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Bex Hall > Art Projects > Perfect is boring

Perfect is boring

February 21, 2021

A good mantra for blind contour drawings

The prompt today is Big Bird. Immediately thought of the big yellow guy on Sesame Street but wanted to do something a little different.

Have you ever tried a blind contour drawing? Specifically a continuous line blind contour drawing or portrait? You draw something in pen without looking. The “results are quirky, kooky and otherwise surreal” writes Tammy Garcia of Daisy Yellow Art.

I first tried this in 2018 during the annual ICAD art challenge (that’s Index Card A Day). Typically you create a self-portrait; look at a photo of yourself, and only the photo — don’t look down, and draw one continuous line to replicate the image you see.

Some people blindfold themselves or create a tent over their hand to keep from looking. The urge to look is hard to resist.

But again, the results… fun.

Multiple attempts Big Bird Blind Contour

I made five attempts and didn’t really notice a ton of improvement, but there were differences. I began with the eyes on these two attempts.

Multiple attempts Big Bird Blind Contour

Started from the top of the head on two others. Then for the fifth, I started at the bottom.

5th attempt Big Bird Blind Contour

I suppose there was some improvement. Regardless, it’s a great creative experiment to push yourself out of the comfort zone of perfection. And there’s zero risk. It’s on an index card, or a scrap sheet of paper. Throwaway.

I’ll share the first one I ever did as a self-portrait in 2018. I added color after the pen drawing, while looking, just for fun.

You can do whatever it is you want. It’s your art, your experiment, your fun. Have at it.

With that, I leave you with my Picassoesque masterpiece. Until tomorrow, keep creating.

Blind contour continuous line self portrait

Filed Under: Art Projects Tagged With: art techniques, feathered friends, ICAD, the 100 day project

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About Bex

 

Bex Hall

Her writing has appeared in various online and print publications, most recently in Kerning, a literary magazine, and in the Stories of Hope Collection in Transplant Living. Her artwork has appeared and sold through the Grayson Gallery. She blogs here about creative life and creates in Studio BE overlooking the Ohio River. Her work in progress is a memoir about the secret life of objects.

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  • Creative practice goals:

    Show up every day behind the pen, the brush, or the lens and share my work.

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