Blind Line Drawing: A Practice in Letting Go

What is it?

A single-line drawing exercise that prioritizes looking at what you are drawing; not the paper. Sometimes called "Blind Contour Drawing or "Pure Contour Drawing." It was popularized by Betty Edwards in her book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (1999). Try it!

How to do it

The art-maker focuses their eyes on the outline of the model or object, then follows the edge of the object with their eyes, while simultaneously drawing the contour very slowly, in a continuous line without lifting the pencil or looking at the paper.

Blind line drawing trains the eye and hand to work together as a team, and it helps the art-maker to see the details of the object. This is a great exercise in trust in the process, and releasing any attachment to the outcome.

I appreciate this practice as a therapist and artist, as it reminds me , to be mindful, to focus on the task at hand, and to delight in the silliness of the unexpected. What do you practice to stay present and balanced in this time of uncertainty?

Deborah Putnoi's The Drawing Mind is a great resource to practice the art of letting go of expectation through the process of making art.

Why?

Blind Line drawing is one of my favorite activities. But it also reflects a similar practice as the therapeutic relationship:

It is about observation, seeing what is in front of us.

It is about the process unfolding, the trusting of the eye-hand coordination (brain-heart coordination).

It is about being surprised and delighted by the skills you already have, and that every time we connect, something different can emerge.

To me, building trust and connection through relationship takes creative energy, and blind line drawings remind me to trust the creative process.