Sketch Book for the Artist

OBJECTS

AND

INSTRUMENTS

Drawing with Wire

DRAWINGS DO NOT HAVE to be two-dimensional. They can

also be made in space. On p.69 we see how the architect

Antonio Gaudi drew proposed domes using suspended

wires and weights, and on p.220 Mamoru Abe draws with

forged steel rods. On p. 176 the British artists Noble and

Webster draw with domestic refuse in a beam of light, and

on p. 19 Picasso draws with a pen-light for the camera.

This class uses thin-gauge wire to create a three-

dimensional violin. There are essentially three lessons to be

learned. The first is that figurative and abstract drawings can

be made in space. The second is that after achieving this

simple example, you can create your own more ambitious

works. Third, three-dimensional drawings teach us about

the totality of forms in space, and physical relationships

between them. When drawing anything viewed from one

side on paper, our image is stronger if we understand and

can visualize what is happening on the other side too.

Seeing through a wire drawing of a known object such as

a violin gives us a visual and tactile understanding of all

its sides and shapes at once.

PEN LINES

Once you have created your three-dimensional

violin (opposite), try drawing it with a pen on

paper Use bold, smooth, continuous lines.

Place the instrument on a plain surface

and illuminate it with a desk lamp to

add the delicate dimension of shadows.