Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you today? I hope you're feeling really great.

My name's Ms. Afzal, and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson.

I'm excited about this because we're gonna be exploring lines.

Our lesson is called "The Elements of Art: Line," and it comes from the unit of work "The Elements of Art." Yup, lines are so elemental to art, so we're really gonna be getting right into them and exploring them.

I hope you're ready, feeling enthusiastic, focused, and if that's the case, we'll begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is, I can identify and draw different types of lines and know how they're used in art making.

We have some keywords in our lesson.

Let's go through them.

Line weight, contour, and mark-making.

What do they mean? Well, line weight is the thickness or thinness of a line.

Contour is the line outlining a shape or form, like an outline.

And mark-making, the different lines, dots, marks, patterns, and textures we create in an artwork.

These are our keywords: line weight, contour, and mark-making.

Our lesson is called "The Elements of Art: Line," and it consists of three learning cycles.

First of all, identifying different types of lines.

Next, applying different types of line.

And finally, playing with line.

Yes, let's get playful.

Let's see what happens.

We'll begin though with identifying different types of lines.

The artist Paul Klee once said, "A line is a dot that went for a walk.

A drawing is simply a line going for a walk." I love that.

This shows us the simplicity of line and how it can be used in so many ways to create art.

The French word contour means outline.

Contour lines are used to define the shape or form of an object.

Contour lines do not show small details and shading.

Elodie Antoine's thread drawings provide a good example of the use of contour lines.

And we can see the contour lines on these drawings on our screen.

How do the lines vary in this image? Pause the video and share with someone.

What a captivating image.

Perhaps you noticed this.

This image uses a variety of line weights to create tone and form.

Line weight refers to the thickness, fineness, or heaviness of lines used in drawings.

Paul Klee's drawing "Beride City on the Water" 1958 shows how varied line weights can be used to help differentiate between visual elements.

Pause the video and share with someone what's your impression of this artwork on the screen.

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

For me, it's something I feel so drawn into and feel very mesmerised by this use of line weight and tone.

Mark-making is often considered to be the foundation of art and dates back 30 to 40,000 years to early cave art, the oldest known mark-making by humans.

Artists make marks for different purposes and to create different effects.

Line weights and mark-making can be used in drawing and many other forms of art, such as sculpture and painting.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? Sculpture can include use of line.

Pause the video while you decide if this is true or false.

Well done If you selected true, and now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Pause the video while you do this.

Perhaps you said something like this.

All mediums and styles of art can incorporate different line weights where appropriate and relevant to the artist's intentions.

Artists use different line weights and mark-making techniques as a form of expression.

Adebayo Bolaji's line drawings are full of dynamic expressive lines that convey movement and emotion.

Jangarh Singh Shyam's artworks are highly symbolic and tell a story while using repetitive line work.

Some great examples of artists using different line weights and mark-making for expression.

Mark-making can be used in a variety of ways to add detail and shading to an artwork.

Here are some examples of mark-making techniques.

Notice how repeated lines help to develop patterns and effects.

Pause the video and share with someone which of these techniques, mark-making techniques are you most drawn to.

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

I quite like the really dense marks in the second image from the left.

Hatching is a mark-making technique, which refers to using repeated directional lines to develop a sense of form, shape, and rhythm.

Cross-hatching combines different directions of repeated overlapping lines to build textures and develop depth.

There are many more ways that mark-making techniques can create varied effects through lines such as: scumbling, such a great word; zig-zags; dashes and squiggles.

Check for understanding.

Match each of these images to the line type used: mark-making, line weight, contour.

Pause the video while you do this.

Well done if you matched them in this way.

The image on the left uses contour, the one in the middle mark-making, and the image on the right makes use of varied line weight.

And now it's time for your first task.

Looking at this image, identify and describe what types of line, line weights and mark-making techniques you can see, and what are the effect that these different elements create? Pause the video while you have a go at this task.

I'll see you when you're finished.

Good to be back with you.

How did you get on? You might have said something like this.

There are thick and thin repeating lines used to create varied line weights.

The thicker lines give stronger shape and structure to the piece and the lighter lines add detail and variation.

And now we're onto the next learning cycle, applying different types of line.

Let's explore how different line weights affect your artwork.

You'll need the following pieces of equipment for this activity: paper or sketchbook; and black pens, fineliners, or markers; optionally pens with different thicknesses or weights.

Pause the video while you gather your materials.

Okay, you have what you need now.

Drawing tools can be used to explore different qualities of lines, generate different mark-making effects, and line weights.

These techniques can also be applied to an observational drawing to create a range of visual effects.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of these mark-making techniques shows cross-hatching? Pause the video and share with someone.

Is it A, B, or C? Well done if you selected C, that is cross-hatching.

A shows dashes and squiggles, and B is my favourite word, scumbling.

There are a sequence of steps you can take to apply different types of line in a drawing.

But first of all, create a contour line drawing of objects you have to hand in pen.

Next, add different types of line to capture shadows, details, and textures.

You could add squiggles, scumbling, hatching, cross-hatching.

And then next, you could introduce different line weights to create shadows and clear contours.

It's time for your next task.

I would like you to apply different types of line in a pen drawing.

So first of all, create a line drawing of objects you have to hand in pen.

Next, add different types of line to capture shadows, details, and textures.

Introduce different line weights to create shadows and clear contours.

After that, I would let you to reflect or discuss with a partner the different types of lines used in your drawing.

Which one is your favourite and why? So pause here while you have a go at this multi-stage task.

