A contour is the visible border of an object in space. In this assignment, you will create a sense of depth through line variation.
Warning: absolutely no shading!
Supplies: Ink pen (such as a Sharpie ultra fine point), white drawing paper (18x24 inches –2 sheets), a piece (or pieces) of fruit or vegetable for your still life.
Note: you can use a nib/stylus or a bamboo pen* with bottled ink instead of an ink pen.
Step 1: Choose one or two pieces of fruit or vegetable to draw. Look for items that have an interesting edges or texture---this will make your drawing more interesting. Some suggestions include green peppers, melons, whole pineapple, cabbage, etc.
Step 2: Place one sheet of white paper on a flat surface to serve as a background for your still life. Cut, tear or partially eat your still life and then arrange it on the white paper.
Step 3: Take a look at your light source. The best light is a singe light source coming from above and to one side.
Step 4: In your sketchbook, draw several different compositions. Do this quickly, allowing only a minute or two for each small postcard size (or smaller) sketch.
Step 5: Choose one of your sketches and create a small (postcard size or smaller) positive/negative version of it. Take a look and ask yourself the following:*Is the negative space interesting?*Is there significantly more negative space than positive space?*Are there any adjustments I can make to create a more interesting composition?
Step 6:Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you are satisfied with your composition.
Step 7: You may lightly draw your composition in pencil on the 18x24” sheet of paper. You will be drawing large---fill the entire 18x24” sheet of paper. This may mean you are increasing the scale of your still life dramatically, but will allow you to show a lot of detail. Eventually, you’ll want to work toward drawing directly in ink, but at this point using pencil is okay. Keep your paper as clean as possible though. No messy lines or messy erasing.
Step 8: Once you’ve completed your pencil underdrawing, begin to ink it in. Focus on line variation---make your line descriptive, but also focus on the beauty of the line. Vary the amount of pressure placed on the pen to create lines that are more interesting. Allow some lines to disappear and then find them again. The viewer’s eye will connect the missing edges.
An example: (reprinted from Drawing Basics by Jacklyn St. Aubyn, Harcourt Brace).
