The artist’s trace / tracing the artist

Drawing is an ancient human activity, ubiquitous in childhood but rarely performed at expert levels in adulthood. Furthermore, the external world is saturated with drawn images that often require decoding in terms of an artist’s actions and intentions. What psychological mechanisms support the development of expert drawing ability and to what extent is the process of drawing reflected in the artist’s trace? To address these questions I will outline the degree to which modulations in perception and attention support expertise in drawing. I will then present emerging evidence that observing drawings engages embodied mechanisms, holding a mirror to the process of drawing itself. These complementary perspectives shed light on the nature of drawing as both an act and an outcome.