Introduction to negative drawing

By Chris Crosby
Good composition in a painting is vital, and using negative space can be a way of balancing elements, helping to add interest to the whole work, as well as improving the accuracy of drawing. Negative space is the space around and between the subject of the image, whereas the subject of the artwork occupies the positive space.
Negative drawing is also useful for adding outlines and colours where you might otherwise struggle to find a way.
 I use this method in my work with coloured pencil; it is not possible to colour white over darker colours, and saves having to pre-think which areas I need to colour white first.​

Here are some examples of my work to show what I mean
​Looking at the black and white Schnauzer, you can see that I’ve made the shape of the eyebrows and beard by working back into the space with a black pencil.
With the Westie, I have gone into the edges of Alfie’s fur with the rust pencil, to outline him.  

Example 1: Schnauzer

Example 2: Westie

​There are many examples of negative drawing and positive/negative space available on the internet (of course!), some of which I’ll share here:

UK artist Rebecca Mills
Negative space is used in photography and design and there are examples everywhere we can see in everyday life. Negative space is used a great deal in logo design as we see in the FedEx logo and the white arrow that is created in the negative space. Once you sharpen your eye to negative spaces you might find yourself spotting the hidden shapes in them everywhere. You can read more about this on Rebecca’s website.

UK Artist Mike Sibley
What do you see when you look at this picture below? Do you see an ancient black drinking cup? Maybe an ebony candlestick holder? These are the positive images. Or do you see two white faces both looking at each other? Think of these faces as the negative areas or what I call White Space. Imagine yourself seeing these two faces on white paper and filling in the space between them in black so the faces are revealed. This is Negative Drawing - seeing the space and not the line. Teaching yourself to see White Space is one of the best lessons you will ever learn.

​If you want more tips and to practice negative drawing take a look at “An introduction to negative drawing with Mike Sibley” published on the Art Instruction website. You can also find some articles and videos on the topic (pay to download) on Mike Sibley’s website.

​Other links to useful articles about negative drawing/space:
https://emilysnotebook.co.uk/all-posts/negative-space-drawing/
https://theartyteacher.com/what-is-negative-space-in-art/
The renowned graphic design artist, Escher, is known for using negative space in his art – read all about it here.
You can also deploy negative space to great effect in paintings, as explained in this post on Draw Paint Academy.

I hope you find this post informative - thank you for reading.