Class Presentation

South Paw

Merritt College Art Dept 

Independent Study Spring 2017

Life Drawing, Sheila Metcalf-Tobin

South Paw

'The better you are with your right, the better you'll be with your left. But if you practice with your left, you may surprise yourself.'

Alice

In my experience the forms and shapes I create with my left hand, my non dominant hand, for the most part keep their integrity.  The foundation drawing experience with my right hand is the result of the practice of seeing, persistence and patience learning. When I change hands I take myself lightly, approach the drawing with less attachment. 

I started drawing with my left hand, when my right thumb knuckle began throbbing and became painful, making it more difficult to hold the medium I was drawing with.

Curiosity about materials, and exposure to other artists, reveal preferences in my practice. Allowing myself to be playful is also a benefit of drawing and writing with my left hand. 

Because I am a visual person and have drawing experience, I'm encouraged to keep working through the difficult transitions, and demands of the mind, the eyes and the hands. The occasional breakthroughs gives me a sense of accomplishment, connection.

Listening to music helps me. I read poetry & write, hike, take photos, garden & bicycle, too. 

Wake up with an intention for the day that fosters compassion.

Alice

"Singing is just doing interesting things to the air. Elongating it and twisting it into shapes.” 

— Tom Waits

"The Feat", Cid Corman

gleaned from reading:

THE UNDRESSED ART

why we draw

Peter Steinhart

Ch 3: Learning to Draw 

p. 49

You have to transfer what you have perceived in one area of the brain to the other areas of the brain where it is translated into line, and then to areas where motor neurons instruct the hand to draw that line segment on a page.

An artist is reprogramming the circuitry of the brain.

p. 50

Areas that have to do with the perception of spacial relationships are largely on the right side of the brain, while areas that have to do with naming things are largely in the left side.

The visual mind can only partly be measured by words.

p. 53

Because drawing simplifies what you see, you have to learn what is important and what can be left out. You learn, for example, that the pattern of light and dark, illumination and shadow, in the face will give more likeness than the individual lines, say, of lips or eyes, because our brains recognize familiar faces largely through patterns of light and dark.

p. 55

The harder thrush of the matter is that most drawings are failures and that almost all drawing is mostly practice. One draws especially to learn. You learn and you learn and you learn.

When you are drawing well, you are seeing something for the fist time. 

You are touching the world in an original way.

Photo Credit: Joanne Sterricker