Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

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.

Contrary to what Geez might think, the concept of left brain vs. right brain has little to do with motor skills -- at least when talking about thought process. The book tries to push all symbology and logic, a left hemisphere function, out of the drawing process.

What people don't realize is that while their brain is developing, when you're a small child, you are already starting to associate objects with symbols, long before observation kicks in. If the learning-to-draw process is interrupted in childhood (which it often is after First Grade), the existing symbology carries through to the adult stage of development. That is why many un-artistic adults still draw trees like lolipops, and houses like square with triangles on top. And so, even if an adult tries to draw something he sees, he's not really looking. That is because he's drawing an object (a symbol from the left side of the brain) as opposed to the form (right side)

Very good book! I've used it, and I enjoy it still.

I got this book out of the library and decided to give it a go. Not the supernatural improvement mentioned by Noether (possibly due to my half-hearted following of instructions) but quite an improvement all the same.

I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks that drawing is a special talent that only a few have. The book makes it quite clear that its a skill like any other. Once you've finished the exercises in the book you have all you really need to draw pencil sketches. As with any skill, once you learn it, practice makes perfect.