I began to understand the true construction of animals, plants, trees, birds, fishes, and insects. Consequently, when I am eighty, I’ll have made more progress. At 90, I will enter in the secret of things. At 100, I shall have reached something marvelous, but when I am 110, everything—every dot, every dash—will be alive. I am writing this in my old age. I used to call myself Hokusai, but today I sign myself ‘The Old Man Mad About Drawing.’”
~ Betty Edwards, May 6, 2016
The Power of a Sketchbook
You will see and remember things so much more if you sketch them, rather than just take selfies or quick photos with your phone! Click here to read how one of the greatest museums in the world, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, encourages its patrons to sketch! Bring Your Sketchpad & Pencil To The Museum!
Most museums allow this, but take your sketchbook everywhere with you. You never know when you might see something beautiful, unusual, or memorable!
What's Lost As Handwriting Fades
Beautiful handwriting has almost disappeared from America due to many factors, including the overwhelming growth of digital tools that makes legible handwriting almost unnecessary. And American schools have nearly eradicated training in cursive handwriting. But, as this article points out, something important is being lost. What's Lost As Handwriting Fades?
~ Betty
At What Age Can You Teach A Child The DRSB Method?
A reader in Canada sent me an email, asking if we had lessons to help her teach her 7-year-old son to draw “using his right brain.” Others have asked that question, too, so I am posting my reply in case it applies to other parents who are reading our blog.
Thank you for your email telling me of your interest in teaching your 7-year-old to draw. Unless your child is precocious in drawing, age 7 is a bit too young for the lessons contained in my book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.
The sign of readiness in young children for more formal lessons is an interest in depicting 3-dimensional space: e.g., 3-dimensional figures, paths going back in space, size change of close and far objects, first attempts at foreshortening, etc. These signs of readiness usually show up in children’s drawings at around ages 8 or 9.
In the meantime, you can help prepare your child for learning to draw by drawing his/her attention to negative spaces, the shapes of shadows, apparent size changes of near and far objects, etc., and by viewing and talking about artworks in books. Better yet, visit museums and point out how an artist uses negative spaces, shadows and lights, size relationships, etc. Still more effective is drawing together with your child: an image of a favorite toy, for example.
I hope this is helpful. Your child is lucky to have a parent so interested in developing perceptual skills!
Betty Edwards
What We Do (And Don't) Know About Left-Handedness
Being left-handed has come a long way. These days it's even considered the sign of a creative mind. Yet so many questions about left-handedness remain unanswered, from its causes to the meaning of its relationship with autism and Tourette's syndrome. … click here to read further: What We Do (And Don't) Know About Left-Handedness
Drawing Without Symbols On the Right Side of the Brain
This article from about a decade ago (Winter 2007) was published in American Artist magazine. It's worth another look!
Will our left brain ever be able to understand how the right brain works?
“The universal reaction to Atlas, the newly upgraded next-generation humanoid robot from Boston Dynamics (a company owned by Alphabet), was lots of empathy. Unmindful of being punched, pushed and teased, it focused on finishing tasks in ademo video. People who watched the video responded with comments like ‘stop bullying’ and ‘say no to bullying.’ It was clearly evident that we are on the verge of creating machines that can look and act like us in a physical sense, as well as take over repetitious manual labor — to the delight of monotony-hating, fun-loving humans. However, providing these machines with the human traits of emotion and empathy is a missing piece of the puzzle that continues to baffle AI researchers.”
Read more in this interesting article: In Pursuit of Empathetic Machines
Negative Space in Calligraphy
This 11 minute video is a wonderful illustration of negative space, created by Peter Fraterdeus. You might be interested in his Website: http://www.fraterdeus.com/zen
Peter has taught seminars on calligraphy, type, and printing, in Berlin, Venice, Barcelona, Chicago, Two Rivers, and elsewhere. He is a calligrapher, typographer, photographer, fine-printer, and life-long student of consciousness and symbolic communication forms.
9 Things That Happen When You Carry A Sketchbook With You Nonstop
You might find this article interesting: 9 Things That Happen When You Carry A Sketchbook With You Nonstop!
However, I offer one piece of advice: I’d suggest that you carry a smaller sketchbook than the one shown in the photo, say 4” x 6” in size. Pocket Sketching Notebooks
It will easily fit into a pocket or purse and will attract less notice from onlookers, who often ask to see what you are drawing. That is, unless you want to make some new friends! There is nothing that beats someone drawing to attract an audience.
~ Betty Edwards, 2/24/2016
The Divided Brain / Iain McGilchrist
According to a ground-breaking book by Iain McGilchrist, a psychiatrist who now resides on the Isle of Skye, it might be that the whole of Western culture has neglected half of our brains. McGilchrist argues that the distinctions between the two halves of our brain, though often misunderstood, offer profound insights into why the world is the way it is. In his book The Master and his Emissary, he surveys the medical and psychiatric evidence to present a persuasive case that the fact that our brains have two hemispheres not only shapes how we perceive the world, but is actually a defining factor in our culture.
I want to share this wonderful video with you!
Betty Edwards in 1977: The Art of Putting the Brain to Work
The first major public recognition of the "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain"
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