Chapters 1 through 3 discuss a variety of topics that I will be creating individual threads to address, with exercises to match, but I wanted to get people drawing as soon as possible. Rather than a linear approach through the chapters, the workshop will focus on drawing, retracing material in the preceding chapters to discuss why participants may be experiencing difficulty achieving a specific goal in their work. The first exercise of Chapter 4 is to complete the figures below, creating the face/vase duality. For left-handers: For right-handers: Due date: Monday, January 29, 2007. Please post your images to your participation threads, and post any questions pertaining to the assignment here.

Big B:



Good job. There are some asymmetric portions, such as the chin, the line of the nose and the top of the forehead, but overall it's a good drawing and it retains the face-or-vase quality.

Fukushousha:



Similarly, while the overall bent of the drawing was preserved, there are minor areas where the symmetry falters.

Don't worry if the solutions that you found differ from hers. I consider a lot of her cognitive psychology to be off the mark. Ultimately, we're interested in results, and if you can generate a good drawing and show steady improvement, then whatever you are doing is working.


I should note that, when very focused and locked in on drawing, sometimes you can not really perceive the overall state of the drawing. In one or two particularly egregious cases, I have completed drawings in "R-mode" only to review them later in "L-mode" and spot errors all over the place. The same is likely to be the case for this drawing.

Here's another interesting thing: when viewing the face-or-vase drawing in the textbook, I really can see either the face or the vase depending on "perspective." When viewing the halves I prepared above, however, I only see the faces. I actually have to make an effort to see half of the vase. That may be an interesting comment on "global perception."

Next lesson coming soon.