1: Lips, External Qualities
The first set of drawings were completed through visual observation (in a mirror). Drawing by sight requires us to rely solely upon the clues left by light and shadow; we are not intimate with the form itself. For this reason, I considered visual observation an appropriate method for capturing the lips and other external qualities of my mouth.
2: Breath, Space
The rest of the drawings in my series were "blind" - completed without picture or mirror reference. I used both observational touch and mindful awareness of my body in order to create charicatures of the breath and space within the mouth.
3: Teeth, Structure, Crowdedness
When drawing from touch, there is no specific visual angle from which it is more correct to draw. I paid more careful attention to the placement of my mind's eye, which could be positioned at 3/4ths, take a profile, or look up from the inside at the roof of my mouth.
In the final portraits I continued my departure from visual reference. I drew using the information gathered from my fingertips. I stretched and touched, exploring my gums, teeth, and jaw for drawings that portrayed the strength, structure and crowdedness of the mouth.
The full series:
