You probably have seen an image of a ‘vase’ in the center of a picture, creating what looks like two faces outside of it. The faces are negative space- the space around, within, and between the main subject of an image.

A good way to make your drawings more realistic is to pay attention to the negative space in your references. Like with basic shapes, it is an essential technique to use when drawing.

An exercise to try is to print out pictures and trace the outside of the subject of an image. You can also make negative space art, like the faces above or silhouette drawings. Seeing the negative space important when trying to draw what you see.

As you can see in the photograph above, the negative space (outside of the red lines) helps to keep your drawing more proportioned and lifelike. Make sure to leave a comment and share this post. Keep Creating!

Amelia