non-dominant hand drawing 03/01/2016

Woo hoo. Can I get a what-what?

It is March 21 and I’m starting to upload March. I still have to scan in the other March drawings, which I have been lazy about doing, but eventually I do it. Eventually.

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the lady below was sitting directly in front of me, and I’m proud to say she didn’t notice I was drawing her. I am *THAT* good now. Maybe.

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0 Comments:

  1. I haven’t seen enough non-dominant hand drawings to judge one from another. But, I would guess this shows some level of skill. How’s that for a vague compliment? 😛 I need to give this a try to see how well I do. I am slightly afraid to see the results. 🙂 I cannot imagine just drawing people around me, though. I seem to draw suspicious eyes who then like to question my purpose for being there. “What are you drawing? Are you drawing me? Why? You some kind of weirdo? Get out of here.”

    • You might be surprised with what you see. All of the drawings I used to make with my dominant hand (right hand) turns out to look Asian (to me, anyway), maybe because I am Asian. The ones I do with my left hand tend to reflect more of the subjects I draw. I don’t know why.

      I was really self conscious at first of drawing random people in public, but now everyone is so engrossed in their screens, that they don’t usually notice me. Also, I like drawing people who are asleep. They’re the best.

      • You’re Asian? Get out. :O hehe 🙂

        Are you saying, when you draw with your dominant hand, the drawings look like old parchment scrolls? The kind you typically see with Chinese/Japanese characters/text, depicting some rice field or koi pond?

        So, the alternative to “drawing Asian” is drawing what you see accurately?

        Maybe you possess the spirit of an old scribe who is trying to recreate the old scrolls, retell a story of old.

        I suppose if the whole bus or train car is occupied with people focused on screens… But, that’s not always the case. And, thank goodness. Because, that visual scares me. This obsession with wireless technology…it just feels negative and scary. But, some won’t see it that way. They just see it as progress. Even in futuristic shows like Star Trek: The Next Generation where computers are everywhere and portable, do you see a corridor of people staring at their portable computers? No.

        Drawing people asleep? That seems only fair when it’s family in your home. But, drawing strangers on a bus… No, I don’t think I can do that.

        I went to a dog park for a few weeks one summer to try and draw just the dogs. People began wondering what I was doing there without a dog of my own. I felt weird and had to excuse myself. There were cases of dogs going missing. I was worried they might think I was profiling dogs to kidnap.

        • Sorry, I wasn’t clear in my response earlier. I should have said that most of the people I draw with my right hand look Asian (even though they’re not).

          If people ask what you’re doing, why not tell them the truth? You’re practicing drawing. I find people are sympathetic to that.

          • No, I think you were clear (and I thought I said that).

            I think I was honest but shy. And, I suspect they didn’t believe me. In my world, I don’t see much sympathy. But, every now and then, I am pleasantly surprised. I see more charity from afar and feel a mix of guilt for not trying more myself and doubt for what may be an illusion with a dark side yet to be revealed.

          • I wasn’t clear whether or not you meant my style of drawing with my dominant hand was Asian or if the people just looked Asian. I meant the latter. They end up looking like my relatives.

            As far as being confronted by other people, that’s happened to me too and yes, I was embarrassed. I won’t lie. But, eventually I got over and started to do it again. People are just curious and the one person who caught me was not offended when she found out I’m not being a creepy person. Of course, I showed her other drawings, so she knows she’s not targeted as a subject for my drawing for any reason other than sheer randomness.

            Of course if drawing in public isn’t enjoyable for you, then don’t do it. Some places have meetup groups specifically targeted for drawing in public places. If you do want to explore drawing in public, maybe that’s a safer route for you.

          • Ah, so you make the eyes narrower; got it.

            I don’t like those classes where people draw a single nude model, either.

            I am not sure I’d draw as well in a group/class as I do on my own. Being surrounded by other minds tends to have an effect on me. Just as I cannot write creatively with my nephews/family around. Or, I can, but it is limited/different from what I can do alone.

    • also, thank you for your comment.

  2. That must be very tricky to do, but you’ve managed to keep accuracy and style too.

    • thank you. It’s not so tricky. It helps to have low expectations and a good sense of humor. When using my non-dominant hand, I automatically think it’s going to be crappy, so any result is exceeds my expectations. 🙂 Try it, if you’d like. You might like the results too. (hint: you’ve got to try more than once 🙂 )