Edwards takes her readers through a variety of drawing exercises. She includes lots of before and after instruction which shows drastic improvement. Her exercises include “Vases and Faces” drawings which display both left and right hemisphere mode and shifts made by the artist. The student starts drawing a profile on the opposite side of their dominant hand, naming the features of the face as they draw. Next, the profile is copied on the opposite side of the paper, drawing as closely as possible what the student sees from their first drawing—without naming the features of the profile. The forehead and neck are then connected which makes the negative space of the drawing appear to be a vase. From this exercise, another is created in the same manner but with the oddest profile the student desires.
Upside-down drawing is recommended by Edwards because it easily shifts individuals to the R-mode. Drawing upside down forces the brain to really look at what is being drawn since things are not as recognizable. The picture chosen to draw from is turned upside down and drawn upside down. The student is encouraged to draw the entire picture upside down without thinking about or naming what they are seeing. Instead, the student should use their eyes and draw what they see. Edwards suggests finding a quiet place to draw for thirty to forty minutes. Being able to relax and concentrate is important. Edward explains:
Remember that everything you need to know in order to draw the image is right in front of your eyes. All the information is right there, making it easy for you. Don’t make it complicated. It really is as simple as that. (1989, p. 53)
Betty Edward’s drawing exercises in Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, like Drawing A Contemporary Approach by Sale and Betti, also include contour drawings, pure or blind, modified or semi-blind, to help bypass drawing symbols created by the left hemisphere. Edward’s goes on to teach composition, negative space drawings, using a viewfinder, and using monocular vision (closing one eye). She pays particular attention to helping students understand perspective and proportions by using a pencil to visually measure. Edwards introduces value drawing through scales, shadows, hatching and cross hatching, and erasure drawing. Lastly, but importantly, Edwards stresses the significance of color theory and adding color through the use of colored pencil and pastels.