The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Book Review

This book “The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” confirmed that I was right after all when I thought that everyone has the ability to draw. Although, as I was growing up, since I often hear people say they don’t know how to draw, that only the lucky ones do, I believed them. I grew up drawing and my favorite subject is people. When I was young when people talk to me I always look at the details of their faces. I start with the eyes, the nose, the mouth… I love looking at the way their faces change depending on their emotions. When people say that the eyes are the windows to one’s soul, it’s true because there lies the deepest emotions that artists look for to put in their visual poetry, or painting. I love looking at people and draw them but since I started working, I thought I didn’t have time to draw and I became lazy with traditional art. My lack of practice in traditional art became a growing insecurity until I came across this book “The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain”. I thought, ‘Hmmm… maybe I should give it a try and see how it will help me. I’ll read the book and follow every exercise as if I really don’t know how to draw’, so I did. With each page the author takes into consideration the emotions of the beginners, and assures them it’s alright to feel the way they do, because what they will be learning from the book is the solution to their problems. Most importantly, the book focuses on how to activate the right side brain, which is responsible for our ability to perceive and execute art effectively and that’s where beginners begin. There are sample drawings of before and after from students who took the exercises and their drawings show how much they improved in their drawing skills. I finished the book and I definitely recommend it to anyone who really wants to draw. I don’t regret reading this book because it also taught me the right approach to teaching people how to draw and that is to help them activate the right side of their brain. I can now say with certainty that everyone knows how to draw. It's all in the mind. Just give them a good head-start and they will be ready to draw. “The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” is a very good head-start. Kudos to the author: Dr. Betty Edwards.