Losing Control to Remove Expectations Part 3: Blind Contour Drawings

This is the final post in this series! The last two posts have been about losing physical control while drawing by using cardboard or drawing tools attached to long sticks. I’m going to share with you a different way to lose control…by not being able to see what you’re drawing. That’s right…drawing blind.

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Choose an object to draw (plant, person, mug, vase). Make sure the object is close to you and at eye level. The trick it so draw super slowly, observing every detail of the object in front of you. Do not lift your eyes from the object…or your pen from the paper. You cannot, under any circumstance, look at your paper. What?! The temptation to look is real. Here is a great blind contour drawing tutorial. A fun way to engage in this with your children is to take turns holding a clipboard or piece of paper over each other’s paper while you draw. I’ve also tried poking holes in paper plates and putting the drawing tools through them. Just remember…the chances of making a realistic drawing are slim. Instead, you’ll likely create a complicated mix of scribbles and lines!

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It can be really fun to do more than one of these drawings on the same page. Try turning your page upside down and re-drawing the same object on top of your first drawing. Once you look at your page you’ll see a lot of beautiful, organic lines crossing one another. Notice the beautiful, organic shapes these layered lines create! A fun extension to this project is to color in the different shapes you find (you can look now!). This video from Mr. Otter Art Studio shows a teacher leading her students through the entire process.

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This is a great way to build hand-eye coordination in children and to increase observational skills. If you’re like a lot of adults you might think, “I’m not good at drawing.” Well…I encourage you to go through the same process as your children. Observe your children drawing. Adults can learn so much from watching children fearlessly creating. In this short article, The Story Behind How You Stopped Drawing, Adrian Hanft explains a bit about breaking through common mental blocks many of us have to free ourselves up and give drawing another chance.

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Because…what’s better than giving your child the space, time, and materials to draw on their own?…Doing it with them!