DRAWING...

...is the marvelous simplicity and elegance of line design.

Successful contour drawing is characterized by perception and control and demands the experience of visual and graphic practice to achieve competence.

WHAT IT IS......

    Contour means "outline", and presents exterior edges of objects. A plain contour

has a clean, connected line, no shading and emphasizes an open "shell" of the subject. More complex contours can imply shading values through interior outlines (top right),

may have line textures or be contrasted with mixed media. Pencil drawing, ball point pen and black markers are good practice tools.

GETTING STARTED......                         As always, this means practice (of course!)

Contour is slow and deliberate,You will take your time to look carefully atThe object you are drawing.

Contour drawing - Drawing in which contour lines are used to represent subject matter. A contour drawing has a three-dimensional quality, indicating the thickness as well as height and width of the forms it describes. Making a contour drawing with a continuous line is a classic drawing exercise (sometimes modified as a "blind continuous-line contour"): with eyes fixed on the contours of the model or object, draw the contour very slowly with a steady, continuous line without lifting the drawing tool or looking at the paper. There are other variations on this method.

  Andy WarholFive Views of an Onion, 1950sballpoint on Manila paper16 3/4 x 13 7/8 in. (42.5 x 35.2 cm.)The Andy Warhol Museum, PittsburghFounding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.Discussion Questions:

Describe the lines Warhol used to draw his subjects. How does he achieve volume without much use of shading?

Warhol did not use an eraser; he would just start a new drawing. Why do you think he did this? If you had to draw without an eraser what might you do differently?

Now Let’s Practice!