This project is an exploration of line character. It will help you understand how different media can produce lines with varying personalities. Begin by dividing a large piece of paper into 16 equal parts. Using a pencil, sketch out a balanced and unified composition structured around one continuous line that goes through all of the 16 boxes or areas. The result should be an organic shape or design. Go over your line using at least two types of media (e.g., a brush and paint, a B lead pencil, a pen and ink, charcoal, or a marker) and add different types of line (e.g., horizontal or vertical lines drawn using a ruler, dotted or dashed lines, curved lines, or implied line). Use only black and/or gray media, and try to be inventive with your use of line (figs. 4.27, 4.28, 4.29).
Assignments
In The Studio: Critique a Sample Student Work
Critique one of the student examples in the textbook and answer the following questions:
- How unified is the composition in the presented sample works? Does the overall form imply a specific type of movement/dynamic?
- How are the different types of line predominantly interpreted throughout the image- through material, mark-making, or both?
- Are there contentious transitions between the various types of lines from box to box? Are the transitions between boxes essential to the image?
Your instructor will subsequently provide comments on your critique and evaluate you using the rubric attached to the exercise.
In The Studio: Submit Your Work
Submit your In the Studio piece to your instructor. Your instructor will advise you on their preferred submission method.
In The Studio: Presentation and Group Critique
In this assignment, you will both present your In the Studio assignment and critique your classmates' work.
Your instructor will organize groups in advance, and you will coordinate when you will meet. If you are the first person to start the recording, please use the group name provided by your instructor in the title of this recording session so others can join easily.
When you present your work, be sure to answer the following questions:
When critiquing your classmates' work, be sure to address the following questions:
- Does the student create a unified composition throughout the image or are the boxes highly segmented? Do the different types of line work in each box interact with the surrounding types of marks in the surrounding boxes?
- Do the types of lines used work to support the overall flow of the composition and keep your eye moving throughout the image?
Your instructor will subsequently provide comments on your critique and evaluate you using the rubric attached to the exercise.