Wednesday 14 September 2011

Right side, left side. Brain balance

This week I've started an art class.  Now I have to alert you to the significance of this by confessing my ineptness in art lessons at school.  And to make up my lack of a third A level I was forced into Arts and Craft lessons in my sixth form.  The result was to put me off any attempts at art again until my forties.

So I have to admit to trying before, but with few dents to my belief that I can't draw.  Now I'm taking a four week course on Drawing with the Right Side of the Brain.  Based on Betty Edwards work with non- artistic people it tries to fool the logical side of the brain into letting go of its need to label things.

Yesterday therefore we sat and copied a line drawing of Stravinsky the composer.  But the drawing was upside down.  Which tricks the logical left side into seeing it as merely lines not a picture it recognises.  This worked until we reached part of the drawing which even upside down we could recognise as hands.  Then we went wrong.  And with the face.  Apart from that we were pretty good.

The reason I'm mentioning it though is because the tutor said that doing this kind of drawing, had other beneficial results on the brain, stimulating imagination and visual capacity.

I'll let you know.

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