Assignment #2

Line

Line is one of the basic methods we have to express ourselves in art; but it is very hard to explain just what a line really is.  The easiest answer is that it is a stretched-out dot.  Drawing and designing usually rely on the use of some kind of line, whether straight, curved, continuous, or broken.  

The odd thing about lines is that they do not occur in nature. There are cracks and edges, but those things either have mass (are objects) or are edges of objects.  Line in art is an artificial device that we have learned to interpret as representing something. The usual meaning of a line is that it represents an edge, but sometimes lines can express emotions and feelings or textures and patterns of a surface.

Do two of the following exercises, 30 minutes each (or 60 minutes on one).

"Expressive Lines"

• Try to make as many types of lines as you can.

• Repeat each type of line several times.

• Try all types of lines: wavy, curly, jagged, dashes, fat, thin, etc.

• Fill your page with as many lines as you can.

"Directional Lines"

Unlike the expressive, directional lines are very precise. Lines should all be the same thickness. These lines look as if they are bending and overlapping. This is not "free" like expressive lines) but calculated constant, and even.

• Start anywhere on your paper. Move in a certain direction. stop and begin in a new direction
• Keep lines in a group the same distance apart.
• Try to go in every direction at least once

"Echoes"

Begin by drawing an abstract, free-form shape on the page. Then use other lines to echo the original line, flowing with it, into it, and away from it. You may add color on or between the lines.

• Even very young children can merely trace outside a line. You must create new variations away from your first lines to make it look different !