Questions to think about as you read about the research study below:
- What are the most common drawing errors made by new botanical illustrators?
- How do new botanical illustrators approach their drawing of plants? What is their strategy?
Studying the Cognitive Factors Involved in the Drawing Process
Susan B. Roth, a drawing instructor at Ohio State University, created an experiment to research the potential cause(s) behind the most common drawing errors she was observing in her classroom. Drawing (no pun intended) on her classroom observations and her previous research, she formulated the following hypothesis: Inaccurate perceptual analysis is the cause of drawing errors.
In her classroom, she observed the following errors repeatedly:
- Cubes drawn with the top face too large and in the shape of a square.
- Cylinders with the top face too large.
- Cubes drawn too wide.
To test her hypothesis that “the inability to translate a perceived three-dimensional image of an object into a two-dimensional drawn image” accounts for common drawing errors, she created an experiment enabling her to examine the relationship between drawing performance and the following factors: visual perception, drawing strategies, type of stimulus, “previous experience with visual studies”, and gender.
Students from different academic departments at Ohio State University were selected at random (n=27). Roth (1992) tested her hypothesis by administering standardized tests and taping each subject’s approach to drawing. Each subject created 10 drawings in response to different stimuli. Two drawings were created upon receiving a verbal command to draw a cube and a cylinder from memory. Eight drawings were created in response to observations made of “a three-dimensional cube, a distorted three-dimensional cube, a line drawing of a cube, a line drawing of a cube with shading added, a three-dimensional cylinder, a three-dimensional distorted cylinder, a line drawing of a cylinder, and a line drawing of a cylinder with shading added.” Drawing errors were recorded. Error type was also recorded. Errors were categorized on evaluation sheets specific to this study. Errors were arranged in a checklist containing phrases such as the image is too wide, the image is too deep, etc.
Roth (1992) found that the order in which lines were placed during the drawing process was not related to drawing performance. Roth observed that cube drawings (regardless of stimulus) contained more errors than cylinder drawings. The most common error was the “top face too large” error (Roth, 1992), followed by errors in drawing the appropriate width of an object, errors in drawing diverging lines, errors in drawing an object’s accurate height, and errors in drawing an object’s accurate depth. In her analysis of drawing performance and gender, Roth observed that male subjects had more experience with visual studies (e.g., shop classes, drafting classes, model building), than female subjects and suggests this might be the reason why the drawing performance of maie subjects was significantly different than that of female subjects.
Roth’s findings support her hypothesis. If the inability to translate the perceived three-dimensional image of an object into a two-dimensional drawn image accounts for common drawing errors, Roth suggests the implementation of the following instructional techniques in drawing:
- Students must be taught how to view objects “as a collection of relationships between end points and other elements” instead of as a whole object.
- Drawing instructors must enable the critical analysis of form, perhaps by using computerized instruction to help students see form and spatial relationships.
Today’s Questions:
- What are the most common drawing errors made by new botanical illustrators?
- How do new botanical illustrators approach their drawing of plants? What is their strategy?
Literature Cited
Roth, S.K. 1992. An investigation into cognitive factors involved in the drawing process. Journal of Visual Literacy. 11(2):57-76.
Article available online in Vol. 11 (2). See Journal Archives.
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