Seeing the paper as you draw

Drawing is a very active process that requires a lot of mindfulness and focus. As I thought about that idea the other day I remembered hearing one of my favorite artists talking about how he looks at the paper while he draws.

This is just something that I heard and although I am not 100% certain it is true I will go ahead and talk about it as if it is true. One of my all time heroes, Iain McCaig mentioned in passing that when he is drawing he tries to look at a spot right above where he is drawing. To put that another way, he is not focusing directly on the tip of the pencil but rather letting his peripheral vision see the drawing.

Drawing this way requires a huge amount of mental effort to keep up, I compare it to meditation, where you are sitting and as you try and be mindful and focus on your breathing your mind will wander and it is your jobs to bring the focus back to the breath.

I encourage you to give this a try the next time you are drawing.