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Drawing on The Dominant Eye: Decoding the Way We Perceive, Create, and Learn
A fascinating follow-up to the beloved bestseller Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain --with new insights about creativity and our unique way of seeing the world around us
Millions of readers have embraced art teacher Betty Edwards's Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain , from art students and teachers to established artists, corporate trainers, and more--all discovering a bold new way of drawing and problem-solving based on what we see, not what we think we see.
In this highly anticipated follow-up, Edwards illuminates another piece of the creativity puzzle, revealing the role our dominant eye plays in how we perceive, create, and are seen by those around us. Research shows that much like being right-handed or left-handed, each of us has a dominant eye, corresponding to the dominant side of our brain--either verbal or perceptual. Once you learn the difference and try your hand at the simple drawing exercises, you'll gain fresh insights into how you perceive, think, and create. You'll learn how to not just look but truly see.
Generously illustrated with visual examples, this remarkable guided tour through art history, psychology, and the creative process is a must-read for anyone looking for a richer understanding of our art, our minds, and ourselves.
Millions of readers have embraced art teacher Betty Edwards's Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain , from art students and teachers to established artists, corporate trainers, and more--all discovering a bold new way of drawing and problem-solving based on what we see, not what we think we see.
In this highly anticipated follow-up, Edwards illuminates another piece of the creativity puzzle, revealing the role our dominant eye plays in how we perceive, create, and are seen by those around us. Research shows that much like being right-handed or left-handed, each of us has a dominant eye, corresponding to the dominant side of our brain--either verbal or perceptual. Once you learn the difference and try your hand at the simple drawing exercises, you'll gain fresh insights into how you perceive, think, and create. You'll learn how to not just look but truly see.
Generously illustrated with visual examples, this remarkable guided tour through art history, psychology, and the creative process is a must-read for anyone looking for a richer understanding of our art, our minds, and ourselves.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2020
62 people are currently reading
323 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 6, 2021
This is a narrowly focused but provocative book by the master drawing teacher Betty Edwards. The major finding that she reports is that almost all of us know whether we are right- or left-hand dominant, but few of us know whether we are right- or left- eye dominant. Turns out that 65% of us are right-eye dominant and 34% left-eye dominant. The remaining 1%? Who knows? And what does this mean in terms of vision and connectivity to the right or left side of the brain, Edwards' special interest? Who knows to that question, too. More research is necessary.
But you can find out which is your dominant eye, and beyond that, you can pretty easily guess which eye is dominant in almost everyone you meet. Edwards tells you how. Further, she helps you read the different functions of the eyes in interpersonal relations and uses these insights to advance her proven ideas about recovering a visual life and energy that most of us cease to develop at age 7 or 8, when we stop advancing beyond crude, symbolic drawing.
Edwards' plea remains that we make more use of our "right brain," the part of the brain that gives us pathways into the arts, the intuitions, and, I would say, both useful sources of intelligence and a greater sense of personal happiness and fulfillment.
Today's world is definitely a left-brain world--verbal, analytic, systematic, and logical. We think a lot, but we don't see in equal measure. Our wholeness has been diminished by the overall utility of the left-brain's functions. As Edwards says, visualization in depth, detail and gestalt has atrophied because we have so little recourse to right-brain abilities. She offers some thoughts on how to recover our lost talents in this book, but it is not one of her drawing guides or workbooks. It is a book more focused on the neglected powers of the brain and the costs this neglect imposes on us.
But you can find out which is your dominant eye, and beyond that, you can pretty easily guess which eye is dominant in almost everyone you meet. Edwards tells you how. Further, she helps you read the different functions of the eyes in interpersonal relations and uses these insights to advance her proven ideas about recovering a visual life and energy that most of us cease to develop at age 7 or 8, when we stop advancing beyond crude, symbolic drawing.
Edwards' plea remains that we make more use of our "right brain," the part of the brain that gives us pathways into the arts, the intuitions, and, I would say, both useful sources of intelligence and a greater sense of personal happiness and fulfillment.
