Chapter 3: A Visual Vocabulary for Drawing..........................................................
In a sense, drawing is learned by accumulating a visual vocabulary, just as speaking
requires a verbal vocabulary. And as a certain amount of sentence structure, syntax and
voice inflection must learned to communicate verbally, so must there be some rules of
drawing that need to be learned and used to communicate the meanings of your drawings.
We think of communication as "normal," but in the distant past there were no words, and
at that point man had limited ways to communicate his thoughts—simple as they
probably were. Our present way of communication has evolved... and is still evolving. In
our class we are attempting to make another leap in drawing communication by seeing
the gesture at once and putting it down in all its freshness and lucidity.
Lines, Lines, Lines .....................................................................................................
In your business (animation) line is one of the most important elements. Line is a very
exciting discovery that man (artists) has developed to a phenomenal degree. Drawing in
line can be a real adventure and, when used skillfully, can be a source of adventure for
the millions of viewers who see your work on the screen. Line is not just a tracing tool—
it is a living, organic thing, capable of describing just about anything you can dream up.
There are many kinds of lines.
Short ones:
Long ones:
Curved lines:
And some that get off to a good start but then seem to poop out:
You can do anything with lines. Years ago there was a silly gimmick that went like this:
Do you know what this is? It's a T.V. screen for people who squint.
Know what this is? It's a tornado with the hiccups.