Line THE FORMAL ELEMENTS line light and value


























- Slides: 26

Line

THE FORMAL ELEMENTS →line →light and value →color →texture and pattern →shape and volume →space →time and motion Some works also contain : →chance →improvisation →spontaneity →engaging senses other than sight


Line A line is a moving point, having length and no width. Actual lines physically exist and can be broad, thin, straight, jagged… Implied lines do not physically exist, but appear to be real.

A line’s direction describes spatial relationships. Horizontal - imply inactivity. Vertical - the potential of action. Diagonal - suggest movement, like falling trees. Curving - suggest flowing movement.

Lines have direction: →horizontal →vertical →diagonal →curved →meandering

Line quality expresses a range of emotions, fragility, roughness, anger, whimsy, vigor. . .

Compare - Utagawa Kunisada. Shoki the Demon Queller, c. 1849– 1853. Woodblock print, 14" × 9 1/2". Burrell Collection, Glasgow. With Paul Klee, They’re Biting, 1920. Drawing and oil on paper, 121/4" × 91/4". Tate Gallery, London.

Gesture lines - rapid, sketchy marks mimicking the movement of human eyes when examining a subject.

Outline - follows the edges of a silhouette of a 3 -d form with uniform line thickness.

Contour lines mark the edges of a 3 -d object with varying line thickness and with some internal detail.

Cross-contours - repeated lines around an object and express its 3 -dimensionality.

Lines can produce tones, or values, as in parallel lines of hatching. Parallel lines in layers is crosshatching. Crosshatching Many thin, parallel lines create the illusion of a gray tone, parallel lines layered on top of each other create darker gray tones

Expressive vs. analytical line

Contour Line



Cross contour


Line as Representation and Expression • • Gesture Gestural Calligraphic Implied line

Gesture



In the Style of Giacometti


Write this in your sketch book Line = a dot, point, or mark that moves. It has length and direction. Actual lines physically exist and can be broad, thin, straight, jagged… Implied lines do not physically exist, but appear to be real. Line quality expresses a range of emotions, fragility, roughness, anger, whimsy, vigor. . . Lines are used to create outlines/ contour drawings. They are also used for shading such as hatching and crosshatching. Line is one of the most important elements of art.