Two Aspects of Drawing
featuring Mitch Baird
Drawing is fundamental to representational painting. We are trying to represent this world in front of us on a two-dimensional surface, so drawing comes down to two aspects. One is two-dimensional, which is proportion or the abstract part of putting a mark down on a surface. Then, there is a three-dimensional aspect, which creates form and linear perspective. You have to know both of these, and drawing is really a lifetime pursuit. When Mitch has his onsite classes, drawing is one of those things he can’t teach in just one week. His yearly online mentoring course is excellent because it is something he can talk about and work on with his students.
The idea of the two-dimensional object to Mitch is the abstract side. You must first learn to see and perceive the visual world in a two dimensional way. We almost have to see the way an infant sees. An infant does not see space for quite some time, they see flat, two-dimensional objects that butt up against each other. We need to learn, as artists, to see that way again. It is a puzzle where you must correctly put all the pieces in the right proportion. Once we establish and learn to perceive in 2-dimension, we can jump into volume and start seeing form. We only see form because of light, which gives us light and shadow. Without light, we have no form and no third dimension or space. The idea is that, as we use these concepts, the three-dimension on top of form gives us a linear perspective that provides us with space. Volume = form, perspective = space. Once we establish our flat shapes, we must figure out if one is behind the other or in front. Then, this leads us to overlap and three dimensions.
“Drawing is fundamental to representational painting. We are trying to represent this world in front of us on a two-dimensional surface, so drawing comes down to two aspects. ”
Drawing isn’t necessarily talking about only lines. Lines are a man-made invention that separates what’s in front or what’s behind. We don’t use lines in life, but we use them in this abstract drawing element. Once he gets into the painting, Mitch sees things as masses rather than lines. From there, he can push volume into those two-dimensional shapes to create a world of three-dimension. It sounds complex, but it is not. It takes time to wrap your head around, just like other concepts.
Concepts like these are the reason Mitch’s course is called “Painting with Perception.” You have to understand how to perceive something to use the skills that make it come to life. Click below to learn more:
Listen more on Drawing from Mitch on the Paint & Clay Podcast here.