Step Right Up!

20 Line Drawings

The focus of these drawings was working with lines. We were asked to produce 20 drawings using lines in different qualities and strengths. Line is so important and a vital part of drawing, yet lines are so often underestimated. I want to learn how to commit to my lines and how to use them in different ways to suit the tone of my illustrations.

I used different thicknesses of brushes and a variety of media in order to achieve an array of different line qualities in drawing my chosen subject: a circus child dressed as a clown.

The strength of my drawings lies in my interpretation of the subject. These began as observational drawings from reference, but evolved into characters on the page. I really enjoy constructing characters and stories alongside images and I don't want to restrict this.

Charlotte used black tape cut in strips to construct geometric, perfect lines. I found this approach to constructing lines very unusual but it worked really well for her. She managed to make lines without a pen or a brush. I think this was a really good example of using initiative and Charlotte's creative mind.

Alex drew the same wrestler over and over, using different tools and different parts of her body. She started working from reference, but by the end of the task she was drawing the wrestler by heart. Alex has evidently devoted a lot of time to this task. 

I need to think about how much time and effort I am giving to each project. Am I spending enough time on my drawing? Is there enough effort going into these drawings?

I hadn't thought about using different body parts to draw with. This is something I will revisit later because I am intrigued as to how it would affect my drawings.

What does a line look like when it is drawn with my toes?

This task also pushed me to discover a subject that I have found a great love for: conjoined twins. I would really like to learn more about this subject and focus on conjoined twins in my next task of producing 15 line drawings using cross-hatching and mark-making to communicate textures, light, shape and depth of field.

This wasn't part of the study task, but I really enjoyed making models for the Summer task. I wanted to practice the technique more, so I made a circus themed model. Are three-dimensional edges still lines?

I would like to make a conjoined twin model too! I think it would also help me to understand how people move by drawing from this model. The anatomy of conjoined twins can be complex and it must be difficult trying to control two heads and one body between two separate minds.