This is an activity I used with ESL students to deepen their understanding of the concept of line in art, and to learn to use vocabulary in English associated with line. Also includes a few images to provoke conversation and to illustrate points.

2. A simple graphic element that we use to
make shapes and images.
 A long narrow mark or band.
 When a dot moves, it leaves a trace that
we see as a line.


3. 
Lines give shape
to images
› Contour Lines define
objects within an
image

How can you tell
that there is a shape
of a hand on in this
picture?

4. 
Lines create

We can shade
darker areas by
putting lines closer
together
(concentration), or
by spacing them
apart (dispersion).
shading, depth,
volume, and
texture.


We can change the
thickness of lines to
create volume, and
use thinner lines for
lighter areas, or to
make things look far
away.
We can also overlap
lines to create 3D
effects, using
Hatching and Crosshatching.

5. The darker, thicker lines
give this picture more
dimension.

6. Varying the
Thickness of
line can make
your picture
look more
interesting.

7. Notice how
there are thick
and thin lines in
this picture.
How do they
make this eye
look real?

8. Shading, depth, and
texture.

9. More examples of
crosshatching. How
do the artists create
a sense of light and
dark?

10. 

Using Colored lines,
we can create
different Planes, or
surfaces in our
pictures.
If we draw parallel
lines of all the same
color equally
spaced apart, we
can create a
surface.
Look what
happens when
two colors are put
together.

11. What
types of
lines do
you see
in this
picture?

12. 







Straight lines
Vertical
Horizontal
Inclined
Curved
Radial
Broken
Concurrent

13. PIET MONDRIAN
Composition with
Yellow, Blue, and Red.
(1937-1944)
•He was Dutch painter
and part of the De
Stijl art movement
and group,
He evolved a nonrepresentational form
which he
termed neoplasticism.
This consisted of white
ground, upon which
was painted a grid of
vertical and horizontal
black lines and the
three primary colors.[1]

14. OPITICAL ILLUSION—ARE THE HORIZONTAL LINES STRAIGHT OR NOT?

15. Curved
Lines

16. Curved
lines

17. Radial Lines—
What do they
convey? What do
they remind you
of?

18. Radial design
using curved
lines.

19. Broken
Lines

20. Broken Lines

21. Concentric
Lines
Where is
the focus of
attention?

22. What do these shapes remind you of?

23. Rigid
 Precise
 Balanced
 Equal
 Zig zag
 Curvy
 Explosive
 Dynamic
 Spiral
 Curly

Parallel
 Intersecting
 Elegant
 Repetitive
 Diagonal
 Smooth
 Active
 Chaotic
 Sharp
 Geometric
 Texture


24. Starry Night, 1889
Van Gogh = a post-Impressionist painter of Dutch origin whose work, notable for its rough
beauty, emotional honesty and bold color, had a far-reaching influence on 20th-century
art.

25. Self-Portrait
Look at how the lines are place to create shapes and depth.

26. A Pair of Leather Clogs, 1888

27. 
Roy Lichtenstein
› American pop
artist.
› During the 1960s,
along with Andy
Warhol, Jasper
Johns, and
James
Rosenquist
among others,
he became a
leading figure in
the new art
movement

28. What Kind of
lines represent
the sun’s rays?
Dots and Lines in Roy Lichtenstein’s Art