What Is a Contour Line What Is a Contour Line in Art

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Have you heard about contour line art merely aren't certain what it is? The good news is that you've likely already made dozens, perchance fifty-fifty hundreds, of contour line drawings throughout your life without realizing it! Contour drawing is one of the easiest and well-nigh constructive ways to better your mitt-eye coordination and drawing skills.

In this guide, nosotros explain what profile lines in fine art are and how y'all make profile line art. We as well advise different contour drawing exercises and so y'all can keep improving your skills.


What Is Contour Line Cartoon?

Profile line fine art is a method of cartoon where y'all draw only the outline of an object, without any shading. "Contour" actually means "outline" in French, which is where the name comes from. For example, if you wanted to practice a contour line drawing of a pear, you lot'd simply draw the outline of the pear, add a stem, and stop there. Some contour drawings will include outlines of important interior shapes (such as wrinkles in cloth or objects on a bookshelf), simply contour drawings volition never contain shading or minute details.

Considering yous're focusing on just the shape of an object and not whatsoever minor details, contour line art is a smashing cartoon method for beginning artists as well as those looking for some quick drawing exercises. Children, as well as people without a lot of experience drawing, typically make contour line drawings without realizing it, only considering this method is ane of the easiest and quickest means to brainstorm drawing.

Yet, just because profile line art is easy to start doesn't mean it'due south only meant for beginner artists or those who don't have the skills to do more detailed drawings. Contour line fine art has many uses, even for highly-experienced artists. Many artists will begin a project with a profile line drawing to go a quick sense of the piece'due south composition, then they'll later on go back and add more details. Contour line art is likewise a good manner to become more skilled at replicating the outline of an object and developing hand-eye coordination (which nosotros'll explain more than nearly in the side by side section). If you tin't create stiff and accurate outlines of an object, the piece will all the same expect unfinished or slightly "off" even if y'all add together in lots of details and embellishments.

Professional person artists take used contour art for centuries. Cartoonists oft employ contour art in their finished pieces, the ancient Greeks used it when decorating vases, and da Vinci ofttimes made contour line drawings when doing effigy studies. It's an essential skill that every creative person should know and practice regularly.

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The epitome on the left is an instance of profile line art. The image on the right is NOT considering it includes shading.

How to Describe Contour Lines in Art

In order to get the most from your contour line drawing practice, follow these four steps when making profile fine art.

Footstep ane: Choose What You'll Draw and Assemble Materials

For your beginning contour cartoon, we recommend choosing merely one object to describe, as this will exist easier to focus on than several objects. Put the object or identify your seat in a spot where you have a clear view of the object. For materials, y'all'll demand a drawing tool (pencil or charcoal is most mutual), and paper or a sketchpad. If you're using loose newspaper, yous may desire to record information technology to something so it doesn't move effectually while you're drawing. At present you're set up to begin!

Stride ii: Look at the Object

It may surprise you to acquire that, when you're drawing contour lines, you want to spend virtually of your time looking at the object itself, not at your sketchpad. This can exist really hard when you first showtime doing it, but that's the signal! Contour drawing forces you to really find and piece of work to replicate the outline of an object. Information technology trains your manus to follow what your middle sees.

Start by spending nigh half your time looking at the object and half your time looking at your paper, and gradually work your way up to looking at the object xc% of the fourth dimension. This will experience foreign initially, and your get-go drawings will probably look a petty wonky, but just go along practicing! Equally you develop your hand-eye coordination, it'll feel much more than natural, and your drawing skills will ameliorate every bit a outcome.

You too desire to make sure that you lot're capturing every bit much particular of the object's outlines every bit possible. If at that place's a notch or a warp in the object, make sure your drawing represents that. Profile fine art is all about replicating the grade of an object as closely as possible.

Stride iii: Draw Long, Continuous Lines

Many people new to profile fine art begin by drawing lots of short lines because they aren't used to not looking at their paper, and they don't want to make too big of a mistake past drawing a long line that doesn't follow the object'southward lines. However, you'll improve your drawing skills more than if yous describe fewer, longer lines. Cartoon longer lines, specially without looking at your paper, improves your manus-eye coordination and helps y'all become more confident when drawing.

Stride 4: Become Slow and Steady

It can exist tempting to rush through profile drawing exercises, specially if you lot're used to drawing detailed pieces where the outline is only the first footstep. Remind yourself to slow down and concentrate on replicating the outline of the object as perfectly as you can.

At the same time, don't freeze up while y'all're drawing. Peculiarly when you offset begin contour cartoon, you may feel tempted to take breaks to compare your drawing to the actual object. Resist this urge! Remember, you want to spend very petty fourth dimension looking at your paper and more time looking at the object. Only concentrate on closely observing the object, keep drawing steadily, and suspension and critique your work once you lot've finished.

