Design Element Line 2

If you were going to learn a new language, like Spanish, what do youthink you would have to learn first? Nouns? Names of Objects? Then what?Learn how objects are used? “Pick the cup up in your hand” Once you can

put all the words together you can have a conversation with someone.

Therewould be no way you would be able to walk into a Foreign Language Class, or Math Class, or Science Class, and be able to have it mastered in a short

period of time. You need to learn parts slowly in order to understand it.

It’s the same with the Language of Art. You need to learn the nouns (Lines,Shapes, Colors, etc), and then how to use them, in order to understand the

whole language. Learning the language of art will allow you to make intelligent decisions about your art, and make it more meaningful.

The Language Of Art

The lines, colors, shapes, and values of a work of art do not exist in isolation but are interrelated, and it is difficult to talk about one without talking about the others,

however, we begin with lines.

There is no way to teach you everything you will need to know all at one time. Your knowledge and understanding of art will have to come in bits and pieces, and

at times you may not understand a relationship or concept—the pieces of the puzzle will not seem to make sense or fit. When this happens, try not to get

discouraged. As you progress through the course, you will gain understanding, and it will become easier to see the total picture.

If I could I would hook up a magic helmet to you when you walk in the room, plug it in,

and magically you would all have all the information you need to produce wonderful works of art,

However, that is not possible.We need to take baby steps before we learn to walk.

So be patient.

People use lines to write words to communicate thoughts and artists

draw lines with pencils or other tools to do the same. Lines can also be

found in nature – on a zebra or tiger, in tree branches, in a spider’s web, or

in tall grasses.

Lines are All Around UsIt’s Difficult to find anything around us that doesn’t have lines.

All things man made starting with a line, usually with a sketch. The thread of a cloth is the beginning of a piece of material, or weaving.

The shape of a table starts with a sketch using lines.

The design of our shoes and the shape of a bowl begins as a sketch.

Everything is made up of lines, EVERYTHING!

Types and CharacteristicsThere are several types or kinds

of Lines

• Crosshatched• Hatched• Curved• Broken

• Angular (ZigZag)• Straight• Contour• Gesture• Implied

Lines have Characteristics

• Thick• Thin• Long• Short

• Horizontal• Vertical• Angled• Light• Dark

• Tapered

What is a Line?

• A line is a mark made by a pointed tool, such as a brush, pencil, stick, pen, etc.

• It is often defined as a moving dot

• It can vary in width, direction, curvature, length and even color.

• It is created by the movement of a tool and pigment and often suggests movement in a drawing or painting.

Crosshatched Lines• Crosshatched lines are

parallel and cross each other in random or planned directions.

• The closer together and further apart crosshatched lines are placed create a change in value (dark and light)

• Using crosshatching can also help to define a shape into a form making it appear 3 dimensional.

Hatched Lines• Hatched lines are

similar to cross hatched lines, except they do not cross each other.

• Hatched lines are also used to change value by placing the hatched lines closer together or further apart.

• Hatched lines often show a flowing motion in a drawing or painting.

Curved Lines

• Curved Lines usually show contours of shapes.

• They can also show flowing motions in paintings and drawings.

• Curved Lines create a feeling of calm and peacefulness.

Broken Lines• Broken Lines are not as easy

to find.• We often find broken lines

in patterns. A row of desks is a broken line of specific shapes. There are breaks in the line along the rows.

• Broken lines can create a feeling of unrest and anxiety because it breaks up a flow.

Angled or Angular Lines

• Angular or Angled Lines usually, but not always, create a geometric shape.

• Angular or Angled Lines create a mood of fear and anxiety.

• Angled Lines can be found in Lightening and shockwaves.

Straight LinesI can't even draw a straight line!

I know you can’t.I can’t.

Try drawing 20 straight lines,

freehand next to each other on a piece of paper.

You can’t do it, it’s impossible.

Straight Lines

How do these objects use

Straight Lines to keep us organized?

