|
Line First
This is really very basic stuff. Here it is.
I have defined my drawing method as Line First. It is a very fundamental sketch method of drawing, used in pencil sketching. It is not photographic. The thought is, if you learn to make a good line, you will make a good drawing. Each line has a dynamic: length, angle, value, etc. These all make up the dynamic of a line. Lines have rhythm. They are construct lines, or they are part of a mass.
The chiseled point method gives you a wider variety of expression than if you only use a very fine point, or no particular point at all. It gives you the most control of the point of the pencil.
This method of drawing also helps you to achieve a sketch is a shorter period of time, as the lead will make a wider swath, and serve to give more expression to the artist. It is a very expeditious way to learn to draw. It helps the artist to dispatch a form in a very methodical way. It helps the artist to find expression. It is the opposite of photographic drawing, which gets into a bottomless pit of detail. Not that that is bad. It is just not the only way.
I do not enjoy doing photographic reproductions in graphite, or any other medium, for that matter. Perhaps I am just too ADS for that. This method was taught to me as a child, without any definition or explaining. I was just told to do it this way. I am so glad that it was drilled into me as a child, as I now find great satisfaction in being able to get a likeness in ten or fifteen minutes without hurrying.
It is indeed a way of seeing. I often hear it said, "we need to learn to see in order to learn to draw." Well, I say, we need to learn to draw in order to learn to see.
I see a whole lot of photo realistic drawing these days. Most serious art students think that that is the only way to learn. Well, I hope to inspire people to learn the art of sketching in the chiseled point "Line First" method. It is fun, expeditious, entertaining and will allow the student to grow in his seeing ability much faster than if they spend long days and weeks on a single project.
|