Great Lesson on Line for high school drawing class. donnayoung.org

1. Line - Line Drawing Exercise
This week you will make a series of drawings that are not of anything in particular. The drawings have two purposes.
Purpose: 1. To see the effects of lines. 2. To practice control in drawing lines.
To make the drawings do the following. Start by drawing a single line. Add another line, it can merge with the first line or not.
When you do join the lines, merge them at an angle that is not 90 degrees or close to 90 degrees. Merge them at a more obtuse
or more acute angle. Finally fill in the spaces with more lines merging them into other lines.
See examples of finished exercises below.
Materials:
• 9 x 12 sheet of drawing paper, 60-70 lb
• pencil
• fine point marker
Assignment: With the pencil, lightly draw a line across the center of your paper to create two different areas on the paper.
Write your name and the date on the paper. In each half of the paper do the line drawing exercise as described above and
pictured on the next page. Note: Your hand might become fatigued. When you are finished, show your work to the instructor.
Feel free to comment on your finished work below in daily schedule and the memorandum. Make at least two drawings each
day during class (2 hours)
 Mon:
line on  Tue:
center
 Wed:
 Thu:
 Fri:
Memorandum:
Drawing Class Donna Young – donnayoung.org

2. Line - Line Drawing Exercise
Disciplined Hand in Drawing
"What is usually so much sought after under the term "freedom" is the character of the drawing of a great master in a hurry,
whose hand is so thoroughly disciplined, that when pressed for time he can let it fly as it will, and it will not go far wrong. But
the hand of a great master at real work is never free: its swiftest dash is under perfect government. - - - You must never,
therefore, aim at freedom. It is not required of your drawing that it should be free, but that it should be right: in time you will
be able to do right easily, and then your work will be free in the best sense; but there is no merit in doing wrong easily."
Quote from The Elements of Drawing; in Three Letters to Beginners by John Ruskin (1876)
Below are two completed examples of the line drawing exercise. Do as well or better than the examples.
Donna Young, 2007
Drawing Class Donna Young – donnayoung.org