The Subject is Line

Whilst still struggling with EXACTO knife cutting and rubber cement gluing, I am starting to warm to cutting and composing with paper.

Here’s my response to this week’s Design Course line assignment, which is to vary line weight and size, overlap some lines, create definition and an illusion of space and try to create a sense of depth. If not altogether a smashing success, at least my piece has variety and visual interest.

I’m quite looking forward to our group crit next Thursday evening (sadly, our final class) and seeing more clearly how I could improve the line work in this piece. I’ll share that feedback with you if you are interested – or you can share your own reactions to this exercise now and see  how your reactions compare to the instructor’s and other class members’.

As an accompaniment to doing these line exercises, I’ve also been reading Steve Aimone’s latest book, Expressive Drawing: A Practical Guide to Freeing the Artist Within.

The spontaneous and playful part of me loves the exercises, images, references and quotes in this book. I look forward to setting aside the EXACTO knife a bit for a paint brush and a large piece of paper and painting big, spontaneous, expressive marks.