Blind Contour Drawing

Blind contour drawing Blind contour drawing is a method of drawing, in part, popularized by Kimon Nicolaïdes in his book The Natural Way to Draw (1941), which presents itself as an effective training aid or discipline. The student, fixing their eyes on the outline of the model or object, draws the contour very slowly in a steady, continuous line without lifting the pencil or looking at the paper. The student may look at the paper to place an internal feature, but once they begin to draw it, they do not glance down, but follows the same procedure as for the outline. A well-done blind contour drawing frequently has sufficient quality and character to be preserved as a work of art. The practice is still commonly taught today in both high school and college art courses.

Definition -Blind contour- A drawing process where the eye is trained to follow the contours of what is being drawn, looking only at the subject, not at the paper. In this process, the hand moves the drawing tool in synchronization with the movements of the eye.

Blind contour examples

If you want to increase your observations skills, try doing some blind contour drawings. Blind contour drawings are done by drawing an object without ever looking at the paper. The final drawing is not important, although you may be surprise at how recognizable the object is when you are done. The most important thing is to carefully observe the object and don't rush, just take your time and don't peek!

Blind Contour Assignment Create a blind contour drawing of yourself using a mirror (fill the entire paper) Outline the drawing with a dark marker Using magazines, fill the entire background with your favorite color Also using magazine letters, spell out two lines to your favorite song and glue on the paper