Elements of Design: Line

Elements are the basic visual material we use to make art. It is hard to imagine anything visual without using one or more of these 6 elements!

Line
Shape
Color
Form
Value
Space

Today we are going to talk about line. 



Line is a mark with greater length than width. Lines can be horizontal, vertical or diagonal, straight or curved, thick or thin.


The direction of a line can convey a mood 


With calm horizontal lines: 



Vertical lines suggest a potential for movement:




Diagonal lines strongly suggest movement:




When lines look is if they were drawn quickly, to capture a feeling of movement, they are called gesture lines:




Activity: Practice drawing lines as an expression to music being played.  Use varying types of lines such as horizontal, zig zag, wavy or vertical.

Here is a short video that helps explain what the design element of line is all about:

Activity #2: Blind Contour drawings! Without looking down at your paper draw your left hand with one continuous line. Do your best to notice every detail! This exercise help you practice observational drawing or drawing what you see.


Now lets try using curved lines to make your hand really pop out from a background of straight lines

Artist of the day: Gustav Klimt