What's in a Line

When we begin our sketches, we usually start with line. Of course, we could develolp light and shadow right from the start, but most of us draw with line and then move into form. There is so much variety with line, and I guess that's why I find myself drawing more than anything else on a daily basis. Weeks can go by without me picking up a brush or pastel stick. I love to see what a few lines in graphite or ink can create.

It's always a toss up for me who is the true contemporary master of line: is it Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) or Ben Shahn (1889-1968)? With Picasso, you have an artist who used one line to describe an object, such as the lithograph , A Dog. With a few more lines, he created La Femme.

Then there is Ben Shahn, who did a lot of commerical work and social realism in the 50s and 60s. Shown here is Supermaket 1957 and one of his political posters. The simplicity of Shahn's work draws me into his pictures.

Tried a bit of line work myself.

The above pictures inspired me. So I thought I'd have some fun just playing with line and watersoluable ink this past week. I re-discovered the basic line. What fun it is! The palm tree and faces below were drawn with only one line--I let my pen do some walking! Why not try this yourself. It's a cool exercise.