Straight And Narrow | self-imagesportraits

11 Straight And Narrow

Materials you will need: Paper, heavy pencil or marker, ruler optional.

We’ve done drawings with one continuous line, lines drawn to music, and drawings with no lines. Now it’s time to walk the straight and narrow. Try making a drawing using only straight lines. Okay, I know you’re headed for the nearest box as your subject. Not so fast! Choose something with as many round forms as possible. Better yet, choose several items with round forms. You may use a ruler if you like. Try different methods. Break one curve into a large number of straight segments, another into two or three.

How hard was it to remember to turn round shapes into angular ones? Did your arm and hand feel particularly loose or tight while drawing this way? Were you able to get the feeling of your subject’s roundness from a series of straight lines, or does your drawing look flat and angular? Observe the difference and hold onto those observations, maybe even write them down. We’ll use them soon.