Drawing Accurately As Meditation

This isn’t about drawing well. It’s about observing one’s inaccuracies. If we want to do ‘art’, then we can be good enough but here, we are drawing exactly what we see. This the same when studying anything – there is just observation but, once a skill is mastered, we get carried away.

This method of drawing is known as the ‘atelier’ method, called sight sizing, where whatever we see is exactly in line with what is on the paper. For this, we can use a straight edge to measure all the salient heights so that we know they are accurate. Then we can consider the widths. It’s all about angle and proportion; we’re are not drawing an ear, we are drawing the shapes – or negative shapes – within an ear.

To start with, we look at the ‘envelope’ shape that encompasses the whole figure so that we can place it on our paper. We then block in the big shapes very lightly, and shade the shadow areas in one flat tone – we’re not looking for detail yet. Once the big shapes are established, we then look at the smaller shapes, and readjust where the drawing has gone wrong – not where we have gone wrong. We are not identifying with being good at something; it’s a private investigation. 🙂 We don’t have to finish the details, but just get the big picture … with less pressure.

If drawing from a photograph, this can be turned upside down, which can trick our brain into just seeing shapes without identifying them.

Again, this isn’t about being ‘good’ at drawing; it’s watching our attitude. If we do become good at drawing, arrogance can creep in, and then we are just a mechanical machine. It’s about relaxing with a 6B pencil. 🙂 Gradually, we don’t have to measure, and then we know that our brain has been trained – and changed.

Ordinary meditation is the same. We are watching our self, our mind, continually trying to take over, clouding awareness. One problem with being good at meditation is becoming arrogant and uncaring.

The completion of a drawing is not what matters; it’s about having a firm foundation by training the brain to see with clarity. That allows divine splendour to shine through naturally.

A method creates the foundation for transcendence
into true compassion of no self.

The more accurate we become,
the more we notice what’s missing.
🙂