Contour drawing means drawing only the edges and outlines of a subject — your eye follows the form slowly, your hand follows your eye. This forces you to look far more than you draw. Gather 5–8 objects from around the house and draw them from direct observation. No shading, no shortcuts — just committed, observational line.
Sketchbook (9×12"), HB and 2B pencils, vinyl eraser, a single desk lamp, and 5-8 small household objects. Fill at least two full sketchbook pages.
Gather 5–8 small objects from around your house: a shoe, a coffee mug, scissors, a piece of fruit, a plant. Arrange them on a table with a single lamp to one side.
Warm up with a blind contour drawing. Without looking at your paper at all, draw one object's outline very slowly. Your pencil should move at exactly the pace your eye travels the object's edge. The result will look strange — that is normal and correct.
Draw 3–4 regular contour drawings, glancing at your paper occasionally but spending 80% of your time observing the object. Use one single, deliberate line — no scratchy back-and-forth strokes.
Try a 'modified contour' where you also add interior lines (folds, seams, texture edges) but still absolutely no shading.
Fill at least two full sketchbook pages. Vary object sizes and try drawing the same object from two different angles side by side to build spatial awareness.
Fight the urge to erase and restart. Wobbly or 'wrong' lines are the evidence of learning to see. Ask yourself: 'Where exactly did my eye go, and did my hand follow?' That question is the entire lesson.