Transcript 2. Drawing - contour.ppt

CONTOUR
DRAWING
CONTOUR DRAWING
Drawings usually begin with
gesture and then contour
lines – those imaginary lines
around the edges of forms
being drawn – are drawn over
the gesture.
Here Bert Dodson illustrates
the process of contour
drawing in his book Keys to
Drawing.
CONTOUR DRAWING
Contour drawing is the opposite of gesture drawing. It is not fast
and loose, but slow and deliberate. It is not a quick glance at the
object but a concentrated continuous looking at the object while
drawing it.
Contour drawing is drawing any edge or line you can see on, in, or
around an object. Contour is drawing without looking at the paper but
relying on observation. Contour is developing the absolute conviction
that your pencil is touching the subject rather than the paper.
There are many kinds of contour drawing – blind contour, modified
contour, Silhouette and Internal contour, continuous line contour, and
exaggerated contours. We will try some of each.
Generalizing
not good
better
When you contour the outline of an object, do not generalize; do not draw an
“almost” shape. Go slow, look at the object carefully, and draw EXACTLY
everything you see. The more details you draw, the better the drawing.
Silhouette and Internal Contour
For your notes and labeling sheets of drawings you may abbreviate
this to S & I. This type of contour is just as the name implies; you first
draw the outline in careful contour and then you contour the shapes
you see on the inside.
Good objects to use for this exercise are shiny objects – glass
items, metallic items, or items with interesting internal patterns or
shapes.
Example of S & I Contour
This student first drew the
outline of the jar carefully.
Then the student drew
carefully in contour the
internal shapes.
It is important that the
entire drawing be in
contour.
Example of S & I Contour
This student drew the
outline of the object first
and then added the
internal shapes – all in a
careful contour line.
S & I of Soft Purse
The outline was drawn first and then the internal shapes
were added.
Continuous Line Contour
It is imperative with contour drawing that you keep your eyes on the
object and feel your way around it with your pencil. Continuous line
contour demands this careful concentration more than any other type of
contour drawing.
You draw the entire contour with one line. If you stop, you must start
at that same end of the line and continue. Draw all the shapes you see.
It is easier to draw shapes next to each other. Let the drawing develop
organically. Drawing is seeing visual relationships. Look at shapes
next to each other and join them. Avoid redrawing the same lines.
Continuous Line
Contour
This entire drawing is
one line. It includes the
outline and the shapes
inside like S & I but
everything is joined in
one line.
Continuous Line Contour
This mixer is done
completely with one line.
Exaggerated Contours and Cross Contours
will be added later.
Leonardo da Vinci
1452-1519
Group of Five Grotesque
Heads
Pen & ink
There is evidence of
gesture drawing,
followed by contour
drawing. Leonardo
finished with some
modeling.
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) Study of Hands for Mono Lisa
There is evidence of gesture, then contour drawing
and finishing with some modeling.
Andrea del Sarto
1486-1531
Study of St. John The Baptist
Red Chalk
National Gallery of Victoria
The artist started with gesture
drawing, then added contours,
and finished with some modeling.
MICHELANGELO
ITALIAN
HIGH RENAISSANCE
1475 – 1564
STUDIES FOR THE LIBYAN SIBYL
RED CHALK ON PAPER
11 3/8” 8 7/16”
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Michelangelo drew
carefully the contours
of his subject.
Michelangelo
1475-1564
Madonna and Child
Casa Buonarroti, Florence
Michelangelo began this
with gesture drawing,
then added contours and
then finished part of it
with modeling.