16. Shape Basics - Positive & Negative Space

 In this lesson, we will explore how to see and use positive and negative space in order to improve the accuracy and creativity of your drawings.

Positive Space consists of physical objects and subjects in an environment - things that take up space, like a person, table, chair, etc.

Negative Space is the empty air between physical objects.

By checking your negative shapes, you can check that your proportions are accurate. You may think you have a great drawing of a person, a group of people, etc. But then, when you check your reference, you'll notice that the negative spaces look totally different. Funny enough - sometimes that's okay! Sometimes you can change the reference and get away with it. But not always! That's why it's helpful to double check your reference's negative spaces and see if you haven't goofed something up - if so, no worries! Art is a process of making mistakes and fixing them. Try to balance the positive shapes you see with the negative ones, so that they all bear a resemblance to your reference.

But, Positive and Negative space isn't just a quality control function - it's a creative tool. Artists use it to make dynamic, beautiful, and even poetic portrayals of reality. By emphasizing positive and negative space in your work, you find you will flatten the image, in a graphic style, almost like playing cards, and the result makes a statement about the scene, as if commenting on the people, poses, and action. It's a way of saying, This is not a person, it's a drawing of a person, a story of a person, and this story is being told for a reason.

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