marie j.engelsvold

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Experiment with shapes and lines.

If you take a look at a drawings elements, it basically consists of lines and shapes. Do you mostly use lines or shapes in your own drawings? Maybe a combination of the two? It's important to be aware of what elements you use. Shapes can create denseness in the drawings, and with lines you create movement and details.

Look at this article on "How to Be an Artist, According to Wassily Kandinsky"  

"Kandinsky experimented with compositions populated by lines, simple geometric shapes, and the energized points where they met or overlapped. "

No matter how you normally draw, it can be very rewarding to go back to basic. Using very simpel elements. In this little exersice, you will only use abstract shapes and lines. Try to avoid recognizable elements, concentrate on the composition.

Materials: paper, glue, scissor, cardboard, colored paper, some tools you like to make lines.

  • Cut some shapes, from cardboard or colored paper. place them on a piece of paper. Play around, and when you like it, glue them on.

 

  • Now draw some lines on the same paper. Make a lot of these compositions, using only shapes and lines.

 

  • When you have 10 compositions. Choose one you like the most. Now use this one, as a starting point for 10 more compositions.

 

  • Think of how many ways you can variate the drawing. What happens if you take one of the shapes, making it much larger? Change one of the shapes from geometric to rounded? Making a lot of lines and only small shapes? Experiment with the possibilities, and see what happens. Eventhough your starting point was only a few shapes and lines, very soon you will learn how many ways you can go with theese elements.

In my pinterest collection I have a board called drawings I like. Take a look, and see how many different ways you can work with lines and shapes. If you like, take a look at some of my drawings here at my website. When I look at my own drawings,  I see a lot of shapes, lines and textures that I tend to use. Shapes and lines I feel more attracted to than others. It's like the letters in my  visual language. Are you aware of the shapes and lines you are using?  

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