Analysis of “Eye Movements in Portrait Drawing”
Summary:
Used eye tracker and brain scanning to externally and internally analyze how a single artist looked back and forth between reference and canvas when doing portrait drawing.
Defined the simple cycle that an artist repeats to create a drawing: 1. Looking at a specific detail of the model; 2. Turning towards the picture; 3. Drawing or painting the detail; 4. Looking at the picture.
“Our principal finding from the eyetracker study of Humphrey Ocean at work was that his eye movements while drawing a portrait were different from his normal eye movements. While drawing, he made a sequence of regular single fixations on selected details of the model’s face.”
Other observations made that are interesting:
1. The capture of visual information detail by detail, rather than in a more holistic manner, is reflected in the way the drawing or painting is built up. This proceeds systematically, by small geometric areas, gradually building up to the picture’s main elements: right eye, left eye, nose, lips, etc. Each detail and each element is of intrinsic importance.
4. Nevertheless, the eye and eye-hand skills alone cannot define the picture production process. Other artists working from life in Humphrey’s style have similar skills and goals, yet, if asked to draw the same model, would produce entirely different portraits. The reason for this is not how they draw, but what they draw.
5. The last observation centres on this choice: “At any given moment I will start from what I can see from where I am. I try to achieve a likeness. But what I want is a likeness to the reaction I have to something I can see”.
Discussion:
This is a good read to skim about how an artist works when creating a picture. Doesn’t go much into generalizations as this is only one artist, but it’s just a good reference with a defined process of what an artist does.