Teach Yourself Visually Drawing

Discover the Potential of Line chapter 8

Examples of Line Drawing.

In this section, you can view examples of line drawings. Each drawing has an explanation that

describes just some of the qualities of line that are possible. A close-up on a portion of each image is

also provided. The quality of line that is achieved is the result of many factors that came together to

create an image that is a unified drawing representing a focus of artistic intent. This artistic intent is

the blending of what feeling or idea the artist wanted to communicate originally, with the technical

means to clearly convey it.

Aside from the personality of the artist and what the artist wanted to say about the subject, there are other factors that
helped to determine the outcome of the work. One of them was how much time the artist had to complete the work. For
example, an artist has to work much faster when drawing a horse, which is in continuous motion, compared to a tree, which
is planted firmly in the ground. The amount of time a drawing takes to complete greatly affects the energy and strength of the
line. If you look closely at a drawing, you can get a sense of the speed with which the line was created.

Another factor that determines a drawing’s outcome is what materials were used in its creation. Chapter 2 introduced exam-
ples of a variety of types of marks, and showed how the texture of the paper and the type of drawing medium used deter-
mine the quality of the mark that is made.

Over time, as you experiment with different materials and develop your drawing skills, you will find yourself gravitating
toward the drawing media and papers that best suit your personality as an artist.

Children on a bus,by Dean Fisher

Children on a bus,detail

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