This exercise is meant to create a conflict between the left side of your brain, which is the dominant side, and the right side of your brain, the subdominant. (I promise to go into more detail about the right and left side of the brain in relation to creativity in another post). Although it seems simple it is actually quite challenging. Before doing this with kids you should be trying it to understand the shift in your brain. This type of exercise is found in the Betty Edwards’s The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
You will need:
paper
Drawing tool (I like to use markers for this exercise)
What to do:
Draw a persons’ profile, then mirror it. (you can print the example ‘A’ below or create your own).
For children younger than 8 you should start buy simplifying the drawing into 3 basic shapes (see example ‘B’), be flexible and watch what your kid’s level is. Like every other exercise, the more you do the better you get at it.
Lessons from doing this project with Zoe:
1. Approach this exercise as a fun game of drawing
2. This exercise may be frustrating at times. You may have a child work with a pencil that can be erased. There is nothing wrong with erasing.
3. In order to explain what a mirror image is, I would start by showing a dashed example of what needs to be done (like figure A.2)
4. Keep the shapes really simple. starting with a heart shape was perfect for Zoe. A mirrored B may just turn into a butterfly
5. We took turns on who is drawing the shape and who is following with the mirror image. Zoe tried to challenge me with spirals and crazy curves; she had great success in doing that. I challenged her right back…
6. Very quickly we moved away from profiles into simple abstract shapes into figures like bears and cats.
7. We used the abstract shapes as the basis for some other drawings
8. Ori (2 1/2) was a little to young to actually mirror the images, but she was drawing right beside us, and from time to time had special orders for some specific drawings.
When drawing the first part of the exercise, you most likely be using the left side of the brain by identifying and naming the different parts (nose, chin, eyes, etc.). When drawing the mirror image, you may have found that naming the different parts is making it more difficult and confusing. You probably found yourself scanning the shapes and the spaces in-between them to create the mirrored image. Fighting away all preconceived knowledge. There for using your right side of the brain.