Today's world is definitely a left-brain world--verbal, analytic, systematic, and logical. We think a lot, but we don't see in equal measure. Our wholeness has been diminished by the overall utility of the left-brain's functions. As Edwards says, visualization in depth, detail and gestalt has atrophied because we have so little recourse to right-brain abilities. She offers some thoughts on how to recover our lost talents in this book, but it is not one of her drawing guides or workbooks. It is a book more focused on the neglected powers of the brain and the costs this neglect imposes on us.
January 10, 2022
I have read Betty Edwards previous books and enjoyed them, this is really a re-hash with a few more up to date illustrations, the dominant eye existence is established, but very little information about what this means, how to make the most of it. The book feels a little superficial and the fact I managed to read it in about 3 hours, made me feel it did not have much substance. Disappointing from such a generally helpful author
November 4, 2022
I don't know what I was expecting, but this just wasn't for me.
June 10, 2021
Betty Edwards, author, artist and teacher, has a new book out, “Drawing on the Dominant Eye.” It’s a follow-up to her bestseller, “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain,” which millions have used to improve not only their drawing skills but also their thinking skills. Edwards’ first book deepened readers’ understanding of the way our brains have our distinct verbal and non-verbal information processing skills.
Why this new book? Edwards directs readers to the split-brain research done in the 1950s and 1960s at California Institute of Technology, showing the two hemispheres of the brain have very different ways of processing information from the world around us. One side is “verbal, analytic, and sequential, mostly using language and logic to think and converse. In the other hemisphere is another ‘person,’ whose main mode of thinking is nonverbal, visual, perceptual, and global, seeing and intuiting the whole all at once,” explains Edwards. She further explains a structure in the brain called the corpus callosum connecting the two halves, allowing us to experience our thoughts “as one person, and the two ‘languages’ meld into one.”
You know whether you are right-handed or left-handed, but did you know there is also “footedness?” According to Edwards, the foot you most often step out with is your dominant foot. And then we come to the “dominant eye” concept referred to in the book title, another outward sign of the way your individual brain is organized. “About 65 percent of humans are right-eye dominant, and 34 percent left-eye dominant. For 1 percent, both eyes are equally dominant,” notes Edwards. Those who are aware of how to detect the dominant eye of another person “can gain some insights into another person’s true self.”
Edwards comments on what an image-saturated world we live in, and suggests that the advent of cameras, film, television, and, more recently, the Internet, may lead to “a new world of improved and broadened visual perception with less dependence on language in all its forms.” Can you think of any pictures, videos, or even half-time commercials which, without words, have moved you in some way?
As an art teacher, Edwards believes that students could benefit from having drawing instruction as part of their regular curriculum. “Drawing slows down perception,” she writes. “Visual information that might be glossed over or actually not seen at all in more casual ‘looking and naming’ provides a pathway to the real goal, understanding. This is the difference between fast seeing in order to name, and slow seeing through drawing, which provides a pathway to those true goals of drawing: perception, comprehension, and appreciation.”
With beautiful visual examples from the Old Masters to student drawings, and several drawing exercises to try at home, Edwards persuades readers to consider that there is more than one way to see the world, and that within every human being there is a pathway towards enriched perspective through drawing. Readers who enjoy art, psychology, or creative expression will want to Edwards’ book.
Why this new book? Edwards directs readers to the split-brain research done in the 1950s and 1960s at California Institute of Technology, showing the two hemispheres of the brain have very different ways of processing information from the world around us. One side is “verbal, analytic, and sequential, mostly using language and logic to think and converse. In the other hemisphere is another ‘person,’ whose main mode of thinking is nonverbal, visual, perceptual, and global, seeing and intuiting the whole all at once,” explains Edwards. She further explains a structure in the brain called the corpus callosum connecting the two halves, allowing us to experience our thoughts “as one person, and the two ‘languages’ meld into one.”
