25 Days to Better Drawings: Positive and Negative Space

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This course features:
10 Hours of Instruction
25 Videos
24 eBooks
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Lesson Description

Learn how to recognize positive and negative space (shapes) to ensure greater accuracy in your drawings.

Lesson Materials

Graphite drawing pencil and white drawing paper.

Lesson Resources

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Reference Image

Course Curriculum

Lesson 1: Materials and Mindset (10:07)Lesson 2: Drawing with Lines (25:29)Lesson 3: Drawing Ellipses (18:26)Lesson 4: Drawing with Shapes (15:56)Lesson 5: Line Quality (13:10)Lesson 6: Cross Contour Lines (11:32)Lesson 7: Shading with Line (38:49)Lesson 8: Value (10:52)Lesson 9: Light and Shadow (11:58)Lesson 10: Drawing Basic Forms (17:25)Lesson 11: Drawing with Forms (21:12)Lesson 12: Texture Study #1 (28:54)Lesson 13: Texture Study #2 (49:20)Lesson 14: Texture Study #3 (17:31)Lesson 15: The Illusion of Space (16:33)Lesson 16: One Point Perspective (46:39)Lesson 17: Two Point Perspective (48:35)Lesson 18: Three Point Perspective (54:30) Lesson 19: Sighting, Measuring, and Mapping (10:02)Lesson 20: Positive and Negative Space (8:13)Lesson 21: The Grid Technique (11:07)Lesson 22: Basic Facial Proportions (41:52)Lesson 23: Figure Drawing (1:03:53)Lesson 24: Drawing in Reverse (16:29)Lesson 25: Conclusion / Final Exercise (3:56)

Lesson Discussion

  1. I found this lesson helpful for seeing shape. I can see how this technique would also help with “drawing” the shapes with a paintbrush for underpainting. Thanks.

  2. I was skeptical, but this technique does help me. I think it works because my brain does not try to help understand the negative shapes as it does with the positive ones. Also nice reference for this exercise, i like the result, it’s artsy :).

  4. You have chosen a fab photo as the reference! This is a great way too for getting a drawing in the correct proportions! I saw both the vase & the heads has this any relation to what side of the brain we use ?
    Jan

  5. When I was a small child, my grandmother would save all of the pictogram puzzles from her crossword puzzle books for me. It’s basically the same thing, only the squares are in order instead of all jumbled up!

  7. I don’t understand why the exercise started off with a fairly complicated drawing for the exercise. I needed something simpler to build my confidence. This discouraged me.

    • Hi Beth,

      This subject is moderately challenging. But every exercise should be challenging so that you grow. Learning to draw isn’t easy but it’s possible for anyone and frustration is part of it. This is just one concept of many to build and learn from. This exercise is not about the final result. It’s about understanding the concept. If we just did easy things, we’d never grow.

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