Do any of these use lines just for

Decoration or is there a functional purpose for

all of these?

Contour Lines• Contour lines are lines that

follow very closely, the surface shape of an object.

• Here, the lines follow the shape of the surface of the apple, and each line next to the previous, follows the approximate same path.

• The apple on the right uses cross contour lines, they go in both directions.

Illustration in Pencil and Ink, for a Designers Book, produced by AVB Clothing Brazil , by http://dchan.deviantart.com/

Where do you see contour lines used here?

Skeins of YarnCan be drawnUsing contour

lines

Contour LinesIndicate the edges ofForms or shapes and

Actually describeShapes and forms in

The simplest way.

We often call this Simplified

Line.

Gesture Lines• Gesture lines indicate

action and physical movement.

• Our eyes follow the active lines as they swirl across the pages.

• Gesture lines are often used when the subjects move quickly, such as animals, or athletes.

• We will use gesture lines quite often in our work in class. So practice often!

Look at these Beautiful Quick Sketches of dancing figures.

These can be used by the artist to refer back

to for improvement and final pieces of art.Click on the link below to see more of Maciek

Gliwa’s work.

• Maciek Gliwa

• http://www.maciekgliwa.com/blog/2009/02/gesture-drawings.html

• Emma Coats uses gesture lines to capture the poses of moving horses.

• Click on the link to see more of her work.

• http://www.emmacoats.com/?cat=11

Lines don’t have to be gesture lines to show movement. Sharron

Cummings is a painter from Florida. In this

piece, Sharon creates a powerful sense of movement using many, many cohesive lines. Some are thick, others

are thin, but when all are moving the same direction or

placed within a similar pattern, the overall flow of her compositions

becomes very strong.Sharon’s forms are mostly

organic, using curves (which are often stronger indicators

of motion than straight lines) to pull the eye either towards a single focal point or back and forth along

a path of visual interest.

http://emptyeasel.com/2007/09/12/brilliantly-bold-black-white-paintings-by-sharon-cummings/

Implied Lines

• a series of dots or a broken line that reads as a line

• Lines that may not have been explicitly drawn, but that the composition of the work makes it appear that they are there.

• Allows viewer participation to “complete the line” in order to figure out what the object is or where the line is going, to close off, or complete a shape visually.

The small drawing or sketch on the right was done quickly to capture the subject while reading. The squiggly lines on her chest indicate the lace. The zig zag line suggests

the folds in the fabric. The details are left out, but the objects are implied with incomplete, broken lines. We also know that the face is in profile, even though the

details are not there, we finish* the lines in order to recognize what is there to bring order and understanding to what we see. In the painting, it is more realistic, so we

instantly recognize what is happing in the painting.

• A Young Girl Reading by Honoré Fragonard

In this lithograph by Kathe Kollwitz, the fear of the moment is shown with darker, heavier lines and values in the woman’s face and the death figure. The Implied Line is the space between the eyes. We don’t actually see* the eyes of

“death”, but we see the fear in the eyes and mouth of the woman. This implied line sets the mood of the artwork.

Kathe Kollwitz, "Death Seizing a Woman." 1934.

These are wire sculptures, by artist, Lisa Fedon.She uses contour and implied lines. Notice on the image of the man reaching for his glasses? His shoulder on the left, and the rest of his head is not even there! That is an implied line. We know it’s there and we complete it in our

minds to make sense of what we see.

http://www.lisafedon.com/WebPages/Portfolio.html

In this sculpture, called “Newspaper”

It is one continuous line of wire.

These lines are contours and implied.

Life Size Sculptureabove

And close upDetail to the left

The movement

lines inthis cartoon

implyMovement.

Our eyes often readthe edges of objects asimplied line. Here we

see the edge of the yellowshape, and read it as

a lemon.The black dots and dashes

imply movement acrossthe image.

Contour Lines Can be found quite often in nature.

• In this simple line drawing, contour lines are used to show the edges of the forms and shapes.