You know whether you are right-handed or left-handed, but did you know there is also “footedness?” According to Edwards, the foot you most often step out with is your dominant foot. And then we come to the “dominant eye” concept referred to in the book title, another outward sign of the way your individual brain is organized. “About 65 percent of humans are right-eye dominant, and 34 percent left-eye dominant. For 1 percent, both eyes are equally dominant,” notes Edwards. Those who are aware of how to detect the dominant eye of another person “can gain some insights into another person’s true self.”
Edwards comments on what an image-saturated world we live in, and suggests that the advent of cameras, film, television, and, more recently, the Internet, may lead to “a new world of improved and broadened visual perception with less dependence on language in all its forms.” Can you think of any pictures, videos, or even half-time commercials which, without words, have moved you in some way?
As an art teacher, Edwards believes that students could benefit from having drawing instruction as part of their regular curriculum. “Drawing slows down perception,” she writes. “Visual information that might be glossed over or actually not seen at all in more casual ‘looking and naming’ provides a pathway to the real goal, understanding. This is the difference between fast seeing in order to name, and slow seeing through drawing, which provides a pathway to those true goals of drawing: perception, comprehension, and appreciation.”
With beautiful visual examples from the Old Masters to student drawings, and several drawing exercises to try at home, Edwards persuades readers to consider that there is more than one way to see the world, and that within every human being there is a pathway towards enriched perspective through drawing. Readers who enjoy art, psychology, or creative expression will want to Edwards’ book.
September 8, 2021
She lost me very soon. She has intriguing ideas and they may be completely valid, but she lost me starting with identifying whether I am right-eye dominant or left-eye dominant. The exercises in looking seemed quite clear and surprising, but when she went on to the clasped hands, she asked, "Which thumb is on top?" Did she mean on top as in closer to the sky? Or did she mean on top as in on the outside? And crossing the arms, does she mean on top as in higher up the body or on the outside? Continuing to Chapter Three, she talks about split-view photos of faces, shows one of Barack Obama and one of George Clooney -- and then says "Both appear to be left-eye dominant." That appearance is completely unclear to me. I see the faces are different but I can tell no dominance. My confusion is worsened when she starts talking about self-portraits using a mirror. Mirror images are not correct in terms of right and left sides. They are swapped. So starting out intrigued, I have become completely confused about how to apply what she is talking about. Except for the looking exercises to check which eye is dominant. I have to stop!
November 13, 2024
First off: the Author’s book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is brilliant. For me, it was life changing. Before reading the book and doing the exercises, seeing other people draw was like seeing magic. It was a skill that I couldn’t imagine ever having. After “learning how to see” I was able, in mid-life, to learn the basics of drawing. It made a huge and valuable difference to my leisure time, my self-esteem and my understanding of the world.
Reading and undertaking the (few!) drawing exercises in Drawing on the Dominant Eye was disappointing. This book is a short essay in which the author is trying to convince us and herself that “eyedness” is a thing, and that it can have an impact on your life. It did not progress my understanding or my drawing ability further than the original book. The concepts covered in Drawing on the Dominant Eye are either woo woo, or Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain-lite.
Don’t buy this book. Buy the original. And if you’ve already read the original, definitely don’t buy this book. If you are aware of a better alternative, please let us all know.
Reading and undertaking the (few!) drawing exercises in Drawing on the Dominant Eye was disappointing. This book is a short essay in which the author is trying to convince us and herself that “eyedness” is a thing, and that it can have an impact on your life. It did not progress my understanding or my drawing ability further than the original book. The concepts covered in Drawing on the Dominant Eye are either woo woo, or Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain-lite.
Don’t buy this book. Buy the original. And if you’ve already read the original, definitely don’t buy this book. If you are aware of a better alternative, please let us all know.
October 22, 2023
This is an interesting book. I’m not sure how much it matters to most people, though. It’s a very narrow topic covered to a shallow depth. It sounds like there just isn’t that much research on dominant and non-dominant eyedness. Hopefully this book will spur on more research, because the idea is fascinating. I especially liked thinking about how this concept may affect neurodivergent people. This wasn’t covered by Edwards, just something I was thinking about as I read.
