Darker values typically represent shadows while lighter values typically represent highlights or lighter tones. Value is the darkness or lightness of a color. Shading is the process of developing the value (art element). Line can be used to shade drawings as well. How to Use Cross Contour Lines to Create the Illusion of Form.Line and Value - The Pen and Ink Experience (Membership required).Cross Contour Lines - 25 Days to Better Drawings (Membership required).Depending on the form of the object you are drawing, these lines may curve or change direction.įor more on cross contour lines, see the following lessons. The importance of understanding the concept of cross contour lines lies in shading (or adding shadow and highlight) with line. We can see this illustrated in the image below. If you continue repeating this, making "lines" with your finger all around the apple, you would have created cross contour lines. As you move your finger, imagine leaving a line behind. Start from the stem and move down to the bottom. To better understand cross contour lines, you may imagine running your finger over the surface of an apple. Cross contour lines are mostly used when line is used to shade a drawing with hatching and cross hatching. Cross contour lines flow over the form of the subject. Cross Contour LinesĬross contour lines are more complex than contour lines. In this way, we can communicate a bit about the form of the apple and the light using a simple line. A thicker line is used where we expect to see shadow and where the apple itself is a little thicker. Notice how the contour lines are thicker in areas. Take a look at the line drawing of the apple below. By varying the line quality (including both thick and thin lines), we create drawings that are more interesting and provide more information to the viewer. In many cases, line quality refers to the thickness of a line. Line quality refers to the characteristics of the line drawn. Lines that are used to communicate the edges and/or to describe the details of a subject (like we see above) are called contour lines. Other elements of art (specifically value) must be used in addition to line to create a realistic drawing. Click here to view Drawing Bootcamp (Membership required).Īs we can see, line is great for describing a subject in a drawing, but outlines on their own are not complete. The drawing above is part of "Drawing Bootcamp". There are only lines used in the drawing, yet there are many more complexities present in the photo. However, you'll note that the drawing is not an exact replica of the reference. The flower is communicated clearly in the line drawing. In the image below, we can see the photo reference next to the resulting line drawing of a flower. Usually, we can simplify areas of contrast on a subject into a line. The outlines are just the beginning since line is also used to describe the details on the subject as well. In most cases, when we begin a drawing, we start by drawing the outlines of the subject. We can obviously communicate a subject's edges by using line. Perhaps the most obvious use of line is when it is used to define the edges or boundaries of a subject. Although we typically associate line with drawing, it's also foundational to painting. Line has an endless number of uses in the creation of both drawings and paintings. In terms of art, line is considered "a moving dot".Ī simple way of thinking of a line is to imagine a point that moves. It is considered by many to be the most basic element of art. As you examine the object with your eye, move your arm so that you copy what you see onto the page.Line is one of the seven elements of art. Imagine your eye and your arm are connected. Hold your drawing tool still in your hand. Step 5: Fix your eyes on a starting point. It’s okay if your first few drawings don’t make much sense. Don’t cheat yourself out of getting real results. Keep in mind that the primary goal of a blind contour drawing is to draw what you see without assumptions. It is very tempting to cheat by using your peripheral vision. Step 4: Set yourself up so you can not see your paper at a glance. I love sharpies for this exercise because they are so reliable. Test your drawing tool with more than a quick scribble. It is very disappointing to create what feels like a wonderful drawing only to find out that your marker was only good for the first 10 seconds or so. Make sure the paper will not move as you draw. Step 2: Secure your paper to your surface. For your first few attempts, 1 minute is a good amount of time.
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