DRAWING WITH NEGATIVE SPACE : Draw Outlines Around White Space to Draw Using Negative Space

An Introduction to Negative Drawing with Mike Sibley

Think of it as defining the boundaries of a shape using only the tone that surrounds it. In other words, you aren’t drawing the object but simply giving the illusion of the object by drawing around it.

Drawing Grass : an Introduction to "Negative" Drawing

The title of this article is really too specific as the techniques described here apply as much to the drawing of hair as to grass. This is also an introduction to the use of "negative" drawing - drawing around white space, which only exists in your mind until you surround it with positive marks. I will cover "negative drawing" in more detail in a later article.

Learning to Draw : Learning to See

Another method is working with negative space instead of positive space. Negative space is the space that the subject does not occupy, as opposed to the space it does, or positive space. Looking at the shapes and forms made up by the areas outside the subject, like the gap between the arm and the body or the spaces between the legs of a chair.

Negative Space Drawing : How to Use Negative Space

In negative space drawing, instead of observing the positive shape of an object, you draw the shape of the space around the object.

You Might Also Like Our Elements of Space Drawing Lessons Page.