Drawing without looking

In our process we are most of the time not looking at the visual art work while it is created. We use other methods that include touch and proprioception. Here are some interesting work by visual artist Claude Heath entitled Epstein's Hands Sequence (1999, Ink and blutack on mylar film, 150 x 60 cms), and some thoughts by writer Tom Lubbock about drawing blind.

  “Drawing from touch carries a quite different body of knowledge from drawing by eye. There is no light or shade, for one thing - a big difference, because even in the most linear eye-drawing light and shade make themselves felt. And even though the object may be presented from a particular aspect, there is no angle of vision in the visual sense. An object seen always has a profile, a visible edge, the line of its shape as it stands out silhouetted against the world behind it. An object felt has any number of contours running over its surface, but none of them has the special status of this profile.

Or again, in any view of an object there is large amount of that object's surface that cannot be seen. There's its far side, its back. There's whatever of its near side is concealed behind some other part of it. Drawing by eye always deals with these restricted visibilities. But drawing from touch has no such limits. It has no prejudice in favour of near side over far side, or in front of over behind. It deals indiscriminately with the whole tangible surface. On paper, all contours superimpose in confusion.”

(Tom Lubbock discussing Claude Heath’s work entitled Epstein’s Hands Sequence/ The Independent, Don’t Look Now , 08/10/2002)