CREATIVITY LESSON 2: Line is an Element of Art
In this creativity lesson, you explore your surroundings and draw lines that describe the objects most clearly.
Making lines is the most common way of showing what an object looks like on paper. The darkest lines grab attention and hold it. Lines are used in a variety of thicknesses and values to give emphasis to areas that need to stand out. The repetition of vertical lines in the chair add interest to this view and contrasts with the roundness of the pumpkin. Drawing the whole chair is unnecessary. Look for contrasts of round and straight, soft edges and hard edges, or light and dark. Notice that the darkest lines are in the center of the picture, capturing our attention and keeping it there.
As you explore your world to find subjects to draw, keep in mind that your ability to see good design is conditioned by your habits. In our lives filled with screens, we train ourselves to focus only on the things that are moving or most prominent. We rarely stop and ponder the more common, but visually interesting objects around us. Of course, anyone is capable of seeing these things when pointed out, but we are simply unaware. An important part of training in art is to become aware of the views that make good art. This is a study in seeing the elements of art. They are not just ideas. They are tools for seeing. Look for objects with contrast in your surroundings. Make a line drawing of a group of three objects that sit in the room you are in right now. Focus your attention on the areas that show the outside edges of the objects. Draw lines that describe those edges using hard lines or soft lines as demonstrated in Lesson 1.
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