SESSION

eaths to stay slow and focused. In
addition to concentrated looking,
this activity builds a trust and
intimacy between the two partners
as, with vulnerability, each partner
is required to draw in front of the
other and permit themselves to be
studied and drawn.
BLIND DRAWING
EXERCISE BUILDS:
n Hand-eye coordination
n Trust of yourself: trust of
intuition, trust your hand,
trust your eye
n Non-judgment, process
emphasis, non-outcome
based engagement
n Meditation, slowness,
breathing, focus
n Non-verbal communication
n Intimacy and trust between
friends
Supplies: 3 to 4 sheets of large
newsprint for each girl, a few
markers (only one is needed
for each girl at a time), timer or
stop-watch
Activity instructions
Girls are paired in partners, sitting across from each other. Facilitator
reminds everyone to breath and relax, each girl will draw their partner in the
blind drawing style (described above) for increasing intervals of time. Begin
with 45 seconds, then increase to 1.5 min., then 2 min or more for the final
drawing (if this feels too long for your group, adjust to what pushes them but
is possible).
Reminders for facilitators
Remind those drawing to breathe and not tense up in their shoulders,
arms, or hands.
Each time you extend the time and begin a new round of the blind
drawing activity, remind the ones drawing to keep their hand continually
connected to the paper and their eye continually connected to their partner.
This will be hard for everyone.
If you are being drawn, it might feel exposing to have someone look at you
for a sustained amount of time. Remind the participants that this is to be
expected. Remind them to take a deep breath and try to take in this attention
as a loving and caring. Remind those drawing to take a deep breath and send
love and gratitude to their partner as they draw them.
Part of the desired outcome of this exercise is to challenge you and the
students you are leading to let go of expectations about how a drawing or
image is “supposed” to look. Attempting to draw something very realistically
is at times a good goal, but at times it gets in the way. There are many paths
to seeing and drawing and authentic art isn’t always the most realistic. This
exercise puts everyone at the same level, for most of us this experience is new
and doesn’t depend on being “good at drawing” or not. The goal is different,
the goal is to look and let your hand follow your eye. The drawings that result
are successful to the degree that that rule has been followed.
Blind Drawing
30 Cronmiller Cook / Way to GLOW, Year 1, Session 1