Multi-Stage Attention Hypothesis

In their paper, "A Multi-Stage Attention Hypothesis of Drawing Ability", Justin Ostrofsky and Aaron Kozbelt, both of Brooklyn College, attempt to help explain what makes one person draw more accurately, and with a finished product that better resembles the original subject, than another person.

Why can some people draw so well compared to others?  The multi-stage attention hypothesis argues that drawing is influenced by two factors:

1) What visual information is selected vs not selected to be included in the drawing;
2) The degree to which the visual system enhances the processing of selected visual information and suppresses the processing of non-selected visual information during drawing.

Ostrofsky and Kozbelt write that the selection of visual information is a continual decision making process; observational drawing requires constant looking back and forth from the subject to the drawing  as the brain can only store and draw small amounts of information at any given time.  Good artists select very particular information to draw: not all visual information is equally important for the recognition of the subject.  They develop an understanding, through training and what comes naturally, of what information will best capture the illusion of a 3D form in a 2D depiction.

Take a look at a timed observational drawing that our grade 10 students conducted here at GDCI. These eight examples show the variety of visual information that each artist chose to render into their drawing.  Certain chosen visual elements, be it values or shapes, either added to or took away from their attempt to replicate the image that they saw.

Moving forward, try to focus on the elements of a subject that are most important to the recognition of that subject.  Ask yourself what details are the most important in reconstructing a 3D object in 2D on your paper!