Sometimes it’s good to go back to basics, so I signed up for Chris Koning’s online workshops on drawing – admittedly today’s on negative space was the first one I’ve been able to attend as I’ve had all sorts of IT issues.

They are based on Betty Edward’s tome – Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.

A friend bought me this book many years ago, so today’s workshop has motivated me to get on and finish reading it (I’ve suddenly got so much reading to do!). The book’s message is that if we understand how to perceive something, we’ll be able to draw it and, in this respect, there are five perceptual skills of drawing:

• The perception of edges
• The perception of spaces
• The perception of relationships
• The perception of light and shadow
• The perception of the whole

It’s all about how we see, and it’s always good to review how we perceive things, as we might end up noticing something different.