Drawing Positive Space versus Negative Space

Positive and Negative Space - (c) Mary Hubley

Negative Space is the Shape Around Your Subject

One of the best tricks to improving your drawing practice is to figure out the difference between positive space and negative space.

Positive space is the actual object. In this image of two cats above, the positive space is the two cats (on the left). Negative space is the area around the object--the blank area around those cats (on the right).


Not every art student "gets it" at first, but those drawing students who catch on seem to magically improve their drawing skills overnight. Successful negative space artists see the space around an object and can perceive how to draw the shapes between the objects.

Look for the shapes around your subject (c) Mary Hubley

The goal in learning negative space is to find the area around and in between the object. 

In the example of our cats, draw the holes between the cats - this kind of looks like a thin candle with a long flame. Draw the triangle that the tail makes, and the triangle underneath the cats. See the shapes and draw those. Don't concentrate on drawing cats; rather, concentrate on the shape the negative space around the cats make.

My drawing students who are getting this concept are creating images that are well proportioned. They are actually drawing objects correctly for the first time in their lives.