A sample was at hand and I showed it to him. He glanced at my picture and began telling me WHY it was so beautiful. He made me see that picture with new eyes, but more importantly, I learned how he looked at things, and this might work for you in a book somewhere. When he sees faces, he doesn't see colors, he sees shadows first, then contours, and finally color. I trained my mind this way because shadows are what bring a drawing to life.
Contours hold the shape, and color is an enhancement.
He gave me more. When I walk into a room I don't see a wall. I never see a flat wall. The first thing I see are the corners, the angles where the corners meet the ceiling, the floor, the doors, the windows. After I see the room in its true perspective then I look at the rest of what's there.