There'south no "correct" corporeality of time to spend on a contour drawing, and it'll probable depend on what you lot're cartoon. All the same, about five to 20 minutes per cartoon is average.

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Contour Line Drawing Exercise Exercises

Now it's fourth dimension to put all this new art knowledge to the exam! In this department are 8 contour line cartoon exercises yous tin practice to meliorate your drawing and ascertainment skills.

#1: Make a Contour Drawing of Your Mitt

If y'all aren't certain where to start with contour line art, start with something right in front of y'all! Hands are a very common object to do a contour drawing of, so one time yous finish, you can expect online or in fine art books for lots of other examples of contour drawings of hands to compare to your own piece. When you're drawing, remember to aim to look at your paper only ten% of the time.

#2: Copy a Contour Line Drawing by Another Artist

If you're nonetheless getting the hang of contour art and are not quite sure how to tackle a real-world object, start past replicating another creative person'south profile line drawing. Retrieve to look more at the object than at your paper, and focus on replicating the lines as closely as possible.

#3: Do a Bullheaded Profile Drawing

A blind contour cartoon ways that you don't look at your paper at all--not fifty-fifty for a single second--from the time you brainstorm your drawing until the time you finish. Cover your canvas or sketchpad if you demand to. Expect your drawing to await a piffling funny, especially if it'due south your start time doing a blind drawing, but this is a great fashion to improve those hand-eye-coordination skills and acquire to actually focus on whatever it is you lot're cartoon.

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#4: Draw the Outline of an Object With I Continuous Line

This takes the concept of cartoon long lines even further. For this practice, you'll draw the object in one continuous line, never lifting your pencil from the paper until the outline is consummate. Again, these drawings will look strange at first, but as you exercise, you'll improve your drawing skills and your power to recreate the lines y'all see in real life.

#5: Make Five Contour Line Drawings in Less Than One Minute Each

Sometimes y'all just demand a quick exercise to get your creative juices flowing, and profile art, because it doesn't get into the details of objects, is bang-up for this. This do involves drawing five profile line pieces in less than five minutes. You can describe v different objects, draw the same object five times, or a combination. Considering y'all're only spending a minute on each object, yous'll need to be able to replicate its form speedily but accurately.

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#6: Describe an Object You Know Really Well

Choose something you're very familiar with, such equally a favorite childhood toy, the dresser that you've looked at every twenty-four hours of your life, or even a pet or friend, and make a contour line drawing of the object. This may be harder than you retrieve. Because you know the object and then well, you may exist tempted to add in lots of detail, but remember, contour art focuses on the outer edges of the object. This is a good way to remember what's important in contour fine art and what you don't include.

#7: Use Cross Contouring to Add together Dimension

Cantankerous-profile lines are a way to add depth to your contour drawings without adding shading. To add them, y'all'll draw parallel lines that run across the object, similar to those you might run into on a topographic map. See examples here.

Cantankerous-contour lines will help improve your observational skills and learn more nearly the rules of perspective by requiring yous to pay close attention to the outlines of an object and how the lines run across it. The parts of the object that are closer to you volition have cross-profile lines closer together, while the more afar parts of the object will accept lines further autonomously.

#8: Depict an Object That'south Upside Down

Once you've gotten the hang of contour line fine art, try cartoon an object upside down! You won't be able to rely on your memory as much since the object will be flipped, so this volition do really force you lot to pay attention to the object'south form as you observe it.

Summary: Contour Line Art

Profile line definition art is a great way for whatever creative person, whether offset or avant-garde, to strop their drawing and observation skills. Profile line drawing involves only drawing the outline of an object, without any shading. When yous do contour lines in fine art, you should spend the majority of the time looking at the object, non your paper, in gild to meliorate your mitt-middle coordination and actually get a skilful sense of what the object looks like. Once you feel comfortable with the nuts, in that location are many contour line art exercises you tin can try out to go along growing your skills!

What's Next?

Are you making an art portfolio to apply to art schools?Check out our guide to learn everything your art portfolio must include to stand out from the oversupply!

Now that you know how to create a portfolio, are you wondering what fine art programs y'all should apply to? Check out our guide on the best fine art schools in the United States!

Desire more than drawing exercises? We have a guide with over 100 cartoon ideas to keep your artistic skills abrupt!

Accept friends who also demand assistance with test prep? Share this article!

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About the Writer

Christine graduated from Michigan Land University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Main's from Duke University. In loftier school she scored in the 99th percentile on the Saturday and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English language and biology in several countries.

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Source: https://blog.prepscholar.com/contour-line-art

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