How to draw a blind contour self-portrait
A sketchy little art lesson
I’ve always loved doing blind contour portraits, portraits of myself, of others, of objects in a room. I’ve always loved these messy faces- Drooping eyes, crooked lips, broken fingers.
The challenge in drawing these blind is that you draw what you see in actuality, not what you want to see. It's so easy to want to leave out the flaws and scars, but those are the very things that make this work so beautiful.
“Imperfection inspires invention, imagination, creativity. It stimulates. The more I feel imperfect, the more I feel alive.” ― Jhumpa Lahiri, In Other Words
Anyone can do this art exercise. In fact, it can be incredibly therapeutic to any struggles we have with perfectionism and concentration. Why? Because this technique is meant to slow you down, focus on the details, all while embracing the reality that you are doing this completely blind. There is no room for judgement in the process of creating. Here are some others to inspire you (not by me).
So how do you do create a blind contour piece of art?
The idea is to pick what you want to draw, put your pen to paper, don’t look down at the page while you draw until you have completed it.
A few tips:
Pick one thing to draw and start from the edges.
Use black point pen. No erasing.
Give yourself plenty of room to draw this.
Take your time. Try not rush the process.
Keep your eyes on the page. No cheating.
Feel free to add some color after you have finished.
A little sketchy prompt for ya:
Create a blind contour self- portrait. Either use a mirror or use a photo of yourself.
Use a pen to draw it. Remember, eye on you face. No cheating. After you finish, add a little color to complete it.
Remember, this is not about it looking a certain way but being in the process, playing, uncovering yourself in a new light. Sometimes I do these and my eyes end up were my mouth is. Haha, let yourself be imperfect. I’d love to see yours when you finish. Feel free to share your portrait in the comments.
Every month I offer up a new art lesson for anyone that wants to create and connect to their inner artist. You do not need to identify as an artist to do these. In fact, I hope those who give this a shot are the ones who struggle with making space creatively it all. Art liberates us. It helps us see things in a new way. It helps us connect to our younger self. I hope you love.
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I love this! So excited to participate and share/ Thank you, Megan!