POS - Negative Space Journal (Lesson)

Negative Space Journal

Considering the negative space when creating art is an integral part of a drawing. When you draw by negative space, you are able to focus on the proportion of an object and help to create a stronger composition. For our journal in this module, we will create a negative space page that considers both actual and implied negative space on two facing pages.

View the following video to learn more about negative space. Be sure that your volume is turned on!

Supplies:

Journal, HB pencil, eraser, ballpoint pen (preferred, but if you don’t have one, use the flair pen but it will bleed), poster paint, paintbrush, and water.

Actual Negative Space:

You will draw an object by the space that surrounds it. Select an object that has negative space like a chair, a bicycle, or a stool. You will draw the area around object.

Implied Negative Space:

You will “doodle” over the actual negative space drawing objects or ideas that make you think of “negative spaces.” This is a personal definition, so it could be anything that is negative, like subtraction in math or a game that takes up all your free time. Be creative with your doodles and draw these within and outside your actual negative space drawing. In the image above, the implied negative space is based on war. In the image below, it is based on watching movies.

When you are finished with your “doodles,” use your poster paint to paint in the space around your actual negative space drawing. Select a color and paint in the space. Remember if you draw your doodles in flair pen, then your pen lines will bleed and blur in the painted areas. 

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