Drawing on the
Right Side of the
Brain is an interesting
book by
Betty Edwards.
She claims that her
method will allow anyone with average
eyesight
and hand-eye-
coordination to learn how to
draw well.
She even includes some before-and-after
drawings by her students (showing supernatural improvement)
to prove her point.
I personally find the hard-sell
a
little distasteful but if you
can get past that she does have something worthwhile to say.
Edwards basic premise arises from the different aptitudes
of the left and right
hemispheres of the brain and there is sound scientific research
to support her.
For example, we know that the left hand side of the brain is associated with
verbal reasoning, logical thought, the ability to abstract etc.
whereas the right hand side is more nonverbal, intuitive, spatial.
Edwards argues that the right brain way of thinking is helpful for drawing
and she includes exercises to train the reader
to enter right brain mode.
This book often seems to appeal to technical people who like the scientific
background but I would recommend it to anyone. Even if you already have
some artistic ability you'll find the book useful and thought-provoking.
The book itself is quite aesthetically pleasing. It has wide margins
containing supplements to the text,
such as drawings, cartoons, and quotations. A nice object.