The Hand that Draws the Future - Part 7 of 10

The Architecture of the Brain and the Dual Nature of Human Thinking

In the 1950s and 60s, Nobel prize-winning psychobiologist Roger Sperry 's research distinguishing between the thinking modes of the two hemispheres of the human brain and Cal State University professor Betty Edwards’ application of that research to the field of art forever changed the way we think about how the brain works, especially as it pertains to drawing. Sperry’s research distinguished between left-brain and right-brain thinking. Left-brain or “L-mode” is verbal, analytical, rational, digital, logical and linear. Right-brain or “R-mode” is visual, spatial, relational, intuitive and holistic. Both modes seek dominance in expression.

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (DRSB) by Betty Edwards was originally published in 1979, is now in its 4th edition, has been translated into 24 languages and has sold over 4 million copies worldwide. Edwards’ program has taught millions of people how to draw by tapping into right-brain thinking mode. Not just to learn drawing techniques, but learning to 'see', to process visual information through the eyes of an artist.

Betty Edwards taught that:

• Drawing is a learnable, teachable skill
• Drawing should be taught beginning at an early age (7-8 years old)
• Current design education tends to neglect the development of R-mode in favor of digital processes
• Drawing accesses a part of your brain that works in a style conducive to creative, intuitive thought

According to DRSB, learning to draw is a holistic skill requiring only five perceptual skills:

• Perception of edges – drawing a shared boundary of what you see, not what you think you see
• Perception of spaces – drawing negative spaces between the edges
• Perception of relationships – drawing perspective and proportion
• Perception of lights and shadows – drawing shade and shadow
• Perception of the whole – drawing the gestalt or “thingness”

In addition, Edwards refers to two more skills that could or should be developed, and especially relevant to designers and architects:

• Drawing from memory
• Drawing from imagination

It is worth requoting Edwards from Part 1: “In drawing you will delve deeply into a part of your mind too often obscured by the endless details of daily life. From this experience you will develop your ability to perceive things freshly in their totality, to see underlying patterns and possibilities for new combination. Creative solutions to problems, whether personal or professional, will be accessible through new modes of thinking and new ways of using the power of the whole brain.”

Hopefully by now, the reader should be fairly convinced that the hand is neurologically connected to the brain; that drawing by hand can unlock creativity and inspiration; and that learning to draw might be more accessible than imagined - a matter more of developed skill than talent.

Next up: Digital versus analog approaches to design and hybridization.