• Notice how the artist did not draw the whole plant, but a section of it, running off all sides of the picture plane.

• How does this make the artwork more interesting to look at?

The lines in this tree are contour lines.

They show the years and years of

growth of the tree.

These lines also show texture, the

way the contour lines follow the

surface of the tree, we can see

bumps and valleys in the tree trunk.

Using Lines in Your Artwork• In this student work

of art, the student outlined all of their shapes, and around their blocks of color.

• They have combined both Curved and Straight Lines. The straight lines are angled on the picture plane.

• How does using lines help to make their work stronger?

Using a variety of tools, anartist can create a wide variety

of lines, with many characteristics.

Many tools can be used to make lines. Some tools or materials make their own marks; others can be dipped in ink or paint to make lines. Lines can

be thick, thin, curved, angular, broken, light and dark.

The material used to make a line will influence how we think about the line.

A line made from crayon will not create the same feeling as the

identical line made from wire or ink.

• The variety of lines is almost endless!

• Many adjectives can describe the quality of a line.

• Can you use an adjective to describe each of the lines in the image to the left?

• Therefore, lines can be expressive and suggestive and set a mood in a work of art.

• 1. Nervous• 2. Flighty• 3. Fidgety• 4. Whimsy• 5. Anger• 6. Calm• 7. Jumpy• 8. Fearful• 9. Happiness• 10. Confused

Create linesThat you believe

best representthe following adjectives.

Lines in Nature & Texture

• Look at nature to find a variety of kinds of lines with many characteristics.

• Look up into the trees and down at the ground.

• What are these two pictures of?

• What kinds of lines are used?

• What characteristics do the lines in the bottom image have?

Lines can beused to create

values and textures

In this pen and inkdrawing, hatched

andcross hatched

lines are used to create

a tree which appears

to have shadow and

Textures.

Leo SmithPatio Shadows

Watercolor

• This painting uses many kinds of line. There are lines that are thick, thin, curved, straight, short, and long. The window frame, furniture, and building are made of lines, and the shadows make dramatic linear patterns, creating a sunny warm feeling in the room.

• Can you tell what is making the shadows on the floor?

• If these shadow lines were not in the image, would it “feel” the same?

• Would the “temperature” of the painting be different?

• Variety in the thickness of lines creates surface interest. Some lines are thick; some are thin; and many are both thick and thin.

• The lines can also be called organic or calligraphic.

• Value contrasts in the lines from very dark to white lets us see the layering of line upon line. Because of the layering of lines over lines, a shallow depth is sensed.

• The length of lines varies from dots to short jabs, to long and fluid strokes. Some are geometric, others are organic.

Review: Types and Characteristics of Line

There are several types or kinds of Lines

• Crosshatched• Hatched• Curved• Broken

• Angular (ZigZag)• Straight• Contour• Gesture• Implied

Lines have Characteristics

• Thick• Thin• Long• Short

• Horizontal• Vertical• Angled• Light• Dark

• Tapered

Lines are used to:

• Define Edges and Shapes of Forms

• Create Values and Textures to make objects appear to look 3-D (shape to form)

• Assist us in recognizing shapes around us

• Capture movement in animals or people, or movement in a work of art

• Create moods, emotions or feelings in a work of art

• Create atmosphere in a work of art

• Lead us to the focal point in a work of art

Line and Value Charts

• A student created this chart of a variety of kinds of lines to show how they can be used to shade a shape (milk can), so it looks three dimensional.

• The lines are placed closer and further apart to create values (lights and darks)

This student chose

Paintbrushes to illustrate

Her line shapes...

•Crosshatched•Hatched•Curved•Broken

•Angular (ZigZag)•Straight

Create a chart usingThe following kinds of lines.These will be used on your

Journal page for Line.You may draw these directly

on Your shape you have decided

to use,

Using a variety of characteristics,you can add interest to your work, such asThick, thin, long, short, light, dark, angled,

vertical, horizontal, tapered