{"id":12806,"date":"2026-07-10T10:00:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T14:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/?p=12806"},"modified":"2026-07-10T10:00:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T14:00:21","slug":"the-drawing-exercise-that-changed-my-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/the-drawing-exercise-that-changed-my-life","title":{"rendered":"The Drawing Exercise That Changed My Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"insertbackground\">\n<div class=\"removep\">\n<div class=\"videoflexwrapper\">\n<div class=\"videotop\">\n <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/y2lgutQ0HLg?si=l0XxcfRetKUFKGJV\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"wrapperpage\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/newsletter-signup\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"buttonundervideo\">FREE COURSE VIDEOS<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"buttonundervideoorangetabletcontainer\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"buttonundervideoorangetablet\">BECOME A MEMBER<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"orangecontainermobile\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"buttonundervideoorange\">BECOME A MEMBER<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sidebartop\">\n<div class=\"vertalign\">\n<div class=\"logoimage\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/logosmall75.png\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"sidebarcarddescriptiondark\"><span>JOIN THE VIRTUAL INSTRUCTOR<\/span><br \/>\n    Get ALL of our courses, ebooks, live lessons, critiques, lesson plans and more today.<\/div>\n<div class=\"sidebarbuttonholder\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sidebuttonsmem\">START FREE TRIAL<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<hr style=\"background-color:#ffffff;margin-top:1.5em;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/newsletter-signup\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sidebuttons\">FREE COURSE VIDEOS<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"contentfix\">\n<h2>The Drawing Exercise That Changed the Way I See the World<\/h2>\n<p>\nEvery artist remembers a moment when something finally clicked. A lesson, technique, or exercise suddenly made drawing make sense in a way it never had before. For me, that moment came when I was about twelve years old. I was introduced to a simple drawing exercise that completely changed the way I approached drawing. More importantly, it changed the way I understood what drawing really is.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nBefore that experience, I believed drawing was simply a talent that some people were born with. But after completing this exercise, I realized something incredibly powerful: drawing is a skill. Like any other skill, it can be learned, practiced, and improved. That realization ultimately shaped my career as an artist and teacher, and it&#8217;s one of the reasons I&#8217;m able to share these lessons with students today.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nThe exercise comes from Betty Edwards&#8217; classic book <em>Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain<\/em>. If your goal is to create representational artwork\u2014drawings that accurately depict the world around you\u2014this book is well worth reading. It introduces a fascinating way of thinking about how our brains process visual information and explains why so many beginners struggle with drawing accuracy.\n<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/book.jpg\" alt=\"Drawing on the right side of the brain\"><\/p>\n<h2>Why We Draw What We Think Instead of What We See<\/h2>\n<p>\nOne of the biggest obstacles artists face isn&#8217;t a lack of talent\u2014it&#8217;s the way the brain naturally processes information.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nYou&#8217;ve probably heard someone say, &#8220;Just draw what you see.&#8221; While that advice sounds simple, it&#8217;s actually much harder than it appears. When most people look at an object, their brain immediately labels it. Instead of seeing a collection of lines, shapes, values, and edges, they simply think, &#8220;That&#8217;s a shoe,&#8221; or &#8220;That&#8217;s a face.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n<p>\nOnce the brain identifies the object, it begins relying on memory instead of observation. Rather than drawing the actual shoe sitting in front of you, your brain constructs a generic symbol of a shoe. The result may resemble a shoe, but it usually doesn&#8217;t resemble <em>that<\/em> shoe.\n<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/shoe-drawing.jpg\" alt=\"Shoe Drawing with shapes\"><\/p>\n<p>\nThis is one of the primary reasons beginning drawings often look inaccurate.\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"promoinsert\">\n<div class=\"promoimage\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"promotext\"><span>Drawing Boot Camp 2.0<\/span><br \/>\nLearn how to see as an artist through thoughtful drawing exercises and completed drawings. Learn how to replicate shapes, develop shading and values, and render textures to create realistic drawings.<br \/>\n      <br \/>\n     <a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/drawing-bootcamp-2-0\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"contentbutton\">VIEW CLASS<\/div>\n<p>     <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Seeing Like an Artist<\/h2>\n<p>\nAs artists, we have to train ourselves to see differently.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nInstead of focusing on recognizable objects, we need to pay attention to the individual elements that make those objects visible. These include line, shape, form, value, color, and texture\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/artfundamentals.html\">the Elements of Art<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nEverything we draw is simply an arrangement of these visual elements. Whether we&#8217;re creating a realistic portrait or an abstract composition, we&#8217;re organizing lines, shapes, colors, and values to communicate an idea.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nRepresentational drawing becomes much easier when we stop thinking about the object itself and begin concentrating on these visual relationships.\n<\/p>\n<h2>The Upside-Down Drawing Exercise<\/h2>\n<p>\nThe exercise itself is surprisingly simple.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nBegin with a line drawing or contour drawing of a subject. It could be a portrait, an object, or almost any reference image. Turn the reference upside down and place a blank sheet of paper beside it. Your goal is to copy the drawing exactly as you see it\u2014but without turning it right side up.