Negative Space<br/> (Why It's Such a Big Deal!)

Authored by Lisa Larrabee.

If you do an online image search for "negative space drawings," you will find many examples ranging from traditional academic exercises to very creative design solutions.  Variations of negative space exercises exist at all levels of drawing classes (whether or not it is explicitly labeled as such).  So, what is "negative space," and why is it such a big deal?

Negative Space is a term used in art to describe the Space around or between an object or multiple objects.  You can think of the object as the "positive" form you can typically touch (like a houseplant).  The "negative space" is all the space around the object you cannot touch (like the spaces around and between the leaves).

In this example, the positive form is a clipping from a fig tree.  There is a lot of detail that you may focus on if you were drawing, painting, or simply observing this subject.  There are overlapping leaves creating lighter and darker values and different shades of green.  There are subtle details like the veins along the surface or the textures of the branches.

When I blackout the positive shapes, we lose the previous detail.  The focus is still on the subject, but the emphasis is now on the unified shape created.  It is like a silhouette with flattened shapes.  This is an example of simplifying the figure-ground relationship.  Our figure-ground perception allows us to group visual information as foreground and background.

Creating an inverse of the black and white places more emphasis on the negative space.  These dark shapes carry more weight visually, making us pay more attention to them.  In the previous example, the negative shapes were white, which allowed our brain to dismiss these negative shapes as "nothing" in order to focus on what our brain perceived as "something."

The Danish psychologist Edgar Rubin developed the most recognizable example of the figure-ground relationship. When shown the first version (left), we notice the two profiles in silhouette because they carry the visual weight.  When the image is inverted (right), what was the negative space now has the visual weight, and we can more easily see the vase in between the faces.  The figure-ground relationship is flipped.  The vase becomes the "figure," and the profiles become the background.

Why Is Negative Space a Big Deal?

Accuracy

Negative space is equally as important as positive space.  You cannot draw an object accurately if the negative space is inaccurate.  If you develop your ability to focus on the negative space, you can use those negative shapes to more accurately draw the positive shapes.  The focus becomes less on what the subject is and more on the relationship between the shapes.  Viewing the negative space as simple shapes also makes them easier to draw.

Composition

Consider balancing the design elements between the positive and the negative shapes (or the figure-ground).  How you place and/or crop your subject can create interesting negative shapes within the boundary of your artwork.  You can comfortably balance the relationship between the positive and negative shapes or emphasize a greater amount of positive or negative space to support a mood or narrative.  It's your choice. There are also opportunities to play with the figure-ground relationship that create surprising illusions (like Rubin's vase).  Many examples of drawings, paintings, and graphic design use the positive/negative figure-ground relationship to great effect.  Search figure-ground illusions for some incredible examples.

Editing

Do not underestimate the power of editing.  Selecting what information to leave out is just as important as deciding what should be included.  Our natural tendency is to focus on the positive subject and ignore the space around it because our brain filters out the space as less important or "nothing."  There are so many interesting details in a subject (light and shadows, colors, textures, etc.) that it can be difficult to focus on the negative space.  However, you can reduce the details in your subject and emphasize the interesting shapes and variations within the negative space.  Creating artwork with dynamic negative space opens up so many many incredible possibilities.  You are missing a huge opportunity if you have ignored or neglected the negative space.

Emphasizing Negative Space

In this example, you can see that I began my painting by blocking in colors in a range of mid-values (nothing too light or dark).  I also layered pigments and built up some textures.  Once the surface was dry, I sketched some of the important shapes of the tree and the figure with paint.  There is very little detail in the primary or secondary subjects.

Spring Renewal -early painting stage, artist Lisa Larrabee

I created the strongest value and color contrast when I painted the negative spaces around the tree.  Nothing within the subject was painted equal to the light value of the sky.  I added very little information to the tree.  Mostly the landscape was painted around it.  I developed the figure to a degree but also left out much information.

Spring Renewal, oil on panel, artist Lisa Larrabee

People have often commented on the "pink flowers in the hair."  This is an example of the figure-ground relationship playing tricks in your mind.  Without the figure, the light pink daubs of paint read as the sky shows in between the gaps in the tree's foliage.  They are negative shapes that are part of the background.  However, if you focus on the figure, the painted daubs connect with the subject and become interpreted as flowers in the hair.

Art Challenge

• Choose a  subject that has interesting negative shapes.  Look for examples with closed shapes (negative space surrounded by positive form).  
• Organic shapes (like plants) are more forgiving.  Structured inorganic shapes (like a pair of scissors or a chair) will help you identify mistakes more easily.
• Do NOT sketch in the guidelines of your subject. Try to hold the positive form in your mind, but do not draw it.
• Draw the outline of a negative shape. "Jump over" from the positive form to the next negative shape.  I like to begin with a closed shape (like the examples in violet).

There are many variations to try.  I have students begin by toning paper (either with vine charcoal or graphite).  This is very forgiving because you can blend away mistakes into the tone and try again when needed. Once the negative space is drawn, you can either erase the tone from your subject (which emphasizes the negative space) or erase the negative space, which will reveal the positive subject.

You can also draw your negative shapes in pencil and color them when finished.  Have some fun adding color or whimsical patterns.  In school (at KCAI), I did numerous negative space studies using India ink and a brush. I couldn't go back to fix most mistakes, but the results were very graphic and bold.

Be prepared for your drawing to get off track because you aren't sketching in any guidelines.  That's expected.  Make the corrections and keep going. 

If you find it too difficult to draw only the negative space without any of the positive, give yourself very light guidelines so you don't get lost.  Don't get discouraged.  The more time you spend concentrating on the negative space, the more your brain will get used to "seeing" it rather than ignoring it.  With practice, you will develop better drawing accuracy and make more interesting designs and composition choices that incorporate the positive and negative shapes more intentionally.

Did you accept the Art Challenge?  Share your progress on our private forum with friends of the Art Verve Academy.

Follow Lisa Larrabee on her instructional blog at lisalarrabeeart.blogspot.com or visit her website at Larrabeeart.com.