Line Direction
Form, specifically line direction, is an important topic. This is how we achieve a more organic, lifelike, rendering of something. “Rendering” as in giving life to the subject matter. With line direction and movement, imagine a sphere. If you draw it with a pencil, you will get a line around it, but to shade it out you would not put lines across. You would want the look of a 3- dimensional surface. Therefore, the line has to follow the form. This is true for a brush-mark too, it needs to follow the form. Imagine a tree trunk. When you look at it straight on, it still has a curvature to it since it’s a cylinder. You have to look at and study objects to see how the line follows the form. It does not matter the medium, the line always has to follow the form.
I see way too many painters looking at a tree trunk and putting a brush mark straight across. Trees are not flat….we need to give them a 3-dimensional look (even though we are painting on a 2-d canvas). One of our tools to depict a subject in the correct way is line direction and following it’s form. I believe this will make a difference when you start to notice and utilize line and form in your painting. You need to look at the subject matter with curvature and pay attention to it. Slowly, you will start making line directions that look and feel more organic.
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