Contour

This first exercise we're going to work on will focus on learning contour drawing. The first distinction to make is the difference between and outline and a contour.

*An outline is used to separate a form from its surroundings. It also separates "positive space" from negative space. Positive space is simply your object/objects, whereas negative space is the area around it.
* An outline is useful for conveying FLAT shapes, such as an image on a road sign.
*An outline has no variation in line quality/thickness of line. Therefore, things that recede into the picture plane looks the same as things that are closer to the picture plane.

Contour, which is what we're interested in, suggests three-dimensional form. And, as I discussed in the first video, that's what we're concerned with in this class -- honing perceptual ability and learning how to give an object a sense of three dimensional form on a two dimensional surface. Everything we do in this class will come back to those two things.

Contours give the illusion of three dimensional form because they show variations in thickness, weight, and speed on line (how quickly or slowly you make the mark). 

Contour is so important also, because this is where we are going to begin to really REALLY look at an object. We are used to "generalizing" so if I told you to draw a chair, everyone would come up with something with a seat, four legs, a seat back, etc. It would be a composite image of all the chairs we've seen in our lives.

Now, if I asked you to draw a specific chair, say, the one you're sitting in right now, you'd look at the exact curvature, the proportions of the legs to the rest, you'd show how wide or tall it is, you'd give us a sense of if it's rigid/wooden or a squishy lazy-boy. My point is, you'd be drawing something specific, and your drawing would reflect that.

That's what we're interested in this course! The specificity of objects -- their exact proportions, shape, etc.

Everytime you draw in this class you should always have your object or set of objects in front of you. And you should be looking at the object constantly. In fact, you should be looking at your objects more than at your sheet of paper. You should never be drawing from 'memory' in this class..because if you do that, well, then again you're generalizing.

OK! so now we know what we're trying to do, now let's talk about what this actually looks like.

Here are some examples of contour drawing:

With both of these, notice how the variation in line, darker in some areas and lighter in others, makes such a difference for showing the form. The lines should be darker near edges, curves, crevasses -- where the form recedes. The transition from dark to light lines should also be gradual rather than abrupt changes, and overall the drawing is precise and accurate.
Check the you-tube video on Contour for a demo.

For contour, you're going to be drawing two objects, then posting pictures, then the next day you'll draw 2 more. So, you'll ultimately have 4 contour drawings. They should be about 1/4 to 1/3 of a 18" x 24" sheet of paper. Make sure you use the 18" x 24" drawing pad, and use your 6B or 4B pencil to get those darker marks.

P.S. No rulers allowed. the whole point is to gain confidence and facility with making the mark by hand.