It's great to be back with you.

How did you get on with applying different types of line in a pen drawing? There are many possible outcomes, but you might have: used techniques such as scumbling to create soft textures; used heavier line weights to create shadow and the illusion of form.

Here's Aisha.

"I really like the controlled scribble as I felt it added an interesting texture, feel, and detail to the piece and it looked most different to the other lines used." Yeah, I love that controlled scribble on your apple.

And now we're onto our final learning cycle, playing with line.

Playing is always good.

We can use various materials to create lines other than a traditional pencil or pen.

What other ways of making lines can you think of? Pause the video and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Let's explore some different ways of making lines.

And we'll see if we cover any of the ones that you came up with.

Artists play with lines in a multitude of ways.

Rebecca Levi creates contour line drawings in stitch.

Tiffany Scull scrapes away lines in her clay vessels to create indented drawings.

Adrienne DeVine draws with wire to create hanging sculptures.

And we can also see here some relief print on poly block using a range of lines Pause the video and share with someone, which of these four examples of ways of playing with line do you find most interesting? Stitching, scraping lines in clay vessels, drawing with wire, or creating lines on poly block.

Thanks for sharing your responses, and we'll be having a go at one of these methods a little later in our lesson.

Pen can be used to create different types of line.

However, artists can play with line in many ways.

In this example, stitching has been used.

Do the lines look different in this medium compared to pen? Pause the video and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Yeah, I can see they're really quite different, kind of simplified compared to the pen drawing.

Artists can play with line by recreating lines from an object or artwork using a different medium or process.

You'll need the following pieces of equipment for this activity.

Wire.

Yes, we are drawing with wire.

We are playing with line using wire.

And what's optional is you could have different thicknesses, ranging from 0.

2 millimetres to one millimetre.

And you'll need some scissors and/or pliers to manipulate the wire.

Using wire, so first of all, create a square or circle shape outline to contain your lines.

Next, you are going to create different types of lines with wire inside the square.

So you could have some lines just go straight across.

You could have some squiggly lines, zig-zag lines there.

Possibilities are endless.

Check for understanding.

True or false? Line is only used for drawing.

Pause the video and decide whether this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Pause the video while you do this.

Perhaps you said something like this.

Artists create and apply lines in a multitude of ways across different mediums, including sculpture and painting, as well as in drawing.

And now it's time for your task.

I would like you to create a wire sculpture that plays with line.

First of all, experiment with line types, line weights, and ways of creating mark-making.

You could: use different thicknesses of wire for different line weights; explore overlapping and intertwined lines; experiment with different qualities and styles of lines.

So pause the video here while you have a go at creating your wire sculpture that plays with line, experimenting with line types, line weights, and ways of creating mark-making.

Next, I would like you to reflect on the wire line sculpture you created.

How did the line types and mark-making techniques in wire vary when compared to the pen lines you made earlier? Pause the video while you have a go at these parts of your task, and I'll see you when you're finished.

Great to be back with you.

How did you get on experimenting with line types, line weights, and ways of creating mark-making? You may have created something like this.

Take a look at some example on the left where we have got some squiggly lines going across and then some horizontal lines.

The one in the centre has got some diagonal lines with lots of squiggles and overlaps in them.

And the example on the right is using different thicknesses of wire.

So we have different line weights.

Got some shapes created there.

We've got some overlaps.

There is such a lot going on in these examples of playing with line through wire.

And how did you get on with reflecting on the wire line sculpture you created? You may have said something like this.

Here's Andeep.

"The wire lines were harder to control and had a different feel.

Wire lines aren't as soft as pencil so I couldn't shade, but they did create more expressive mark-making effects." Absolutely, I can see the expression there with the different line weights, the squiggles, the overlaps, the directionality and the composition of this piece.

Great job, Andeep.

And here's Sofia's reflecting on her wire sculpture.

"It was fun experimenting with overlapping lines in wire.

I could connect lines easily and twist them together in wire to make thicker weights of line." That's a great idea.

So even if you don't have different thicknesses of wire, you could twist them together to create a weightier line as Sofia has done.

And I love these shapes, these teardrop shapes on the left and the hanging shapes coming down from the top, and then the horizontal and the vertical lines and also the space, there's lots of space within this artwork, which is just as important aspect of the work.

I hope you enjoyed creating your wire line sculptures.

In our lesson "The Elements of Art: Line," we have covered the following.

Different visual effects can be created by varying line weights and types.

Contour lines focus on the outline, form, and shape of a subject.

There are different types of mark-making techniques, which can be explored through line, often involving repeated marks.

Lines can be used in all forms of art, not just drawing.

Well done, everybody, for having a go at this lesson.

It was so great to explore something so elemental to art, which is line, and thinking about the different kinds of lines we can create.

I wonder if you remember my favourite type of mark-making, which is scumbling.

And then there was also hatching, cross-hatching, squiggles, dashes.

So much can be created through our mark-making.

And then we looked at contours, lines where we're just focusing on the outline.

You tried out all kinds of different mark-making.

And then I loved how you began to explore using wire.

Who would've thought there were so many different ways for us to create lines in art? Well, I hope you'll carry on exploring, experimenting with different ways of creating lines.

Perhaps you'll do some more work with wire.

Maybe you'll use stitching or lino carving or some other form of creating lines and mark-making.

I hope whatever you choose to do that you're gonna enjoy your exploration.

That's what art is all about, having fun, being in the moment and creating.

I look forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

And in the meantime, stay creative.