Abstract
The Building Blocks of Drawing
By Tero Heikkinen, University of the Arts, Finland
In this article I discuss the use of exaggerated drawings as a way to get a hold of drawing difficult forms. This approach arises from an interpretation of advice and images presented in drawing manuals and literature, applied to my own drawing practice. I examine the use of these exaggerated forms as a case of practitioner knowledge inherited from past practitioners, casting light into one way that practice-led and artistic research might constitute an ongoing development. Rather than being tacit and impenetrable, portions of drawing skill appear as a combination of different kinds of knowledge, such as procedural knowledge. At the same time, to understand drawing through practice is to examine time scales that go beyond single drawing. Drawing is not simply advanced by drawing the intended outcome repeatedly, but by shifting the drawing's exploration to address different topics and kinds of drawing.
Author keywords
drawing, practice, practitioner knowledge, practice-led research