Line

For my fourth post, I will be discussing the use of lines in drawing. It is a basic concept, but line is an important part of drawing. It can be used in many different ways to create width and length. For this blog, I will explain the importance of line and the different ways in which it can be used. 

A line has no width. It is a measure of length. Therefore, what we call a "line" in art can more correctly be called a "mark of a line," and it represents the measure of length. The mark can either represent an object or the separation of objects. The separating line divides a space into multiple spaces. This introduces geometric relationships to the scene, "with individual identities to the different spaces" (Harding 53).  This means that the line creates a different feeling based on how you create it. A hard or soft line suggests the quality of the relationship. This separating mark should be treated as a space itself, with breadth, depth, darkness and other qualities that relate the objects in the drawing.

A contour line is an example of a specific type of line. Contour lines suggest that the fields contain different objects. They can be considered silhouettes or outlines. Contour lines can "suggest form based only on important points of separation" (Harding 55). This means that the shape of an object is expressed through lines and no specific information is given about the object. For example, if you take away all the shading from my drawing, what you would have left are the contour lines, or the general layout of the composition.

The last type of line I am going to discuss in this blog is a shadow line. The human eye uses shadows to recognize the separation of objects. We often suggest shadows in our drawings with marks, hatching which lets the viewer recognize the objects. Close and repeated use of shadows can "suggest texture of the object that the shadow lies upon" (Harding 56). Each object in the scene is separated from the others by marks that represent shadows. For example, in the drawing above, the shadows on his collar separates it from the neck and creates a separation.

As you can see, line can be used in many distinct ways and creates a new look depending on how you use it. It is a fundamental element when it comes to drawing and is important to understand when to use a certain type of line.

Question: Are there any other ways in which line is incorporated within a drawing?

Harding, James Duffield. Harding's Lessons on Drawing: A Classic Approach. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2007. Print.