In one of the drawing lessons we were asked to draw something with a minimum of lines as fast as we could. While I was able to achieve acceptable results when I had plenty of time, sketching under time pressure turned out to be very difficult for me. The lines seemed very forced and the proportions turned out to be awful. When I voiced my frustration to Joe he recommended drawing with my left hand (I’m right handed). He said, I was too analytical about the whole process. Switching hands might help me to draw more intuitively. I did not really understand what this meant and of course I protested saying I could not draw with my left hand. I couldn’t even write a single word, how could I draw anything even remotely good. To my complete surprise it did work. Initially I felt a little helpless. I was not sure how to start the drawing. I had to rethink the direction my hand needed to go. After a couple of helpless attempts I decided to draw without thinking about the outcome, somewhat like being on autopilot (if that makes sense) – and that actually worked. The lines became more spirited, somewhat swinging. It’s hard to describe but it was a great experiment. I recommend you try it, it’s fascinating.

Here are some of the sketches I did with my left hand:

I had so much fun with the sketches of the dancer that I tried my hand at sketching in ink. The line drawing I did again with my left hand and then (with my right hand) went over the lines with a brush and water – here it is.

And here one more drawing – same technic and medium – ink washed with water.