One of Edwards’ other themes is wondering how teaching drawing in elementary school (like we do reading) could affect the ability to see amongst the modern population. She’d probably love Charlotte Mason’s educational philosophy and practices. Her students had extensive practice in observing and drawing. They seemed to turn out to be people who cared about the details in the world around them, as well as people who saw connections.
In the end, it wasn’t clear how relevant to drawing it is to know which is your dominant eye. I did enjoy this fast read, the exercises, and all the images throughout the book.
One of Edwards’ other themes is wondering how teaching drawing in elementary school (like we do reading) could affect the ability to see amongst the modern population. She’d probably love Charlotte Mason’s educational philosophy and practices. Her students had extensive practice in observing and drawing. They seemed to turn out to be people who cared about the details in the world around them, as well as people who saw connections.
In the end, it wasn’t clear how relevant to drawing it is to know which is your dominant eye. I did enjoy this fast read, the exercises, and all the images throughout the book.
August 24, 2023
A very quick and interesting read about how most people have a dominant eye (like a dominant hand or foot), and how that plays out in terms of human interactions, in making art, and in how we view portraits, especially self-portraits. The book has LOADS of images of artwork to clarify Edwards' points, and I found that really helpful. I've not read her "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain," but now I'm going to check it out along with videos because I'm really curious.
July 19, 2025
interesting read
As someone who is the less popular left-eye dominant I would have liked to have less assumptions that the people reading were right eye dominant, even made to feel ‘normal’. I would have also liked to have some tips on how to overcome cross dominance (left eye and right hand dominant - are there people right eye and left hand dominant?)… perhaps learn to draw left handed? The personality traits with eyedness and handedness was mildly offensive (good news/bad news except I couldn’t find the good news) for the less common types.
The topic is a very interesting one, and I’ve already had a few engaging conversations with friends about it. There are a few drawing exercises that look like fun too.
Overall a good thought-provoking read, but left me wanting more practical tips, or information that could be implemented, and with less bias towards the more common right eye dominance.
As someone who is the less popular left-eye dominant I would have liked to have less assumptions that the people reading were right eye dominant, even made to feel ‘normal’. I would have also liked to have some tips on how to overcome cross dominance (left eye and right hand dominant - are there people right eye and left hand dominant?)… perhaps learn to draw left handed? The personality traits with eyedness and handedness was mildly offensive (good news/bad news except I couldn’t find the good news) for the less common types.
The topic is a very interesting one, and I’ve already had a few engaging conversations with friends about it. There are a few drawing exercises that look like fun too.
Overall a good thought-provoking read, but left me wanting more practical tips, or information that could be implemented, and with less bias towards the more common right eye dominance.
March 7, 2023
"Drawing on The Dominant Eye: Decoding the Way We Perceive, Create, and Learn," by Betty Edwards was very interesting.
If you studied art and science in high school or college, much of the information in this book will come back to you.
Once learning the fundamentals on how our brains work, one can apply the drawing lessons towards the end of the book.
If you studied art and science in high school or college, much of the information in this book will come back to you.
Once learning the fundamentals on how our brains work, one can apply the drawing lessons towards the end of the book.
October 23, 2023
Not quite sure what to make of this book. An easy read but not as helpful as I’d anticipated for improving my artistic skills.
However, I was already aware that people’s eyes are usually mismatched and not symmetrical, so perhaps this is new information for newer artists.
However, I was already aware that people’s eyes are usually mismatched and not symmetrical, so perhaps this is new information for newer artists.
November 8, 2022
This is great like all her books. I never knew that besides right handedness and left handedness, there is such a thing as left eyedness or right eyedness. Fascinating as always.
February 20, 2023
As a person without formal training, but an interest in drawing, this was very informative and supportive.
May 11, 2025
a nothing burger
July 8, 2024
Beaucoup de blabla "scientifique", intéressant en soi, mais pas vraiment ce que j'attendais de ce livre.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews