The document discusses the importance of learning the basics of art, like lines, slowly and in pieces rather than trying to learn everything at once. It notes that in order to understand art, one needs to learn about lines, shapes, colors, etc. and how to use them. Learning the language of art will allow people to make intelligent decisions about their art and make it more meaningful. There are different types of lines like contour lines, gesture lines, implied lines, and each has their own characteristics. Learning about lines is a necessary first step to understanding art.

1. If you were going to learn a new language, like Spanish, what do you
think you would have to learn first? Nouns? Names of Objects? Then what?
Learn how objects are used? “Pick the cup up in your hand” Once you can
put all the words together you can have a conversation with someone.
There
would be no way you would be able to walk into a Foreign Language Class,
or Math Class, or Science Class, and be able to have it mastered in a short
period of time. You need to learn parts slowly in order to understand it.
It’s the same with the Language of Art. You need to learn the nouns (Lines,
Shapes, Colors, etc), and then how to use them, in order to understand the
whole language. Learning the language of art will allow you to make intelligent
decisions about your art, and make it more meaningful.
The Language Of Art

2. There is no way to teach you everything you will need to know all at one time. Your
knowledge and understanding of art will have to come in bits and pieces, and at
times you may not understand a relationship or concept—the pieces of the puzzle
will not seem to make sense or fit. When this happens, try not to get discouraged.
As you progress through the course, you will gain understanding, and it will
become easier to see the total picture.
If I could I would hook up a magic helmet to you when you walk in the room, plug it
in,
and magically you would all have all the information you need to produce
wonderful works of art,
However, that is not possible.
We need to take baby steps before we learn to walk.
So be patient.
The lines, colors, shapes, and values of a work of art do not exist in isolation but
are interrelated, and it is difficult to talk about one without talking about the others,
however, we begin with lines.

3. People use lines to write words to
communicate thoughts and artists
draw lines with pencils or other tools
to do the same. Lines can also be
found in nature – on a zebra or tiger,
in tree branches, in a spider’s web, or
in tall grasses.

4. Lines are All Around Us
It’s Difficult to find anything
around us that doesn’t have
lines.
All things man made starting with
a line, usually with a sketch.
The thread of a cloth is the
beginning of a piece of material,
or weaving.
The shape of a table starts with a
sketch using lines.
The design of our shoes and the
shape of a bowl begins as a
sketch.
Everything is made up of lines,
EVERYTHING!

5. Types and Characteristics
There are several types or kinds
of Lines
• Crosshatched
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•
•
Hatched
Curved
Broken
• Angular (ZigZag)
•
•
•
•
Straight
Contour
Gesture
Implied
Lines have Characteristics
•
•
•
•
Thick
Thin
Long
Short
•
•
•
Horizontal
Vertical
Angled
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•
Light
Dark
Tapered
•

6. What is a Line?
• A line is a mark made by
a pointed tool, such as a
brush, pencil, stick, pen,
etc.
It is often defined as a
moving dot
It can vary in width,
direction, curvature,
length and even color.
•
•
• It is created by the
movement of a tool and
pigment and often
suggests movement in a
drawing or painting.

7. Crosshatched Lines
• Crosshatched lines are
parallel and cross each
other in random or
planned directions.
The closer together and
further apart
crosshatched lines are
placed create a change in
value (dark and light)
Using crosshatching can
also help to define a
shape into a form making
it appear 3 dimensional.
•
•

8. Hatched Lines
• Hatched lines are
similar to cross hatched
lines, except they do
not cross each other.
• Hatched lines are also
used to change value by
placing the hatched
lines closer together or
further apart.
Hatched lines often
show a flowing motion
in a drawing or painting.
•

9. Curved Lines
• Curved Lines usually
show contours of
shapes.
They can also show
flowing motions in
paintings and drawings.
Curved Lines create a
feeling of calm and
peacefulness.
•
•

10. Broken Lines
• Broken Lines are not as easy
to find.
We often find broken lines
in patterns. A row of desks
is a broken line of specific
shapes. There are breaks in
the line along the rows.
Broken lines can create a
feeling of unrest and
anxiety because it breaks up
a flow.
•
•

11. Angled or Angular
Lines
• Angular or Angled Lines
usually, but not always,
create a geometric
shape.
Angular or Angled Lines
create a mood of fear
and anxiety.
Angled Lines can be
found in Lightening and
shockwaves.
•
•

12. Straight Lines
I can't even draw a
straight line!
I know you can’t.
I can’t.
Try drawing 20
straight lines,
freehand next to
each other on a
piece of paper.
You can’t do it, it’s
impossible.

13. Straight Lines
How do these objects
use
Straight Lines to keep
us organized?
Do any of these use
lines just for
Decoration or is there a
functional purpose for
all of these?

14. Contour Lines
• Contour lines are lines that
follow very closely, the
surface shape of an object.
• Here, the lines follow the
shape of the surface of the
apple, and each line next to
the previous, follows the
approximate same path.
• The apple on the right uses
cross contour lines, they go
in both directions.

15. Illustration in Pencil and Ink, for a Designers Book, produced by AVB
Clothing Brazil , by http://dchan.deviantart.com/
Where do you see contour lines used here?

16. Skeins of Yarn
Can be drawn
Using contour
lines

17. Contour Lines
Indicate the edges of
Forms or shapes and
Actually describe
Shapes and forms in
The simplest way.
We often call this
Simplified
Line.

18. Gesture Lines
• Gesture lines indicate
action and physical
movement.
Our eyes follow the
active lines as they swirl
across the pages.
Gesture lines are often
used when the subjects
move quickly, such as
animals, or athletes.
We will use gesture lines
quite often in our work
in class. So practice
often!
•
•
•

19. Look at these Beautiful
Quick Sketches of
dancing figures.
These can be used by
the artist to refer back
to for improvement
and final pieces of art.
Click on the link below
to see more of Maciek
Gliwa’s work.
• Maciek
Gliwa
• http://www.maciekgliwa.com/blog/2009/0

20. • Emma Coats uses
gesture lines to
capture the
poses of moving
horses.
• Click on the link
to see more of
her work.
• http://www.emmacoats.com/?cat=1

21. Lines don’t have to be gesture lines
to show movement. Sharron
Cummings is a
painter from Florida. In this
piece, Sharon creates a
powerful sense of movement
using many, many cohesive
lines. Some are thick, others
are thin, but when all are
moving the same direction or
placed within a similar pattern,
the overall flow of her compositions
becomes very strong.
Sharon’s forms are mostly
organic, using curves (which
are often stronger indicators
of motion than straight lines) to
pull the eye either towards a single
focal point or back and forth along
a path of visual interest.
http://emptyeasel.com/2007/09/12/brilliantly-bold-black-white-paintings-

22. Implied
Lines
• a series of dots or a broken
line that reads as a line
• Lines that may not have
been explicitly drawn, but
that the composition of the
work makes it appear that
they are there.
• Allows viewer participation
to “complete the line” in
order to figure out what
the object is or where the
line is going, to close off, or
complete a shape visually.

23. The small drawing or sketch on the right was done quickly to capture the subject while
reading. The squiggly lines on her chest indicate the lace. The zig zag line suggests
the folds in the fabric. The details are left out, but the objects are implied with
incomplete, broken lines. We also know that the face is in profile, even though the
details are not there, we finish* the lines in order to recognize what is there to bring
order and understanding to what we see. In the painting, it is more realistic, so we
instantly recognize what is happing in the painting.
• A Young Girl Reading by Honoré Fragonard

24. In this lithograph by Kathe Kollwitz, the fear of the moment is shown with
darker, heavier lines and values in the woman’s face and the death figure. The
Implied Line is the space between the eyes. We don’t actually see* the eyes of
“death”, but we see the fear in the eyes and mouth of the woman. This
implied line sets the mood of the artwork.
Kathe Kollwitz, "Death Seizing a Woman." 1934.

25. These are wire sculptures, by artist, Lisa Fedon.
She uses contour and implied lines. Notice on the image
of the man reaching for his glasses? His shoulder on the
left, and the rest of his head is not even there! That is an
implied line. We know it’s there and we complete it in our
minds to make sense of what we see.
http://www.lisafedon.com/WebPages/Portfolio.html

26. In this sculpture, called
“Newspaper”
It is one continuous line
of wire.
These lines are
contours and implied.
Life Size Sculpture
above
And close up
Detail to the left

27. The
movement
lines in
this cartoon
imply
Movement.
Our eyes often read
the edges of objects as
implied line. Here we
see the edge of the yellow
shape, and read it as
a lemon.
The black dots and dashes
imply movement across
the image.

28. Contour Lines Can be found
quite often in nature.
• In this simple line
drawing, contour lines
are used to show the
edges of the forms and
shapes.
Notice how the artist
did not draw the whole
plant, but a section of it,
running off all sides of
the picture plane.
How does this make the
artwork more
interesting to look at?
•
•

29. The lines in this tree are
contour lines.
They show the years and
years of
growth of the tree.
These lines also show
texture, the
way the contour lines follow
the
surface of the tree, we can
see
bumps and valleys in the
tree trunk.

30. Using Lines in Your Artwork
•
•
• In this student work
of art, the student
outlined all of their
shapes, and around
their blocks of color.
They have
combined both
Curved and Straight
Lines. The straight
lines are angled on
the picture plane.
How does using
lines help to make
their work stronger?

31. Using a variety of tools, an
artist can create a wide variety
of lines, with many characteristics.
Many tools can be used to make lines.
Some tools or materials make their
own marks; others can be dipped in
ink or paint to make lines. Lines can
be thick, thin, curved, angular, broken,
light and dark.
The material used to make a line will
influence how we think about the line.
A line made from crayon will not
create the same feeling as the
identical line made from wire or ink.

32. •
• The variety of lines is almost
endless!
Many adjectives can describe
the quality of a line.
• Can you use an adjective to
describe each of the lines in
the image to the left?
• Therefore, lines can be
expressive and suggestive
and set a mood in a work of
art.

33. • 1. Nervous
• 2. Flighty
• 3. Fidgety
• 4. Whimsy
• 5. Anger
• 6. Calm
• 7. Jumpy
• 8. Fearful
• 9. Happiness
• 10. Confused
Create lines
That you
believe
best represent
the following
adjectives.

34. Lines in Nature &
Texture
•
•
•
•
• Look at nature to find a
variety of kinds of lines with
many characteristics.
Look up into the trees and
down at the ground.
What are these two
pictures of?
What kinds of lines are
used?
What characteristics do the
lines in the bottom image
have?

35. Lines can be
used to create
values and textures
In this pen and ink
drawing, hatched
and
cross hatched
lines are used to
create
a tree which
appears
to have shadow
and
Textures.

36. Leo Smith
Patio Shadows
Watercolor
• This painting uses many kinds of
line. There are lines that are
thick, thin, curved, straight, short,
and long. The window frame,
furniture, and building are made
of lines, and the shadows make
dramatic linear patterns, creating
a sunny warm feeling in the
room.
Can you tell what is making the
shadows on the floor?
If these shadow lines were not in
the image, would it “feel” the
same?
Would the “temperature” of the
painting be different?
•
•
•

37. • Variety in the thickness
of lines creates surface
interest. Some lines are
thick; some are thin;
and many are both thick
and thin.
• The lines can also be
called organic or
calligraphic.

38. • Value contrasts in the
lines from very dark to
white lets us see the
layering of line upon
line. Because of the
layering of lines over
lines, a shallow depth is
sensed.

39. • The length of lines
varies from dots to
short jabs, to long and
fluid strokes. Some are
geometric, others are
organic.

40. Review: Types and Characteristics of Line
There are several types or kinds
of Lines
• Crosshatched
•
•
•
Hatched
Curved
Broken
• Angular (ZigZag)
•
•
•
•
Straight
Contour
Gesture
Implied
Lines have Characteristics
•
•
•
•
Thick
Thin
Long
Short
•
•
•
Horizontal
Vertical
Angled
•
•
Light
Dark
Tapered
•

41. Lines are used to:
• Define Edges and
Shapes of Forms
Create Values and
Textures to make
objects appear to look
3-D (shape to form)
Assist us in recognizing
shapes around us
•
•
•
•
•
• Capture movement in
animals or people, or
movement in a work of
art
Create moods,
emotions or feelings in
a work of art
Create atmosphere in a
work of art
Lead us to the focal
point in a work of art

42. Line and Value
Charts
•
• A student created this
chart of a variety of
kinds of lines to show
how they can be used to
shade a shape (milk
can), so it looks three
dimensional.
The lines are placed
closer and further apart
to create values (lights
and darks)

43. This student chose
Paintbrushes to
illustrate
Her line shapes...

45. •Crosshatched
•Hatched
•Curved
•Broken
•Angular (ZigZag)
•Straight
Using a variety of characteristics,
you can add interest to your work, such as
Thick, thin, long, short, light, dark, angled,
vertical, horizontal, tapered
Create a chart using
The following kinds of lines.
These will be used on your
Journal page for Line.
You may draw these directly
on
Your shape you have decided
to use,