How to SEE like an artist.

If you’ve ever taken an art class at a more intermediate level, you may have heard the phrase draw what you see or see like an artist.

As you can see, seeing is a huge part of creativity… but what does it really mean?

Disclaimer, these are my words and everyone is entitled to their own and own experiences.

DRAW WHAT YOU SEE

Two years ago, I taught high school art and used this phrase constantly. (Along with, “It’s not the end of the world,” but that’s a different lesson for a different day.)

The way I learned it, to draw what you see means truly observing the subject in front of you without letting “drawing what you know” get in the way. We all know what a flower looks like, but can we actually draw the flower that’s right in front of us?

To draw what you see is to notice shapes, space, perspective, value, and all the other fancy art terms. It isn’t easy to train your eye to observe and translate subjects onto paper, but the more you practice, the stronger your artistic eye becomes.

To me, drawing what you see begins with identifying shapes (both geometric and organic) and placing them on the page. Understanding positive vs. negative space is also important. A great exercise is to simplify everything into just black and white: sketch the subject in black while leaving the negative space (the area that isn’t the subject) white.

Another key is working from large to small - starting broad, then refining details. If you begin with details, you risk weakening your artistic eye because you lose sight of the subject as a whole.

SEE LIKE AN ARTIST

Being both an educator and learner taught me there are cookie-cutter definitions and approaches, but there are also great teachers whose main goal is to give students the tools they need to be successful on their own. I think that in order to see like an artist, you really need the right tools and exercises. No one can see like an artist for you.

Teaching my students how to see like an artist meant they’re thinking about the composition as a whole. In other words, it’s almost like training their eyes to become a viewfinder, constantly thinking about color theory, composition and focal point, value, contrast, etc. Again, it’s hard to see these things as a beginner artist, though I will admit that there are people who have a natural eye - darn prodigies. It's all about training your artistic eye to see.

HOW TO SEE LIKE AN ARTIST

Think about musicians. When learning a musical instrument, in order to become a well-rounded musician you learn the fundamentals of your instrument, how to read music, how to listen to music, how to appreciate music, and you dive deep into music theory… or at least dive a little. Once you understand how chords, harmonies and melodies work, you have a better understanding of the way music can work and have more tools on how to create music of your own. Because you see, hear, and understand the relationships in music.

To understand the relationships in art is to see like an artist. At least that’s what it means to me.

I can say much more about drawing and seeing like an artist, but I’ll leave it short and sweet for today.

PS If you’re a prodigy then hooray for you.