Did you resolve to learn to draw this year?  Or if you already have drawing skills, are you ready to refresh and upgrade your drawing tools and materials?  Look no further than the DRSB Store!  And for the Dog Days of Summer, from now through Labor Day (midnight Sept 2, 2024), we have discounted prices by 10%! Artist’s Portfolio, regularly $119.99 is now $107.99 Artist’s Portfolio with DVD, regularly $149.99, is now $134.99 When checking out, just use the code SUMMER24 and your discount will be automatically applied. Why do you need proper Drawing on the Right Side of ..read more

Since I published the original edition of my first book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, in 1979, it has been astonishing to see how far it has traveled around the globe.  Clearly, there is a hunger to learn perceptual skills through learning to draw, and we know for a fact that this also has far-reaching effects on thinking skills in general.  Learning to draw is valuable, whether or not you choose to pursue a career in the arts.  In the complex world in which we live, it is so important that people strengthen their own perceptual skills to see things as they truly are ..read more

The following article confirms what I’ve always believed — that there are huge cognitive benefits to handwriting, particularly in script or cursive. Give it a try! As the author says, “Not only will you reap the cognitive benefits, but you might also rediscover the joy of writing by hand.” Posted by Zara Nwosu 21 Feb 2024 at https://medriva.com/health/brain-health/the-cognitive-benefits-of-handwriting-how-it-boosts-memory-and-learning/ In an era dominated by digital technology, it can often feel like handwriting is becoming a lost art. However, a growing body of research suggests that th ..read more

I want to strongly recommend that you listen to the podcast interview of Dr. Iain McGilchrist, the renowned psychiatrist, neuroscience researcher, philosopher, and literary scholar:  Click here for podcast audio and transcription.  At the moment, there are a lot of criticisms and disputes about right brain/left brain capabilities, even among scientific circles. But the fact is that as human beings, we have two ways of dealing with reality. No matter where in the brain this happens, we see, on one hand (or one side of the brain), specific step-by-step plans, processes, etc., and on t ..read more

The subject of how to effectively teach reading to young children is one that has long fascinated me, as I can see parallels between the way that we should teach drawing and the way we should teach reading.  The skill of reading as with drawing is fundamental to a child and ultimately to an adult.  It is the key to comprehending the world, to being an informed citizen, and to having a successful life. At this moment, a knock-down, drag-out battle is gaining momentum among American elementary education experts and teachers. And at risk is nothing less than America’s future in terms of ..read more

A recent article in the New York Times discussed something that Betty has been telling students for decades: “In an age of instant everything, drawing invites us to slow down and appreciate the world around us.” Many thanks to the author, Melissa Kirsch, who wrote this in her article “How to Slow Down”: “Several years ago, on a lark, I signed up for a figure-drawing class. I hadn’t had art instruction of any sort since grade school, when I’d demonstrated scant talent in my preferred medium, construction paper and Elmer’s glue. My adventure in continuing education was similarly undistinguished ..read more

This is a beautiful new edition of Betty’s latest book, Drawing on the Dominant Eye. Published in Korea in June 2022, the book is beautifully designed, with a section of full-color illustrations and a gorgeous cover (stamped and embossed) that is illustrated with a selection of the amazing, tiny, hand-painted miniatures of human eyes that were a jewelry fad in the 1800s. It is always so much fun to see how Betty’s books are designed and presented by foreign publishers ..read more

This article by scholar Kim Biel in Lapham’s Quarterly is a fascinating and well-researched rumination on the ever-fascinating subject of color, ranging from painting to photography and back to the natural world: "New Look, Same Great Look" The article begins: “Color is among the most challenging aspects of our experience to describe. Spectrophotometers and colorimeters can quantify light waves, yet their measurements have little impact on our feeling for color. As the philosopher Zeno Vendler put it, “Vincent van Gogh loved the color yellow—and certainly not because of its wavelength.” Color ..read more

Celebrating the advent of Spring, we are offering a 15% discount on any purchases in the DRSB Store! Offer good through March 31, 2022. Just use the code RIGHT15 when you check out. Happy Drawing ..read more

Did you know that Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain and other Betty Edwards books have been translated into 24 languages and are available around the world?  Since it was first published in the U.S. in 1979, DRSB has been embraced by people who want to learn to draw or by artists honing their skills or enhancing their creativity. If you speak any of these languages, you can find Betty’s books! Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese (Complex Characters), Chinese (Simplified Characters), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Norwegian ..read more