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How to Contour
Draw and the Benefits…
Making
a contour drawing may seem a little overwhelming or pointless to you. Let me say there are a great many advantages
and lessons learned through doing these drawings.
First,
let’s discuss what a contour drawing is.
Before you can draw the human form, or anything else for that matter,
you must be able to see it accurately.
Contour drawing is a tool that helps artists develop this skill through
the sense of sight and sense of touch.
The
contour is the edge of the model in space, or in more simple terms, it is the
outline or horizon of the form. Contour
is more than the outline; it shows forms within overlapping other forms and so
on. It creates the sense of 3D. It is curved lines representing specific forms
along the silhouette of the form. Defining
contour can be tricky but as we explain how to do the contour drawing, you will
see a clearer definition.
How to draw
the Contour…
Contour
drawings should be handled carefully and delicately to see the great benefits
in your drawings. To make a contour
drawing, you must be able to see the different variations in the shape of the
figure you are drawing. Put your pencil
on your paper and fix your eyes to a starting point on the model. The starting point should be on the edge of
the model. Starting on this contour,
move your eyes and drawing hand slowly along the edge/contour at the same
time. (A helpful hint is to turn
sideways so you are not tempted to look at your drawing.) As you move your eyes
along the contour, your pencil is moving along the paper to draw the
contour. These are done
synchronized. Don’t worry about your
drawing! Just keep concentrating on the
edge/contour/ as your eyes follow along the contour. Follow this edge/contour until it ends or
changes direction. When it changes
direction, establish a new starting point and begin the process again.
One
note of caution…Try not to let your gaze get ahead of your pencil. Don’t get too concerned about the accuracy of
the drawing. Use patience and practice
and you will reap the benefits of this tool.
Benefits of
Contour Drawing…
Contour
Drawing is a great tool for helping artists to be able to see the model/human
form accurately. It helps you develop
this skill through the sense of sight and sense of touch.
Since
childhood, we are sometimes taught to draw icons as certain shapes. Use a football shape for an eye, etc. Contour drawing helps us learn not to be
iconists. We start seeing the subject correctly. In addition, contour drawing helps create a
sense of 3d. Done well, it can stand-alone. Contour drawings help us get rid of biases
that may have been ingrained since childhood.
If
you have further questions contact us at info@learning2draw.com.
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