You rely on your visual memory every time you draw.
Hi there!
My name is Darren R. Rousar and I am an atelier-trained artist and teacher who is mostly known for promoting the use of Sight-Size in arts instruction. One skill that is often neglected is memory drawing. Why? Because few artists fully understand how important a trained visual memory is to their success. I am here to help you with that.
What is Memory Drawing? Memory drawing is the regular practice of training your visual memory to retain what you see.
That training involves doing numerous drawing exercises during short but consistent periods of time. The practice will help you make the most of every glance you take at your subject.
Memory drawing practice is a supplement to your regular drawing practice.
But why bother?
All drawing and painting is at some point being done from the your memory, even if that memory is only a few seconds old. Every time you take your eyes off of the model or scene and look at your paper or canvas, your visual memory is involved.
Every time you look at your drawing you must remember your subject.
You look at your subject.
And then . . .
You must remember it when
looking at your artwork.
There is a solution.
But what if your visual memory was highly trained? You might need the model for a shorter period of time, or you might have a more productive time when the model is in pose. You might be better at painting all of the fleeting effects that nature throws at you when you are landscape painting en plein air.
The solution is Memory Drawing practice.
Half the value of a sound training in drawing is lost if it were not made to include a training of the memory as well as of the eye and hand. -Kenyon Cox (1856-1919)
Memory training must be integrated into a mature painter’s working method if his or her talent is to be truly fulfilled. -Richard Lack (1928-2009)
I would particularly recommend that after your return from the academy you would endeavor to draw the figure by memory. -Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792)
Although the concept of memory drawing might seem foreign to you, it is not a new idea. Over the centuries numerous teachers have encouraged their students in the practice. If you want to learn more about the history of memory drawing in arts education, see this article here.
There are 3 steps to Memory Drawing.
STEP 1: LEARN ABOUT MEMORY DRAWING PRACTICE
STEP 2: REGULARLY PRACTICE DRAWING FROM MEMORY
STEP 3: DRAW BETTER USING YOUR TRAINED VISUAL MEMORY
Learn About Memory Drawing Practice
Want to learn the very basics of memory drawing? Developing a trained visual memory is easy, but it does require consistent practice with progressively more complex exercises. Learn the basics with the free guide: Making the Most of Every Glance.
In this free guide, Darren R. Rousar will teach you the basics of memory drawing practice. It also presents a short series of exercises which will give you a sense of what memory drawing is all about.
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Learn About Memory Drawing Practice
Want to learn the very basics of memory drawing? Developing a trained visual memory is easy, but it does require consistent practice with progressively more complex exercises. Learn the basics with the free guide: Making the Most of Every Glance.
In this free guide, Darren R. Rousar will teach you the basics of memory drawing practice. It also presents a short series of exercises which will give you a sense of what memory drawing is all about.
Thanks for subscribing! Please check your email for further instructions.
Make Memory Drawing Practice a Habit
For memory drawing practice to be effective, you need to make it a habit. The best way to do that is to follow the Cue > Routine > Reward pattern which you began learning about in the Free Guide.
Effective memory drawing practice also requires that you use progressively more challenging sources. The Free Guide gave you a few examples of that. The Memory Drawing Course Book gives you 6 months worth of exercises.
Make Memory Drawing Practice a Habit
For memory drawing practice to be effective, you need to make it a habit. The best way to do that is to follow the Cue > Routine > Reward pattern which you began learning about in the Free Guide.
Effective memory drawing practice also requires that you use progressively more challenging sources. The Free Guide gave you a few examples of that. The Memory Drawing Course Book gives you 6 months worth of exercises.
Draw Better Using Your Trained Your Visual Memory
You will draw and paint better after adding consistent memory drawing practice to your regular drawing routine.
A Portrait of Édouard Manet by Henri Fantin-Latour (1867). Both artists made ample use of their trained visual memory when working from life and away from it.
Draw Better Using Your Trained Your Visual Memory
You will draw and paint better after adding consistent memory drawing practice to your regular drawing routine.
A Portrait of Édouard Manet by Henri Fantin-Latour (1867). Both artists made ample use of their trained visual memory when working from life and away from it.
What Others Are Saying
What a loss to both to art & society that we are not all taught this in school as children. Finally a modern well written guide to visual memory & visualization training that is not based upon intangible methods like meditation but practical art instruction. -Gareth Thomas (a reviewer on Amazon)
While the rapid presentation of images around us these days on TV or through films and videos teaches us all to be passive receivers of sensory information, artists can benefit from learning better to recall stimuli that attract them. -CCL (a reviewer on Amazon)
The author, trained in the atelier tradition, has thoroughly done his homework and the book is rich with wisdom, quotes, history and of course exercises to help assist with building this skillset. -Elizabeth (a reviewer on Amazon)
STEP 1:
LEARN MEMORY DRAWING
Read the free guide to memory drawing: 'Making the Most of Every Glance'.
STEP 2:
PRACTICE MEMORY DRAWING
Following the principles learned in Step 1, consistently practice memory drawing.
STEP 3:
DRAW BETTER
After you've developed your visual memory you will make the most of every glance!
FAQs
It's possible, but that's not the point. Memory drawing practice should always be supplemental to regularly drawing from life.
Most people begin with the free guide Making the Most of Every Glance. They then move onto the books Memory Drawing: Perceptual Training and Recall and The Memory Drawing Course Book.
The known history of memory drawing practice explained in my book, Memory Drawing: Perceptual Training and Recall. Beyond that, there are additinonal articles on the Memory Drawing site here.
