Contour Drawing
Introduced| English |
|---|
| contour line/ˈkɒntʊə laɪn/ |
| blind contour/blaɪnd ˈkɒntʊə/ |
| cross-contour lines/krɒs ˈkɒntʊə laɪnz/ |
Slow looking
- A contour line 轮廓线 traces the edges of a form — outer edges and inner ones (folds, creases, overlaps).
- Contour drawing trains eye-hand coordination through slow, careful observation.
- Match the speed of your eye along the edge to the speed of your pencil.
Cross-contour lines mainly describe ____.
They travel across the surface, showing how the form swells — volume.
Select all things a contour line may follow.
Contours follow edges of every kind; colour is not an edge.
Blind contour
- In blind contour 盲画轮廓 you draw without looking at the paper at all.
- The result looks strange — that is fine; the exercise trains pure observation.
- Do it daily: hands, shoes, faces. Five minutes is enough.
Contour, blind contour, or cross-contour?
Sort each activity by the drawing exercise it describes.
In blind contour drawing you may glance at the paper occasionally.
Blind contour means never looking at the paper — that is the whole exercise.
Cross-contour: over the surface
- Cross-contour lines 横截轮廓线 travel across the form like latitude lines on a globe.
- They describe volume, not edges — the drawing bulges where the form bulges.
- Overlapping contours create instant depth: a near edge covering a far one says "closer".
One edge passing in front of another — an overlapping contour — instantly creates ____.
Overlap is the fastest depth cue.
Match the exercise to what it trains.
Each contour exercise targets one skill.
Contour drawing fails when you draw what you remember (a symbol of a hand) instead of what you see (this hand, these folds). Keep your eye on the subject at least 80% of the time.
Draw your non-drawing hand in blind contour: eye crawls along the knuckle, pencil crawls at the same speed; a wrinkle turns inward — the line follows it inward. The page shows a tangled but observed hand.
Contour follows edges slowly; blind contour trains the eye by hiding the paper; cross-contour travels over the surface and describes volume. All three are observation exercises first, pictures second.