Durer's Grid

Art I students are learning about the many ways artists achieve correct proportions in drawings. Many of our activities are taken from Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. Increasing our awareness of anatomy is one way, and students created diagrams that illustrate the general proportions of the human head.

Another method is the use of the grid. Albrecht Durer is well-known for using this device. In his day, it was a wooden frame with wires running through it. Today, it's easier to draw the grid right on a photographic reference.

Below is the first finished drawing from the class. The photographic reference is on the left. Using this method is a good way to learn to look for specific shapes, and to avoid drawing stereotyped symbols.Amelia Earhart (charcoal) by Arianna Crawford