LINE: Gesture

Last night we picked up the pace and started working with Gesture techniques. First we discussed Cross-contour drawing then Continuous line drawing and finally Gesture.

Amelia Ketzer Dean

Amelia's drawing is an example of the Cross-contour technique. There are no outside contours rendered. Instead the edge is implied by the ends of the horizontal, arcing lines. Notice the tension in the neck of the gourd where the lines are closer together. This is evident at the base of the gourd as well adding a sense of weight.

Techi Brant

Techi's drawing illustrates the Cross-contour technique (bottom) as well as the Continuous line technique. Notice how the line searches for the contour edges. As the charcoal makes a second or even third pass around the gourd the edge is slightly redirected, correcting the form. This creates a bird cage-like effect adding volume.

Techi Brant

The Scribble and Mass techniques were also discussed (see tabs above for more info). We ended the class by drawing bones with the technique that seemed most appropriate for addressing the form or which best suited the student's sensibility. Techi's drawing above is a combination of line technique (for structure) and mass technique (for mass and light). Notice the variations in line quality moving from dark to light and thick to thin. These "accents" in line are more suggestive and volumetric than if she had used one type of line. In addition, her use of tone adds weight, light and a sense of atmosphere. The bone appears to sit or integrate with the paper rather than merely float on the page.