Splatters of Clay

One of the most common uses of line is to define shape. We can draw circles, squares, triangles, etc. it gets really interesting when we begin drawing contour lines. I have always thought of contour lines as the outline of something. Out of curiosity I looked up the definition and found it interesting. One definition said, "a line connecting points of equal elevation." This is of course referring to contour lines on a map, but if we take the idea and apply it to drawing it makes one think. Contour lines when grouped together are meant to show elevation changes or depth, but a single contour line is actually flat. When we look at contour line in drawing as the outline of something, it is flat. It's a silhouette. There is no space, no depth. Despite this lack of depth, a well drawn contour line will still define the shape and communicate ideas, and even emotion. And of course you play with perception in fun ways. This optical illusion is a classic for teaching perspective...

When I teach art I always want to start with line, but very quickly we can move into one of the other elements of art. It is always a challenge for me to decide what to teach second. It shows the immediate complexity of art and that the elements of art are not art. Rather they are a representation of what is going on when we create art work. We identify these elements of art so we can break it down and simplify it in order to explain and teach it. So today I will write about space. As an art element space is emptiness. It might be referred to as white space, distance, depth, negative space, etc. It is the part of the art work things are not. This may sound funny to some, but the artist is as conscious of space as they are of the places where things are. To save ourselves from falling too far down the rabbit hole, for now we will think of space as three dimensional or depth. In 2-D art this is largely an illusion, and it is super fun. Here is depth in three lines. Draw one l...

Of the seven basic elements of art, line is perhaps the most fundamental. Even when line is intentionally avoided, such as in some of the works of Leonardo Di Vinci, line is still heralded by the sort of brutal and exuberance avoidance of it. Its importance is even acknowledge in common speak. If you encourage artistic effort in someone who does not see themselves with any art skill, they might say, “I can’t even draw a straight line.” I actually kind of laugh at that statement. Who cares about strait lines, the crooked squiggly ones are usually more interesting anyway. The point is that even a non-artistic person accepts the importance of line as a basic element of art. Last Friday, we went to the Portland Museum of Art. They have many really nice pieces of art. We did not even make it to their American art section before my kids pooped out. But we did walk through their current animal display. I made my kids look at The Bull by Pablo Picasso. Eleven lines! What was even bett...