53
Continuous-
Line Drawing
In this chapter we are going to explore continuous-
line drawing—meaning creating a drawing without
lifting your hand off the page. It sounds easy but it
is a real challenge! The pencil must remain pressed
to the paper until the drawing is complete, creating
an entire drawing with a single line. This means you
need to be very thoughtful about how you move
around the page, as each time you double back to an
area, a new line will appear.
Creating drawings in this way is a deeply sensory
experience, which focuses on capturing the outlines
of objects. Enjoy the looping and the zigzagging to
return to different areas of your drawing and create
more detail. Remember that you can add definition
by using pressure to emphasize some areas of the
drawing and make others less visible. This technique
can encourage a more personal and lyrical approach
than creating a drawing with a series of individual
staccato lines.
Sometimes when I am anxious about a looming
deadline, I notice that my drawings begin to look
a little tight and forced; I can actually see the stress
in the lines, which become hard and tight rather
than loose and lyrical. When that happens, I try this
exercise. By creating a few continuous-line drawings, I
can engage in the process of drawing, relax, warm up,
and then return to my commission with a better line.
Okay, grab your pencil as this is all you’re going to
need (put the eraser in a drawer, it is officially banned
for this chapter!).