Line drawings

I discovered this line drawing, done for a class 18 months ago or more when I was searching for an example for a portrait class I'm setting up. There is something about line drawings that appeals to me. The crisp, clean lines always look good on paper. Once I have completed the line drawing, I am always loathe to start the shading. Partially because I'm afraid I'll screw it up and partially because I like the simplicity of the lines without the distraction of values or colour.


I have a collection of line drawings that I secretly hoard. They are mostly people and animals which are my favoured things to draw. I am branching out more in 2007 as I want to push myself into drawing what I am not comfortable with.

I am taking a class in landscapes, beginning with drawing skies taught by Diane Wright, starting January 11th which should be very interesting. I've had dips into landscapes and I have analysed why I don't do them. Its laziness. There is all that expanse of paper to cover, whereas with a portrait or little still life, I can concentrate on a single item or a group of smaller objects. It is true that breaking it down into smaller sections does work and makes it manageable.

Many artists are intimidated at drawing landscapes. By breaking each component of a landscape down into smaller pieces, anything is possible! We will start by exploring skies. Then we will learn techniques on how to draw rocks, water, grass and trees. We'll finish up by combining all of these components into a complete landscape.

I am looking forward to this class and the somewhat daunting task of creating a landscape. Perhaps it will break down my barriers to landscapes and allow me more freedom.