Matzke’s Weblog

I was really tickled, not to mention intimidated, to be invited to be a guest blogger on Scott Cowan’s blog. This is like finally getting a date with someone you’ve been flirting with who you never really expected to ask you out. Now you have to put up, (not out, really!) or shut up.  Be engaging, creative, interesting and interested.

Title insurance would not be my best first date topic.

So I want to share a little exercise that will hopefully be entertaining,  hands on, and maybe awaken a little part of your forgotten creative soul. By the end of it, you will have some basics that will help you draw a human face.

Ready?

Get this-the human head is remarkably similar in shape to an egg.  Obviously every face has it’s nuances, but in general for the proper placement of features on a face these guidelines will really help you. So get out a piece of paper and a pencil and play along.

1. Draw a shape as close to an egg as possible. Run a light line down the middle of the oval dividing it in half lengthwise. Sorry, this is not really an egg shape so you will have to willingly suspend your disbelief.

2. Find the middle of the egg and draw a line horizontally. This is where the eyes will be. Eyes are big marble shaped things that sit inside the sockets and are protected by eyelids, but the basic underlying shape is round. Just above the marbles where the eyebrows will sit. Draw a line there too.

3.  Now,halfway between the brow line and the chin is another line,which will bethe bottom of the nose. Of course a head wouldn’t be right without ears, and they generally lie between the brow line and the bottom of the nose.

4. Lastly, divide the space between the bottom of the nose and the chin into thirds, and the upper third is where the mouth goes.

Ok, so I really am a better painter than graphic designer,  but you get the gist. When you break down a seemingly complex and difficult thing like the human face into segments,  find the underlying constant and remember the basic principals, then you can start to have fun with adding dimensions, nuances, life.  Kind of like dating….

There is a wonderful book that has been out for years titled “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” by Dr. Betty Edwards. The idea is we have different ways of reading and proccessing information-some are more linear, analytical, critical thinkers. That is the left side of the brain, the right side being  the creative, tactile, visual and emotional side.

Systematized, automated processes are not much fun for the right brainer.  We like to brainstorm ideas, visualize big conceptual pictures, then dive in head first with an eye to the end result all the time expecting the outcome to be somewhere between what is imagined and what really happens. The reward is in the process as much as the product or result.

What is inspirational about social and business networking on the internet is that there is a legitimate place for the right brainers! Put out an idea. For example, I will promote my neighborhood watch  purely online. Blog about it, share it unabashedly on different sites like digg, tumblr, retaggr, etc, accept input, twitter it, create a facebook page, make a video…this is the creative process in action.  Where you start and where the internet takes you can be a wonderful adventure. You get to learn something new every day and connect with people you might never have the opportunity to meet if not for virtually.  

It is no substitute for real life face time, mind you, and the next revolution will probably be towards real time video social networking or something tactile like that. I don’t know-got any ideas? 

Stuff to know about:

www.picnik.com

www.tumblr.com

http://www.flyinside.com

www.myticor.com

rainbow wall by <3 Kirsty on Polyvore.com

Check out Rene’s post on ActiveRain that made the front page…go ahead and post a comment as everyone has a response!

http://activerain.com/blogsview/991492/Where-did-your-last-client-come-from