Fearless Drawing

53

Continuous-

Line Drawing

In this chapter we are going to explore continuous-

line drawing—meaning creating a drawing without

lifting your hand off the page. It sounds easy but it

is a real challenge! The pencil must remain pressed

to the paper until the drawing is complete, creating

an entire drawing with a single line. This means you

need to be very thoughtful about how you move

around the page, as each time you double back to an

area, a new line will appear.

Creating drawings in this way is a deeply sensory

experience, which focuses on capturing the outlines

of objects. Enjoy the looping and the zigzagging to

return to different areas of your drawing and create

more detail. Remember that you can add definition

by using pressure to emphasize some areas of the

drawing and make others less visible. This technique

can encourage a more personal and lyrical approach

than creating a drawing with a series of individual

staccato lines.

Sometimes when I am anxious about a looming

deadline, I notice that my drawings begin to look

a little tight and forced; I can actually see the stress

in the lines, which become hard and tight rather

than loose and lyrical. When that happens, I try this

exercise. By creating a few continuous-line drawings, I

can engage in the process of drawing, relax, warm up,

and then return to my commission with a better line.

Okay, grab your pencil as this is all you’re going to

need (put the eraser in a drawer, it is officially banned

for this chapter!).

54 > Fearless Drawing

CONTINUOUSLINE DRAWING

I raided the cupboard and pulled out some cups to draw here, so go and do the same

(or feel free to grab something else to draw if you prefer). Now take the challenge of

drawing each item without lifting your pencil from the page. This is easier to do if you

remember to work slowly. Slowly run your eyes along the edges of the cup and mimic

this line with your pencil on the page. Relax and don’t worry about how it looks. Just

focus on the physical pleasure of pulling the pencil across the page and leaving the

mark of where you have been.

Keep practicing these continuous-line drawings. They will not only help sharpen your

observation skills, but they're also a great warm-up exercise.

Continuous-Line Drawing > 55

TIPS

 Before you start to draw, spend two minutes (time it—it’s longer than you think) really looking at

the subject. Having a clear understanding of your object will dramatically improve your drawing.

 Look at the object you are drawing more than at the page.

 Relax and take your time. You cannot take your pencil off the page, but that doesn’t mean you need

to be moving it constantly.

 Apply more pressure to define edges of your drawing as you move around with your pencil.

ADVENTURE