There is looking & There is seeing
Artist Jean Honoré Fragonard purposely created this painting as it is. He focused on her facial features and the intensity of the young lady as she was focused on something and pondering, just as her Artist was focusing on her.
The Artist Henry David Thoreau said, ”It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.
The FIRST and most important tool that we possess for drawing is our EYES. We can see things, but do we actually look at what we are seeing?
The SECOND is developing HAND-EYE COORDINATION helps us to be able to draw what we SEE. This takes time and practice. This is developed in the brain. ( go to …hand eye co-ordination article)
How does our brain come into play? Well we search for…. The lines, the light source, the shadows, the colour of the object and the shape.
Does it have sharp edges or soft edges? What is perspective ?
Why are objects smaller in the background?
Where is the reflection?
Is it a line or a contrast?…
Yes, there is more to Drawing then we thought.
When we are thinking about drawing we tend to talk about our tools. Our techniques our material and colours. This is just the physical act of drawing.
We want to take the time to observe our subject. Find the shapes, forms, shades of colour or lack of and subtleties that fascinate us.
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