APD - Week 1

Theme 

PLAY AND SELF

Context

Blind contour drawing as an exercise to ‘draw better’ http://www.naturalwaytodraw.com/2011/04/if-you-dont-begin-blind-contour-drawing.html

Inspired by the drawing exercise, but simplify it and instead of focusing on the ability to draw, focus more on the act of drawing.

Method

A blind contour drawing game with two simple rules: 

1. To draw the face of the person in front of you, and, 

2. To not look at the paper.

Response

I had asked all of my classmates to participate in a little game where they have to draw each other without looking at the paper. I had given them each around 1-2 minutes to finish the drawing but most of them finished it way quicker. I made them only able to stare at each other and covered their view of the paper with a piece of large cardboard. 

Unlike the proper way of doing Blind Contour drawing, I didn’t specify how they should draw the other person (with continuous line, or make it realistic). I just simply give them the freedom to choose how to draw.

It became a silly game, as it’s quite awkward to stare at someone’s face for a long amount of time. I also participated and drew one of my classmates. I found the act of staring at someone’s face for too long to be almost too intimate.

The results of the drawings are unique, funny, hilarious, and all over the place. But in most of them you can tell the distinct features that the drawer tried to enhance to make the drawing or silhouette more recognisable at first glance. For example, some would skip drawing the eyes and just have the glasses, as they think it’s one of the most important features of someone’s silhouette.

Most of the people who participated told me that even when they were positioned to stare at each other in a meter’s range, they didn’t really look at the other person and rather, focused more on the movements of their hands. They became more aware of their perception towards the subject. They cared more about the fact that they can make the person at least recognisable rather than making it as accurate. 

Reflection

I, like most people, also had found it really difficult to stay focus on the subject’s face features. I kept worrying of not putting the eyes and the eyebrows align, for example. Or the fact that his nose might be down to his neck. Or that I didn’t put all of these on his face and it just floats in the air. But I found it interesting that most people are able to make the face without it being completely off. 

It’s interesting to be able to trust your own sense and your hands to do something that you can’t see. I, for once become almost too aware of how big of a gesture I’m making and felt that I take using my eyes for granted. I think it’s an interesting play with ‘self’ as not only you have to rely on your body physically, you also get to see what important features of your face that your peers considered as important, or not.