The Upside-Down World

Unlike the Upside-Down world from Stranger Things this one isn't half as scary, in fact, it's a very helpful technique to use when you want to improve your drawing skills.

I discovered this very handy tip a couple of years ago, and every now and then I drag it out, dust it off and use it in my work. It's usually when I am struggling with proportions in a drawing, or I am feeling overwhelmed by a reference photograph and don't know where to start.

So why is this technique so useful?

We all have two sides to our brain a Left Side and a Right Side. The left side of the brain is your rational academic brain, this is the side that goes 'Oh draw a horse, Yer I know what one of them looks like' and it takes over and creates what it believes a horse looks like. However, your right side of the brain thinks in pattens and pictures and is your artistic side 'Oww look pretty shapes and Pattens, to follow'. So, by drawing upside down, you are essentially turning off your logical brain (the left side) as it can't cope with the upside-down image, and you are letting your right brain take over.

You can learn more and about this technique in Betty Edward's book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain: Amazon.co.uk: Betty Edwards: 9780007116454: Books. Or you can come and join me on Facebook on the 14th October 2022 at 7.30pm BST for a live drawing challenge where we will put this technique into practice. You'll be surprised at what you can create.

https://m.facebook.com/events/2103454553179246