Creating Contour Line Drawings
Contour Line Drawings
Supplies needed:
Pencils (H, HB, B)
Eraser
Pencil Sharpener
Paper / Sketchbook
Things to know!
A contour is the edge of something (as seen on the left, the line drawn is the edges of the shell)
A contour drawing uses line and line-weight to show the edges of an object.
Lines can also describe the Texture & Pattern.
Contour drawings never use shading
If you need to, think of a coloring book! When you open a fresh page, that picture you see on the page is a contour drawing.
There are 2 Types of Contour Drawings :
1. Pure Contour (AKA a Blind Contour)
A Pure Contour (or blind contour) is created when you do not look at your paper while you are drawing. As seen in the image above, it is just one continuous line! Your pencil will never lift off of the page.
If you have trouble, pretend you are an ant crawling across the edges of your object. Examine your path very carefully and travel, bit by bit, around the form.
Blind contour drawings are often out of proportion and weird looking. So don’t worry! They’re supposed to look a little odd!
Assignment 1:
Pick an object in the room and draw it in your sketchbook without looking down at your paper and pencil. Write out your definition of Blind Contour Drawing beside it. Remember, the whole idea of a Blind Contour is that you are not looking at what you are drawing. So be sure to keep those eyes on your subject!
(This can be anything around you. Another pencil, your opposite hand, your neighbor…etc.)
2. Modified Contour
This is created when you look at your object and your paper for equal amounts of time.
Meaning, guess what? You’re allowed to look at your paper!
This enables you to check the placement of your pencil / pen and to check your proportion.
Assignment #2:
Pick an object in the room and create a modified contour drawing of the object in your sketchbook and define Modified Contour Drawing beside it.
When you are done with that, get a larger piece of paper and create another composition of multiple objects.
- Draw lightly first to get the basic outlines onto your paper
- Break the objects down into their most simple shapes to get
placement and their relative sizes correct.
- Try to have different shapes, sizes and textures.
- Try to have plant, fabric, glass, wood and metal objects.
- Use different line weights to help depict weight, depth-of-space and
focal point. Drawing thick lines to show the shadows will settle the
object in space. Darker lines will appear closer to the viewer and
lighter lines will push the object back in space.
