Contour drawing
Encyclopedia
Contour drawing, is an artistic technique used in the field of art
in which the artist
sketches the contour
of a subject by drawing lines that result in a drawing that is essentially an outline; the French
word contour meaning, “outline.” The purpose of contour drawing is to emphasize the mass
and volume
of the subject rather than the detail
; the focus is on the outlined shape of the subject and not the minor details. However, because contour can convey a three-dimensional perspective
, length and width as well as thickness and depth are important; not all contours exist along the outlines of a subject. This technique is manifested in different styles and practiced in the honor of drawing development.
; it can potentially modify a subjects’ form through variation within the lines. Its objective is to capture the life, action, or expression of the subject. It is widely accepted among schools, art institutions, and colleges as an effective training aid and discipline for beginner artists. In the hands of a talented master, the line that conveys contour can deliver a load of visual pleasure that can be astonishing.
over the paper, and creating a silhouette
of the object. Like blind contour drawing
, contour drawing is an artful experience that relies more on sensation than perception; it’s important to be guided by instinct. To make a blind contour drawing, an artist does not look at the paper or canvas
on which he/she is working. Another technique similar to contour drawing is outline drawing; a division between form and the space a subject occupies. All three types of drawing are considered to be gesture
drawings; the practice of drawing a series of bodies in still form. An outline drawing does not include the visual amusement of human sight, while a contour drawing contains form, weight, mass, space, and distance.
, to suggest greater distance between objects in the drawing. A darker portion of the contour could represent an object with little or no light source; the space is compressed or the object is lower. Continuous lines used inside the outline of a subject can an accent or cast shadow, depending on the value of the line.
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
in which the artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
sketches the contour
Contour
Contour may refer to:* an outline or silhouette* a contour line on a contour map, or the corresponding line on the ground or sea bed* Contour , a phonetic sound* Pitch contour , a melody shape...
of a subject by drawing lines that result in a drawing that is essentially an outline; the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
word contour meaning, “outline.” The purpose of contour drawing is to emphasize the mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
and volume
Volume
Volume is the quantity of three-dimensional space enclosed by some closed boundary, for example, the space that a substance or shape occupies or contains....
of the subject rather than the detail
Complexity
In general usage, complexity tends to be used to characterize something with many parts in intricate arrangement. The study of these complex linkages is the main goal of complex systems theory. In science there are at this time a number of approaches to characterizing complexity, many of which are...
; the focus is on the outlined shape of the subject and not the minor details. However, because contour can convey a three-dimensional perspective
Perspective (visual)
Perspective, in context of vision and visual perception, is the way in which objects appear to the eye based on their spatial attributes; or their dimensions and the position of the eye relative to the objects...
, length and width as well as thickness and depth are important; not all contours exist along the outlines of a subject. This technique is manifested in different styles and practiced in the honor of drawing development.
Importance
Contour drawing is an essential technique in the field of art because it is a strong foundation for any drawing or paintingPainting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
; it can potentially modify a subjects’ form through variation within the lines. Its objective is to capture the life, action, or expression of the subject. It is widely accepted among schools, art institutions, and colleges as an effective training aid and discipline for beginner artists. In the hands of a talented master, the line that conveys contour can deliver a load of visual pleasure that can be astonishing.
Technique
In a continuous-line drawing, the artist looks both at the subject and the paper, moving the mediumMedium
- Communication :* Medium , storage and/or transmission tools used to store and deliver information or data* Transmission medium, in physics and telecommunications, any material substance which can propagate waves or energy...
over the paper, and creating a silhouette
Silhouette
A silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene consisting of the outline and a basically featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. Although the art form has been popular since the mid-18th century, the term “silhouette” was seldom used until the early decades...
of the object. Like blind contour drawing
Blind contour drawing
Blind contour drawing is a method of drawing widely used by art teachers, where an artist draws the contour of a subject without looking at the paper. The artistic technique was introduced by Kimon Nicolaïdes in The Natural Way to Draw, and further popularized by Betty Edwards as "pure contour...
, contour drawing is an artful experience that relies more on sensation than perception; it’s important to be guided by instinct. To make a blind contour drawing, an artist does not look at the paper or canvas
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...
on which he/she is working. Another technique similar to contour drawing is outline drawing; a division between form and the space a subject occupies. All three types of drawing are considered to be gesture
Gesture
A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of speech or together and in parallel with spoken words. Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or other parts of the body...
drawings; the practice of drawing a series of bodies in still form. An outline drawing does not include the visual amusement of human sight, while a contour drawing contains form, weight, mass, space, and distance.
Styles
By altering the character of the mark, an artist can emulate many aspects of the subject that relate form and space to the viewer. For example, a line can be lighter in value, or gradationGradation
Gradation may refer to:* Gradation * Gradation in color, a gradual change between hues, tones, or shades* Consonant gradation* Ordering by some type of grade* Calibration markings* Apophony, in linguistics* Gradation, of an algebra over a ring...
, to suggest greater distance between objects in the drawing. A darker portion of the contour could represent an object with little or no light source; the space is compressed or the object is lower. Continuous lines used inside the outline of a subject can an accent or cast shadow, depending on the value of the line.