Zen drawing explained

The first time I discovered Zen drawing and the drawing reflex was via the books of Frederick Franck. He described what I was looking for for a long time: an effortless way of drawing that could also be used as a meditation technique!

If you are familiar with meditation techniques like Mindfulness or Zazen, you know that emptying the mind and focussing on your senses can make you feel completely different. Your energy starts to shift and the calmer you get, the better you perceive the information through your senses. You see, hear, smell, feel and taste clearer. Zen drawing does exactly that, by focussing all your attention on a very small detail of the subject you are drawing. This way you see so much more! At the same time this way of seeing causes a shift in the brain that is also associated with the mediative state. This shift brings more inner silence, raises your intuition and makes you see and draw better. So it's a positive viscious circle!

There is a lot to tell about Zen drawing. Below you find some background on the practical exercises and benefits of Zen drawing. Because there is so much to say, I have also written in books about Zen drawing that help to get started yourself.

Everyone can draw!

There is this false assumption in the world that only talented people are able to draw. It's complete nonsense! Think about it: if you can write by hand, you can 'draw' the most complex and tiny symbols. We call it writing, but it requires the same motor skills as drawing. So if you can write, why shouldn't you be able to draw? The key lies in the way we see and 'instruct' our hands. If kids and adults are taught to see in the right way they can draw what they see instantly with the help of the drawing reflex.

When I discovered the 'Zen' approach to drawing, I started to draw in a very spontaneous and effortless way. It got me to let go of my rational thinking and perfectionism by accepting mistakes and failures. Funnily enough this change in approach and mindset resulted in prettier and lighter drawings and most importantly: I found this way of drawing lots of fun!

What you see is what you get

Seeing is the core element of Zen drawing. It is about quieting the chattering mind and opening up to what you see. By using the 'drawing reflex' your hands automatically draw (contour)lines without effort, even without looking at your paper! I call this practice 'blind contour drawing' and it forces you to look at every detail. Everything you see will end up on your paper. By using the reflex, the drawing seems to appear almost by itself and in the meantime you can focus on what you see, feel connected and enjoy the experience.

From scribble to 'art'

The simple contour drawings that are the result of 'blind contour drawing' can be used for any artistic purpose. You can complete the drawing in more detail by adding tones in pencil, you can use the drawing as the basis for your art in any material you wish like watercolor, oil and acrylics, pencil and crayons. The more you practice, the more you learn about the technique and the more experienced you will get. With the 'Zen' attitude of drawing your skills will improve by themselves as you become more experienced.

Less is more

Zen drawing is a way of drawing based on the ground principles of Zen. One of them, the 'less is more' principle teaches us to draw the essence of the subject. A simple line, when it has captured the essence, can tell it all.

In Zen drawing you can play around with this principle and try to catch the essence of a flower, a plant, an animal or a landscape in a simple sketch, just by leaving out any unnecessary and 'irrelevant' details.

Moving objects

When your still-life drawings turn out well, you can start drawing moving objects, like flying birds, running animals and even people in the street. Drawing moving objects is a great way to learn how to let go of the result and increase your drawing speed. These kind of drawings usually end up looking like spontaneous sketches and not like fully detailed drawings It is really great fun to draw without paying to much attention to your paper!

Learning through Zen drawing

Zen drawing can become a way of learning new things. This way of seeing without a prejudge and focusing on the tiniest details makes you see much more, which can result in glimpses of insight. All of a sudden you (re)discover something you never truly seen before. Learning through drawing what you see, used to be an important element in (scientific) education in the past. Today seeing and drawing has lost popularity in most schools and I hope teachers will return to this way of learning through drawing again.

Falling in love and connection

Once you start seeing and drawing, your visual awareness will expand. Seeing becomes a way of life. Every moment of the day you can be struck by something beautiful. For example, once you start drawing trees and see their unique shape and energy, you may notice so many beautiful trees you normally would not have noticed. Besides that, by giving something your full unprejudiced attention you may feel a connection that changes the relationship between you and that tree forever.

Seeing energy

One thing that I personally noticed through Zen drawing is that you can become more aware of 'seeing' energy. As everything around you is a form of energy, you may become more aware of the characteristics of that energy. Every person, animal, tree and landscape radiates energy. That can be friendly, peaceful energy for example, or nervous or even sad energy. By seeing these objects with your heart, you become aware of subtle nuances in energy. This awareness is the result of the connection to what you see and it may surprise you how much information is available without words.

Books

If you want to learn more about Zen drawing and get inspired I can highy recommend to read books about the technique. In my book section you will find my books in English and Dutch that explain how you can get started yourself. Besides my books there are many more interesting books and luckily the books of Frederick Franck are still available on the market.