This is a sequel to the previous post. One student, Maggy, really got into the Up-Side-Down thing—meaning, the value of this approach really sunk in. So much so, that when the Caravaggio exercise was done, she was the only one in the class to draw a face upside down from a photo. In the process, she noticed how asymmetrical the face was and was delighted by this discovery. When you’re drawing right-side-up it’s harder to notice such things because you tend to equalize, to perfect. That’s a no-no! The expressiveness and character in a face lies precisely in asymmetry.
Being all fired up by the Caravaggio exercise and then by drawing a face up-side-down, she then turned the magazine page right-side-up and drew the guy again. This was easy now, because her seeing was “true” and it took her no time at all, with very impressive results. It’s interesting to compare the two versions. The second view of the face, with the photo placed right-side-up, didn’t look anything like the UPS photo drawn previously. So, it’s not a case of doing the same thing twice, not at all. What matters here is the ease with which the second drawing came about and that was the result of the nature of the exercise itself.
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artamaze by Katherine Hilden 
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