A very important (and often neglected) element of art is space. When we think of drawing, most of the time we think of drawing “something.” Whether it be rocks, trees, clouds, animals, or whatever, we think in concrete and tangible terms. Sometimes we’re able to draw those things accurately; other times, not so much. But when you learn how to see and use space, you are on your way to being able to draw what you see, and draw it accurately.
As Pat Knepley says, “Draw what you see, not what you know.” Learning how to work with space, particularly negative space, will help you do that. (For example, to draw the palette in the graphic above using negative space, draw the shapes around it rather than the palette itself.) But there’s a lot more to space than just negative space.
Today’s post has some lessons and video tutorials that I have found around the Internet, all of which will help you better understand how to use space in your drawings. So, let’s get out those art supplies and have fun!
How to Draw Using Negative Space
This page is a gold mine of resources for learning how to draw using negative space. With links to thirteen different websites and tutorials, this page will enable you to find the teaching aids you need to help your children learn about negative space drawing
– http://www.drawinghowtodraw.com/drawing-lessons/art-design-principles/negative-space-drawing.html
How Artists Use Space
This page will show you how artists create the illusion of space in their paintings and artwork
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/looking-art/elements-of-art/a/space
A Practical Exercise in Space
This page has some very good illustrations of positive and negative space, plus a suggested project at the bottom of the page
https://www.smore.com/06pj-elements-of-art-space
Video
The following video is an excellent survey of space and how it is used, both in paintings and in sculpture and other physical forms:
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