For untrained artists the trouble with seeing lies in the conflict that exists between the concrete visual reality of an entity

and the way the brain attempts to represent our perception of this reality on the sketching paper. This attempt always involves the propensity to draw our iconic preconception instead of the concrete reality.

Symbolic preconceptions are part of a subconscious visual language that uses icons to represent known entities. This language of icons evolved as a mechanism to help us endure as a species. These icons help us, for example, to instantly recognize food sources or dangerous predators.

When we observe an unknown entity our subconscious mind instantantly tries to form a new symbol to represent and store the entity in memory. Often beginning artists will more correctly sketch unknown entities than familiar ones because they are not yet wedded to the new icons.

However, when they try to sketch the same entity a second time, it is likely that a more iconic picture will emerge because ready to use icons have already been stored in the brain.

Consider, for example, the word "head". Straight away an picture comes to mind which is iconic for the head. Unfortunately, this symbol is only a schematic picture of a head and is invariably a gross simplification of a actual head. Nevertheless, there is a strong subconscious pull to draw the schematic instead of what we actually see.

It is this inconsistency that artists must learn to conquer. This is particularly a problem for pencil portrait artists. When sketching a portrait the artist must resolve numerous layers of icons to achieve a realistic effect.

We now will illustrate a very good exercise to learn to overcome the problem of schematic sketching.

We will be sketching from an upside-down photo. This way our schematic preconception of the head is interrupted. We will be forced to draw without our icons. The effect will be a purer sketching experience unfettered by a contaminated observation.

As you sketch the lines and block-in the tones you will feel quite ill at ease in your sketching. This is a good thing. Do not be concerned with the quality of your drawing. This is an exercise in seeing.

When working with line and value this way, beginning artists often get better results than from the right-side up way. Trust yourself and throughout the exercise only look at your paper image in the upside-down position even though it may feel quite uncomfortable.

You will learn to see and sketch value as forms and will be able to break down hard edges into short, straight lines instead of the general icons your brain will give to the nose, the ears, etc.

Thinking of and naming perceived entities will lead you down the garden path of almond shaped eyes, two circles for nostrils, a bunch of lines for hair, cauliflower ears and something that looks like the letter M sitting on a bowl for a mouth instead of what is actually there.

Artists will never be free of schematic preconceptions. The icons actually change and become more refined. It is only by constantly analyzing and abstracting form that we are able to sketch realistically.