I received a very nice letter today. It’s about line, and how one League artist improved her quality of line – not by thinking about improving the quality of her line directly – but by checking in on her level of engagement with the drawing. It’s a nice letter. Enjoy. [image_with_animation image_url=”8072″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%[divider line_type=”Small Line” line_thickness=”1″ divider_color=”default” custom_height=”30
Dear Ruthie,
While not a newly invented art term, you gave us a perfect definition of “line” last summer. It’s far more evocative of line in art than the more common Respectable Definitions like, “an identifiable path created by a point moving in space,” or “lines are marks that span a distance between two points.” I think it was genius, and because it has helped me.
“Line is a record of your engagement.”
It was so lovely that I wrote it down, (or did I record my engagement with it with short lines that formed words?) and it has helped me in figure drawing the past couple of weeks. I see a noticeable difference in the quality of my line in relation to my level of engagement, and it can change in an instant. When my mind flits to something that isn’t the subject, my lines reflect it. I think it’s helping me be less judgmental and a bit more objective about my work. I can look at some drawings or parts of drawings and see, or even remember, where I felt most or least engaged. It is easier for me to work on my engagement with the subject than it is for me to think about how to make a lovely line.
In college I had a figure drawing teacher that constantly bugged me to improve my line quality, but I was at a loss for how to work on it, and became less and less engaged with the class. If only I had had your off-the-cuff definition in my pocket…
Today is Design Friday, so your challenge is something the graphic designers will likely be familiar with: figure/ground reversal. “Figure/ground” is a phrase that came from modern German Gestalt psychology. It refers to how our mind organizes forms, distinguishing an object (figure) from its background (ground). In the early 1900s Danish psychologist Edgar Rubin famously experimented …
Most League artists are busy people. You’re not the only one! I want to make these projects challenging but still accessible. If you miss a day, no biggie. If you miss two, join the club. If you can only do one out of 30, you still did one! Last I checked, one is way better …
If you’ve gone into instagram or padlet to see some of the creative responses to these challenges, you have probably seen some of the fabulous contributions from artists. From out of the dozens of interesting artworks, here are a few. Day 8: Reverse Collage The instructions were to stack materials, then reveal layers.
I’ll be sharing my drawings on Facebook. I’d love for you to share yours too. Maybe your posts will help us more people jumping in to join us. Post your pics to Facebook: SeattleArtLeague, or Instagram: SeattleArtLeague. #drawingaday #seattleartleague – or email them to me. I’d love to see what you create!
A Drawing is a Record of Your Engagement
[image_with_animation image_url=”8071″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”]
Drawings by Ruthie V.
I received a very nice letter today. It’s about line, and how one League artist improved her quality of line – not by thinking about improving the quality of her line directly – but by checking in on her level of engagement with the drawing. It’s a nice letter. Enjoy. [image_with_animation image_url=”8072″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%[divider line_type=”Small Line” line_thickness=”1″ divider_color=”default” custom_height=”30
Dear Ruthie,
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Most League artists are busy people. You’re not the only one! I want to make these projects challenging but still accessible. If you miss a day, no biggie. If you miss two, join the club. If you can only do one out of 30, you still did one! Last I checked, one is way better …
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If you’ve gone into instagram or padlet to see some of the creative responses to these challenges, you have probably seen some of the fabulous contributions from artists. From out of the dozens of interesting artworks, here are a few. Day 8: Reverse Collage The instructions were to stack materials, then reveal layers.
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I’ll be sharing my drawings on Facebook. I’d love for you to share yours too. Maybe your posts will help us more people jumping in to join us. Post your pics to Facebook: SeattleArtLeague, or Instagram: SeattleArtLeague. #drawingaday #seattleartleague – or email them to me. I’d love to see what you create!