1. Line Basics - Contour Lines

Contour lines follow the "contours", or edges, of shapes and forms. They're most visible with outlines. All outlines are contour lines.

But contour lines are also more than that, you can find contour lines inside shapes as well:

I've started this course with contour lines, because this is what most people see and try to draw first - it's the most intuitive method of drawing. Contour lines have a proud tradition in art history, stretching back towards the beginning.

Ancient Sumerians drew contour lines:

Ancient Egyptians drew contour lines:

Ancient Greeks drew contour lines:

Contour lines are great for creating sillhouettes:

Contour lines can be quite sophisticated. Tom Scheuer uses them to mix and match positive and negative space:

Oliver Sin begins all his portraits with contour lines, to find the basic shapes, divide it into planes, and emphasize volume and depth:

Nathan Fowkes does this too:

But, contour lines alone are not enough to draw successfully. When a beginner looks only at contour lines, and ignores the forms, the structure, the light, it's easy to get confused. The results look clumsy and flat - childlike.

It's good to practice drawing and looking for contour lines. Just remember, there's a lot more to learn.

LEVEL 1 ASSIGNMENT: Drawing a Still Life from Observation

THE SET UP: Gather together a small group of cups and bowls, and try drawing them. Consider which are larger and smaller, taller and squatter, thinner and wider, etc. Try to draw what you see, as accurately as possible.

TIP 1: DRAW LIGHTLY! Don't worry about making each line perfect from the start, that's silly. Draw lightly to start, and go over later, when the shapes feel right.

TIP 2: DRAW BIG! Use the whole piece of paper.

LEVEL 2 ASSIGNMENT: Drawing a Building from Observation

THE SET UP: Find any building you like, a house, store, sky scraper, doesn't matter. Try to draw it, looking for contour lines.

LEVEL 3 ASSIGNMENT - Blind Contour Drawing

THE SET UP: Draw anything above but, put your paper/sketchbook in a brown paper bag so you can't see what you're drawing. Feel around with your hand to try to get a sense of the amount of space in there, and draw what you see, trying to put the basic lines of the object in the right places on the paper. Good luck!