I Draw the Line...

If we stop and pay attention to what we look at, we can see that much of the world is composed of some sort of line.  If you were to draw things that you see, likely, you would use lines to delineate one form from another.  The curve of a hip, the jaggedness of a coastline, the straight perfection of a cabinet, the outward meandering of tree branches.  You can see all of these in your mind as I name them, can’t you?  And in your mind’s eye, you can see how vastly different they all are from one another.   

Line.  The simplest definition of ‘line’ is (in the context in which I’m referring to it, here, for there are multitudes of contexts for the word):

-A long narrow mark on a surface

We make lines when we compose images.  The familiarity of those lines is what makes drawings feel real to us—when we can feel that flower due to the trueness of the lines that compose it, the artist has captured its visual essence.  We know that flower—we’ve seen it countless times.  And we can say, unequivocally, yes—that’s what a rose looks like.  That feels true. 

Lines can be long or short, straight, wavy or curly, carefully constructed or messy--yes, kind of like hair.   Think about those qualities.  A straight line implies order and structure.  A curvilinear line indicates grace and elegance.   Both are traits of strength—one is simply more dynamic, has more movement, than the other.   Lines can have sweeps to them that curve gorgeously, they can be staccato and mechanical, they can be irregular and shaky.  They can go on forever, off the page, or end abruptly.   The motion of a line tells you what kind of person it is.   Controlled, perfectionistic, staying where placed...or hastily scribbled, vigorous, unable to pin down...They are perky, rational, jaunty, serene.  They are chaotic, deliberate, poetic, defiant.  There are patterns, and there is also no rhyme or reason.  

This is the genius of line.  It reflects every single trait in the universe that exists—AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT.  You don’t have to be formally taught about it: you immediately feel it upon laying eyes on it.   Whether you’re looking at a box or a cliff above the ocean or a nude figure, or even a squiggle, you feel lulled or seduced or unnerved...comforted or excited or irritated.   It might be subconscious, but it sure as hell is there.   Certain aspects might appeal to us more than others.   In a design sense, I dig curvilinear lines much more than clean, straight lines.   And in artwork, I like the dynamism of the scribble, juxtaposed with the sweeping lines of the human form.  Asymmetrical lines are more interesting to me, as well.   

What kind of lines do you fancy?