\n<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/drawing-upside-down-exercise.jpg\" alt=\"Drawing Upside Down Exercise\"><\/p>\n<p>\nAt first, this feels awkward. Your brain keeps trying to identify what you&#8217;re drawing, but because the image is upside down, that process becomes much more difficult. Instead of recognizing a face, your attention shifts to the actual lines, angles, curves, and shapes.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nWithout realizing it, you begin observing rather than interpreting.\n<\/p>\n<h2>Why Drawing Upside Down Works<\/h2>\n<p>\nDrawing upside down interrupts the brain&#8217;s tendency to rely on symbols and memory. Since the subject is no longer easily recognizable, you&#8217;re forced to pay attention to what actually exists on the page.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nInstead of <a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/Graphiteeye1.html\">drawing an eye<\/a>, you&#8217;re drawing a curved line next to an angular shape. Instead of drawing a nose, you&#8217;re comparing distances between two intersecting contours. Every decision becomes based on observation rather than assumption.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nAs you continue working, you&#8217;ll notice something interesting begins to happen. Your concentration shifts. You become less aware of the object you&#8217;re copying and more aware of the relationships between the lines and shapes.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nThat mental shift is exactly what the exercise is designed to accomplish.\n<\/p>\n<h2>Mistakes Are Part of the Process<\/h2>\n<p>\nWhile working through the exercise, don&#8217;t be afraid to erase and make corrections. In fact, noticing mistakes is actually a positive sign.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nWhen you recognize that a line is misplaced or a shape isn&#8217;t quite right, it means you&#8217;re beginning to understand the spatial relationships within the drawing. You&#8217;re no longer relying on guesses\u2014you&#8217;ve started observing carefully enough to recognize inconsistencies.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nThat awareness is one of the most important skills an artist can develop.\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"promoinsert\">\n<div class=\"promoimagedays\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"promotext\"><span>Realistic Pencil Drawing Course<\/span><br \/>\n    Explore the foundations and techniques for creating wonderful realistic drawings with pencil in this logically-sequenced video course.<br \/>\n     <a href=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/members\/realistic-pencil-drawing\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"contentbutton\">VIEW COURSE<\/div>\n<p>     <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Training Your Brain to Observe<\/h2>\n<p>\nAlthough the upside-down exercise may seem unusual, it serves an important purpose. It trains your brain to focus on observation instead of identification.\n<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/completed-drawing-exercise.jpg\" alt=\"Drawing Upside Down Exercise Completed Drawing\"><\/p>\n<p>\nEventually, you won&#8217;t need to turn your references upside down anymore. The goal isn&#8217;t to draw everything upside down for the rest of your life. Instead, the exercise develops a habit of careful observation that carries over into every drawing you create.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nOver time, you&#8217;ll naturally begin noticing angles, shapes, proportions, and value relationships before your brain starts assigning labels to objects.\n<\/p>\n<h2>Drawing Is a Learnable Skill<\/h2>\n<p>\nPerhaps the most important lesson this exercise teaches has nothing to do with drawing upside down.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nIt teaches that drawing isn&#8217;t magic.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nIt&#8217;s not reserved for a select group of naturally gifted people. Drawing is a skill built on observation, practice, and understanding. Once you begin training yourself to truly see, your drawings improve dramatically.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nThis realization was life-changing for me because it removed the mystery surrounding artistic ability. Instead of believing some people simply &#8220;have it,&#8221; I discovered that improvement comes from learning how to observe the world differently.\n<\/p>\n<h2>Practice the Exercise More Than Once<\/h2>\n<p>\nIf you&#8217;ve never tried this exercise, I encourage you to do it. Even if you&#8217;ve been drawing for years, revisiting it every once in a while can sharpen your observational skills.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nChoose a simple line drawing, turn it upside down, and copy only the lines and shapes you see. Resist the urge to identify the subject. Focus entirely on relationships, angles, distances, and proportions.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nWhen you&#8217;re finished, turn both drawings right side up and compare them. You&#8217;ll likely be surprised by how accurately you&#8217;ve captured the subject\u2014not because you drew an object, but because you observed it carefully.\n<\/p>\n<h2>Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n<p>\nEvery artist reaches a point where they stop drawing what they think they see and begin drawing what actually exists in front of them. For me, the upside-down drawing exercise was the turning point that made this possible.\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"promoinsert\">\n<div class=\"promoimagenews\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"promotext\"><span>Like This Lesson?<\/span><br \/>If so, join over 36,000 others that receive our newsletter with new drawing and painting lessons. 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START FREE TRIAL FREE COURSE VIDEOS The Drawing Exercise That Changed the Way I See the World Every artist remembers a moment when something finally clicked. A lesson, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12807,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[92],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drawing"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 4.9.9 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This is the drawing exercise that changed the way I saw the world and made me believe that anyone can truly be an artist. 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