You can put a line on paper with different materials. You can, of course, use the familiar pencil, but also with pens, fine liners, markers, brushes or pens.
Lines are the basic element of a drawing, with a line you make your shapes, textures, tones, etc. There are different types of lines which you can use in your drawing.
There are different sort of lines, a few examples:
- Straight lines
- Thin and thick lines
- curved lines
- ribbed lines
- curved lines
- angular lines
- puckered lines
- dotted lines
- dashed lines
You can use these different lines to draw your object. A cat can, for example, be drawn with ribbed lines, in order to give and suggestion of the coat. A landscape can have gentle sloping and you can use curved lines for this. Angular lines are stricter about, dashed lines can also give a nice effect. Try these different lines while drawing out and see what effect they have on your drawing.
Draw a line, and then another one…
It also helps if you put multiple lines. Let’s search for the shape you want to draw. To put the perfect line at once is difficult. If you use multiple lines you make it easier. The drawing style is looser, this may not be exactly what you had in mind (at least if you’re a little bit of a perfectionist like me!), But it’s a good way to exercise, and search for the shape you want.
Because of this, you’ll be more independent of the idea “that-it-should-be-perfect.”
Practice: one line is not a line.
Now you are behind your computer, phone or tablet reading this blog. Undoubtedly, there is an object in your environment that you can use to draw. If you have a pen, a computer mouse, scissors, a USB stick or other interesting but simple object.
Even if you’re not near a desk, the is probably a small object that you can draw from. Maybe in your purse or in your pocket? It need not be a particular object. It is an exercise, so printing paper and a pen or pencil are totally fine to start with. You can also draw on a tax letter because then at least there is something good on the letter.
Important! Put your eraser away! (if you have) and accept that lines are not perfect.
Choose an object that you think you can draw. Tip! Choose an object that you can reduce easily to simple shapes. Your phone is rectangular, for example, a pen is a very long cylinder, a mouse is often has a round shape.
Before you start: you study object. Look for at least 1 full minute for your article.
From whatever angle you look at it? Which side do you see?
Are there details to your article which you have not seen in the first place? Very often you draw what you think you see rather than what you actually see, so it is important to first look at it carefully.
Put your pencil on paper while you keep looking back and forth between your paper and your article. Start with the great shape that you see. Don’t lose yourself in details. Put thin lines or place multiple side-by-side, until you have found the appropriate form.
Does it fall flat? Take a new sheet and start again. You can also trace the lines that have succeeded well with your ballpoint take on a new sheet of paper. Tape your “failed” drawing on the window, tape a new sheet over it and you can trace your drawing.
Share your drawing feel free in the comments, if you want to help, feedback or a compliment! :-)
