MMA 120 – Drawing 2
Line development
Ryan A. Olaybal, MIT, PCpE
Instructor
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Objectives:
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Define line/s
Discuss the different linear drawing techniques
Evaluate the importance of the linear drawing
techniques
Draw an object/subject using contour and cross
contour techniques
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What is Line in Terms of Art?
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A line is an identifiable path created by a point moving in
space.
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Line is one of the seven elements of art. It is considered by
many to be the most basic element of art. In terms of art, line
is considered "a moving dot".
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A simple way of thinking of a line is to imagine a point that
moves...
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Drawing and Painting with Line
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Line has an endless number of uses in the creation of
both drawings and paintings. Although we typically
associate line with drawing, it's also foundational to
painting.
There are many types of lines: thick, thin, horizontal,
vertical, zigzag, diagonal, curly, curved, spiral, etc. and
are often very expressive. Lines are basic tools for
artists—though some artists show their lines more
than others. Some lines in paintings are invisible—you
don't actually see the dark mark of the line.
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Linear Drawing
Techniques
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WHAT IS CONTOUR LINE?
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A contour is the line which defines a form or edge - an
outline. Contour drawing is the place where most beginners
start, following the visible edges of a shape. The contour
describes the outermost edges of a form, as well as dramatic
changes of plane within the form. Put simply, a contour line
drawing is an "outline drawing," that uses no shading.
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WHAT IS CONTOUR DRAWING?
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A Contour drawing is the initial outline of an object
or sketch before anything has been added. Think
of the outline as the scaffold, or skeleton, upon
which the form, or body, is constructed. The
outlines are the reference points you need in order
to accurately add the detail.
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1. Freehand Contour Drawing
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A freehand contour drawing is
created without any
mechanical guidelines or
drawing assistance. The artist
relies on his/her observation
skills alone to create the
outline.
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2. Graphic Line Art Drawing
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Describes the use of bold lines, usually, but not
exclusively, drawn in pen and ink. The artist will
typically sketch the outline lightly in pencil before
drawing over the lines with ink.
Graphic line art is notable for dramatic contrasts
and dynamic poses. Manga and Marvel comic hero
illustrations fall into this category.
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2. Graphic Line Art Drawing
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3. Blind Contour Drawing
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Blind contour drawing is an exercise that helps
with good hand-eye coordination, or so the theory
goes. The idea is to draw an object without looking
at the paper, preferably without lifting the pencil
from the paper.
The exercise is intended to oblige your brain to
use the right side and suppress the left brain’s
tendency to override the visual information.
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3. Blind Contour Drawing
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4. Continuous Line Contour Drawing
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Similar to blind drawing, continuous line drawing
is an exercise that requires the artist to draw the
contour of the subject without lifting the pen or
pencil from the paper. This time, however, the
artist can look at what they are doing.
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4. Continuous Line Contour Drawing
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5. Mechanical Line Drawing
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Mechanical, or technical drawing
is usually associated with
detailed plans, diagrams, or
mapping with precision
accuracy. It’s used in industry,
engineering, and architecture.
Mechanical drawings have more
to do with design than art.
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6. Traced Outline Drawings
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Most traced outlines are produced to get the
correct proportions of a subject as quickly as
possible. They have no artistic merit in
themselves.
Tracing a contour outline is a common shortcut
used by commercial artists and illustrators to
speed up the process and get the job done in the
shortest time possible.
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7. Cross Contour Drawing
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Cross contour lines are plotting lines that follow
the contours of an object and indicate form. They
can be drawn in any direction, usually in neat
continuous parallel lines.
They are used to good effect on topographical
maps to indicate the terrain. The line width and
spaces between the lines can be adjusted to give
the illusion of depth and represent a 3D object.
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7. Cross Contour Drawing
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Why is Drawing a Contour Important?
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The main purpose of drawing the outline of a
subject is to gauge the correct proportions. The
contour lines are the boundaries that bind the
drawing together in the early stages.
It’s essential to take time to sketch out the
simplest shapes to see how they relate to each
other in both size and scale. The accuracy of the
contour line at this point will determine how the
drawing will progress. Get it wrong and it can be
hard to correct the mistake later on.
Where Do You Begin Drawing a Contour
Line?
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Make a start with the most obvious shapes you
can see. Do not concern yourself with any detail or
even form at the beginning. All that matters is the
overall shapes, alignments, and sizes in relation to
each other. You’ll go wrong but don’t worry.
A good artist will adjust, tweak, and crossreference these early blocks until they get things
right.
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Summary
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In the hands of a professional, a line drawing is an
art form in and of itself. Most artists use contour
drawings as the basic structure for a painting or
as the initial stage of a more thorough pencil
drawing.
Contour drawing is an essential skill and integral
to the drawing process. If you want to be in
command of your art, and progress, you must
learn how to build a drawing, and subsequent
painting, from the ground up
DRAWING ACTIVITY USING
CONTOUR
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Using pencil and paper, draw any object/subject of
your choice that uses free hand contour and cross
contour techniques.
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ASSIGNMENT 1 ½ CW
1.
2.
3.
What is Line Quality?
What is hatching?
What are the different types of hatching
techniques? Briefly define each technique.
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END