9 Line and Silhouette
Line, of course, is what we must use to delineate our drawings. Silhouette is a test of whether or not the lines have successfully depicted the pose.
To draw a shape with a single line with no shading or texture means we must tell the whole story with line alone. The line has to explain the action, as well as what is happening to the structure as it performs that action — what is beneath the clothing or the fur or the skin.
A line drawing may have all the necessary parts and props but not pass the silhouette test. This simply means the drawing should have been staged to read more clearly, even if it were to be completely blacked in.
A “line” drawing actually is a “shape” drawing, as the silhouette test shows. One does not ...
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