Why your drawing looks distorted after a phone call

Hello, Artists!

Have you ever worked hard on a drawing, stepped away for a quick phone call, and returned to find your perfectly fine drawing severely distorted?

It's not a matter of your drawing skills. It's because your brain fell into a trap of "Fixation"—an illusion where your brain firmly believes, "I am drawing this correctly." When you step away or look at it in a mirror, the illusion temporarily breaks, and that's when you finally see the distortion.

However, you can't go to the restroom or break your workflow every time you want to check for mistakes. Fortunately, there is a way to break this illusion in real-time and view your form objectively while you are still drawing.

🧊 "The form I drew" vs. "The naturally formed space"

When we draw something on a canvas, we focus entirely on "the lines I am making" and "the form I am drawing."

But here is a crucial fact: The moment you draw a form, something you didn't intentionally draw is naturally created on the outside. This is called Negative Space.

The form you carefully drew is full of your intentions and your brain's illusions. That's why your brain keeps covering up your mistakes and lying to you.

However, the outside space that naturally formed was not drawn intentionally. It is simply a shape left behind by your lines. Because you didn't intentionally draw it, there is no room for your brain's illusions to interfere. This "naturally formed space" never lies.

Here is the exact sequence to observe this space and catch distortions in real-time.

1️⃣ Step 1: Draw a large bounding box

Don't dig straight into the details. When placing a subject on your canvas, first draw a simple rectangular box that tightly encloses the entire silhouette.

Here is a very important tip for drawing a stable box: When drawing a vertical line, don't look at the tip of the line you are drawing. Instead, simultaneously look at the 'left space' and 'right space' divided by that line. Do the same for horizontal lines, comparing the top and bottom spaces created by the line.

By looking at the 'space' the line divides rather than the line itself, you can create a highly stable bounding box with accurate proportions from the very start. This box will serve as an excellent framework for clearly seeing the shapes of the "naturally formed spaces."

2️⃣ Step 2: Compare with the "naturally formed shape"

Now you need to shift your gaze. Stop looking at the figure you are drawing. Instead, compare whether the 'shape of the empty space naturally created between the box's edges and the form' matches your reference.

The distortions you couldn't see when looking at your drawn form will instantly become visible the moment you look at the angles and areas of the empty space you didn't draw.

3️⃣ Step 3: Narrow the box and refine

If the large outside spaces match, gradually narrow the scope of your box. Shrink the box that enclosed the entire head down to just the facial features, and then further down to just around the nose and mouth.

Within this narrowed box, compare the "naturally formed gaps between the forms and lines" once again. By following this sequence—[Check full box space → Narrow the box → Check detailed space]—you can establish solid and accurate proportions with no room for your brain to create illusions.

✍️ How to view your drawing with a third party's eyes

We are incredibly good at spotting crooked lines in other people's drawings.

If you feel an inexplicable awkwardness while drawing, stop what you are doing, shift your gaze, and check the empty space that naturally formed on the outside. The moment you look at the space you didn't draw, you instantly gain the objective eyes of a third party. Distortions disappear when you start seeing the form itself, not your idea of it.

Keep drawing,

Brooks

P.S. Do you consistently find your lines or boxes leaning to one side? Reply to this email or reach out to [email protected] and share your drawing struggles. Let's solve them together in the next newsletter!