Drawing and mindfulness Drawing Exercise

Where

Sit somewhere comfortable, maybe at a table, somewhere you can rest your object and also draw.

Materials

Any drawing materials to hand; pencil or charcoal, and paper.

This is a quiet, reflective exercise that explores different ways of seeing. It takes around 15 minutes.

To begin, choose an object — something simple like a cup or a piece of fruit works well.

Each suggestion below offers a different way for your mind to connect with the object. Timings aren’t too important, but a rough guide is about a minute per stage. Work through each stage in order before finally drawing the object. You can also do this exercise with a friend, with one person reading the prompts aloud.

Steps

• Hold the object. Close your eyes and feel its weight, shape, texture and any flexibility. Pay close attention to the sensation of touch — let this sense become dominant as you explore the object.

• Open your eyes and place the object in front of you. Look carefully at its shape. Where are the edges? Notice how it interacts with its surroundings — the air, the surface it rests on. Are its boundaries clearly defined, or more elusive?

• Observe the object in terms of light and shade. Where does the light fall? Is it lighter or darker than its surroundings? Let light guide your perception.

• Look closely at the surface. What colours do you see? What textures? You may want to pick it up again to examine it more closely.

• Now broaden your view. Let the object be part of the wider space around you — the whole room. Notice its place within that setting.

• Consider the object in time. Where has it been? How did it come into your possession? Think about its history, its presence now, and its future.

• Imagine the object appeared in a dream. It felt significant. Don’t worry about inventing a story — just notice the atmosphere or emotional weight it holds, as if remembering the feeling upon waking.

• Close your eyes. Picture the object in your mind’s eye. What is it like to you now?

Now, set a timer and draw the object for five minutes, using intuition rather than focusing on any particular technique.

Afterwards, take a moment to reflect.
Did any of these ways of looking affect how you drew? What surprised you?

If you feel inspired, keep drawing.