This week I read someone’s Facebook post about an injury to their dominant hand and how they had to find new ways to make art with their non-dominant hand. I felt sympathy for her as I am very uncomfortable using my left hand. This morning I have a sore neck and my right arm is hurting. So I thought this is a perfect time to let my left non-dominant hand have a go at an exercise. I am not alone, most people cannot draw very effectively with the hand that they are not used to using.
Gather Materials:
- an artist’s journal, unlined notebook, or piece of paper
- pencil or pen
Today’s Exercise
Begin by sitting comfortably with your pencil and sketchbook. Take your pencil in your non-dominant hand then draw
- three squares
- three circles
- three triangles, and
- print or write today’s date
Reflections on the Exercise
- I used a thick charcoal pencil for my simple shapes and found it to be easier than I was expecting.
- I switched to a thin tipped pen for the date. The date was difficult. I started to wonder if the thin pen made a difference so I repeated the shapes with the thin pen… it didn’t make any difference.
- So, good to know, my left hand isn’t bad at doing simple shapes