Line

What is a Line?

An elongated point, the path of a moving point, a mark made by visualizing tool as it is pulled across a surface.

Technical - a form with both length and width, but the length is much greater than the width so that we percieve it as only having length.
Geometry - an infinite number of points.
Art - a moving point.
A simple graphic tool - line is a type of artistic shorthand, a way of translating thought into visual image.

Types of Line

The quality and function of a line.

Navigate through the slideshow by clicking the numbers while reading through the description below.

Actual Line - A physical line is present and seen. It may vary greatly in weight, character, texture, etc.
1. Slide 2 - Sol LeWitt, Wall Drawing #289 - Line can be physical and revolve around a physical location.
2. Slide 1 - Observe how each line expresses a different feeling. The first one feels strong or steady; the second feels calm or distant; the third feels angry or excited; the fourth feels confused or bumpy.
Implied Line - A line created by positioning a series of points so that the eye connects them. A dotted or dashed line or people waiting in line are examples.
1. Slide 3 - Tyler Hewitt, Interchange - Observe how the figure implies directionality.
2. Slide 4 - Papa Johns Ad - Observe how the dashed lines define the edges of each coupon.
Psychic Line - A type of implied line. No actual line exists, not even intermittent points, yet we feel a line; it may be a mental or visual connection between two elements. This usually occurs when something looks or points in a certain direction. Our eyes naturally follow this directional flow resulting in a psychic line. Related to Emphasis by placement.
1. Slide 5 - Shawn Records, Untitled - Observe how your eyes is guided through the composition.
2. Slide 6 - Jacob Lawrence, Construction - Observe how your eyes is guided through the composition.
It is possible to have more than one type of line in the same composition.
1. Slide 7 - Julien Pacaud, Good Girl - What type of lines do you see in this composition? How do they make you feel? Where do they make you look?

The Qualities of Line

The expressive potential or appearance of line: how it looks, not its direction. Different line qualities, like thick, thin, light, dark, solid, broken, colored etc. will change how a line is interpreted in a composition. There is a huge variety of expressive quality available in mark-making.

Navigate through the slideshow by clicking the numbers while reading through the description below.

Slide 1 - The type of materials and tools used affect the line quality. A paintbrush gives a different line quality than a pen which is different than a pencil.
Slide 2 and 3 - Non-traditional media create their own individual types of lines.
Slide 4 - John Baldessi, Sailing and Tennis: -
1. The challenge with line quality is finding the right relationship between the medium and the theme / emotional quality / story you wish to create.
2. You are a visual story teller - when you use line to define the edges of an object, edges of a picture plane, to describe its surface, or to create movement or direction you are creating message. The qualities of the lines you use are like the timing, pitch, rhythm, vocal inflections, and emphasis that a storyteller uses. Varying line quality adds visual interest by increasing the variety in a composition.

Directionality of Line

The direction of the most prominent lines in an image help to convey distinct message, moods or feelings.

Horizontal Lines - Imply quiet, calm, stillness, relaxation. Slide 1
Vertical Lines - Suggest strength, solidity, non-moving. Slide 2
Stabilizers - Horizontal and vertical lines within a design are often called stabilizers, as they tend to reduce feelings of movement, they "anchor" a composition that could otherwise appear chaotic. (12, 13)
1. Slide 3 - Thomas Alleman, Untitled
2. Slide 4 - Don Kenn, Untitled
Diagonal Lines - Suggest motion and create a sense of movement throughout an image. our eyes tend to follow diagonals towards the center of an image.
1. Slide 5 - Jacques-Louis David, Oath of the Horatii
Curved Lines - Similar to diagonals they imply motion but in a much a quieter, more graceful way. Our eyes tend to follow curved lines throughout a composition.
1. Slide 6 (s-curve) - Jacob Lawrence, Construction
2. Slide 7 - Wolf von dem Bussche, Untitled
Zig-Zag Lines - Rapid, possibly chaotic motion throughout an image.
1. Slide 8 - Joan Fontcuberta, Museu de Zoologia

Uses of Line

Line can be used to define the exterior or interior edge of an object, the edge or border of a space, value or motion.

Contour - Line as Edge.
1. Slide 1 - Peter Keetman, Rear Wings - A contour is a line that defines or describes a shape- and an object’s shape is how we recognize it. Contour defines or describes a shape’s edge. Objects in the real world do not have a line around their edge, yet when you see a line drawing you have no trouble interpreting the image as representing something in the real world. This creates a sort of artistic shorthand. (draw apple-W/O color, texture, size, dimension or mass we still see it as an apple). 2D lines can be utilized to describe 3D shapes, while remaining 2D pieces.
2. Lost and Found Contour (19) - Occasionally, a work has greater emphasis on color and value than on line. Contours become lost as only parts of figures are revealed. Visual intelligence fills in the gaps to complete the figure. Strong contours provide clarity. Lost and found contour provides only relative clarity, as forms are not fully described. The results, however, are often more exciting and emotionally charged.
Dividing Space - Line can be used to define the edge of space as well as the edge of an object. The line that forms this rectangle separates that shape from the rest of the page. The line through its center divides the rectangle in two. The idea of separating the shape from the rest of the page is related to the idea of edge enclosing a visual field, as discussed in the previous unit. If you read the rectangle as a shape then its outline is also a contour line. (20, 21) It is possible to use a long thin negative or ground shape as a line to divide space. For example, this occurs between two columns or rows of type in a book or newspaper. (22)
Indicating Motion (23) - A few lines surrounding a figure is a visual shorthand for indicating that the figure is in motion. This is often seen in graphic novels, manga, etc.
Line as Gesture (24) - A gesture drawing is a quickly executed drawing which places less emphasis on describing shapes and more emphasis on capturing action and outlining major details in a form. WIth gesture drawing, line doesn’t stay on the edges, but moves within forms. Gesture drawings can be as much about the movement used to create them as they are about the image being captured. While they can be appreciated as works of art, they are often used by artists as a sort of warm up for making a more formal drawing.
Line as Value - A common use of line in drawing is to shade using hatching and/or crosshatching. Hatch lines are multiple lines that all go more or less in one direction and are read more as value or visual areas of gray than they are lines. The greater in number and closer together the lines are, the darker the value that is generated. (25) Crosshatching, a similar technique, uses lines that cross as opposed to running in one direction. (26, 27, 28)

"The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics"
by Chuck Jones and Narrated by Robert Morley

Original Post: Chuck Jones' The Dot and the Line Celebrates Geometry & Hard Work: An Oscar-Winning Animation (1965) | Open Culture