Mar 4, 20233 min read

Automatic Drawing

Updated: May 4, 2023

Hey guys. What is the magical technique of automatic drawing, you ask? It's the practice of completely clearing your mind of thoughts and letting the hand guide where the subconscious mind wants. Some do this with eyes closed, but it's up to you. After my first sketch (below) I was happy to see through the barren lines and spirals, a whole landscape scene just waiting to be brought to life with color.

a sketchbook page of wavy, swirly lines drawn "automatically" — My first automatic drawing outcome

Simple lines and abstract shapes allow for many interpretations. It seems to be most associated with surrealism and expressionists, as the style and methods share similarities.

Second drawing "Looking for the Light"

I drew on a sketchbook page: mostly a swirl meeting in the middle of the page (my interpretation is that it is light through a tunnel), there is a figured/abstract person that I added a beanie and eye to, that is peering up into this spiral center. I added a flower vine and there are scratchy-like "plants" to the far left. I signed it and photographed it in a lightbox with a red backdrop surrounded by four admired rocks from my collection — Second automatic drawing

I will be doing some of these drawings and labeling them with current pondering and any other happenings that might relate to what comes out. They naturally are highly personal.

Automatic drawing was first described by Austin Osman Spare in his "Book of Pleasure" in the 1920's. He also practiced automatic writing. The book is described as one to read slowly to understand, though it provides an interesting perspective. Some well-known artists that practiced this type of drawing include Salvador Dali, Andre Masson, Joan Miro, and Max Ernst. Tim Gula flawlessly laid out comic book scenes with this method. Sigmund Freud also analyzed his patients minds by asking them to draw or write freely.

An article titled Automatism by Tate mentioned, "Freud’s ideas strongly influenced French poet André Breton who launched the surrealist movement in 1924 with the publication of the Manifesto of Surrealism. In the manifesto, Breton defined surrealism as:

'Pure psychic automatism ... the dictation of thought in the absence of all control exercised by reason and outside all moral or aesthetic concerns.'"

You can practice this any time, but it can be especially helpful if you're in a creative block. You might consider making it a morning and/or night ritual as a way to free the mind. It's very relaxing and a way to let out unexpressed emotions. You'll naturally calm down with a few conscious breathes and by simply allowing what is to play out. There's no judgement of skill, so it could be a way to start trying art if you're the type who has always stuck with stick figures, when you'd truly rather see that you're able to draw a pleasant visual of any sort.

I personally have a long running list of design ideas that I plan to get out but after trying this method for the first time, I'm eager to practice it and incorporate it into artworks at least on occasion.

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Other happenings here

Flow Slow & Shine prints are in! Original canvas listing and other merch to follow.

A snail shines it's sun rays out of its colorful shell, where a tiny parade of snails travel along its spiral amongst many colored random lines. The snails body is blue-decorated with purple stripes and red sprinkles, floating in the sky amongst the clouds and sea. — Flow Slow & Shine

🌸 A new Spring painting (I'm aligning with the seasonal timeline, so you don't have to melt the snow with your eyes, like that time when I shared "Snowshoe Summit " in the late Spring.)

☀️ My signature developed shiny sun rays, so you'll see that on my things from now on.

Fixed the gallery layout on the mobile homepage 🙃 sneaky

Wrapped this crescent shaped tiger's eye for a friend. It has a delicate twist that suspends it before connecting to the string. (I don't want to guarantee that I could do it again. Super slippy rock. Knowing myself I would try though for someone who couldn't live without it, if I found another gem like this).