Upside-Down Drawing
Your Mission: To draw an upside-down portrait. Draw your own version of the portrait, also upside. Don't take too long; give yourself 15 minutes or less.
When you're done, turn the original portrait right- side up. Get another sheet of paper and try to draw it again, this time, right-side up. Spend exactly the same amount of time as you did the first one.
When you're done, compare the two drawings. Chances are, the first draw turned out noticeably better. But why? Because she the portrait was upside down, and you were drawing upside down right along with it, it was harder for you to identify and categorize each part of the portrait, and thus your right hemisphere had an easier time taking over. When you drew the picture right-side up, your brain kept categorizing everything you were seeing. Suddenly, for example, you weren't drawing a series of simply curves-- you were drawing a nose, and drawing a nose is hard. By avoiding your left brain's assumptions about how things should look, you were able to draw better.
When you're done, turn the original portrait right- side up. Get another sheet of paper and try to draw it again, this time, right-side up. Spend exactly the same amount of time as you did the first one.
When you're done, compare the two drawings. Chances are, the first draw turned out noticeably better. But why? Because she the portrait was upside down, and you were drawing upside down right along with it, it was harder for you to identify and categorize each part of the portrait, and thus your right hemisphere had an easier time taking over. When you drew the picture right-side up, your brain kept categorizing everything you were seeing. Suddenly, for example, you weren't drawing a series of simply curves-- you were drawing a nose, and drawing a nose is hard. By avoiding your left brain's assumptions about how things should look, you were able to draw better.