Famous Artists Course Famous Artists Schools, Inc, Westport, Connecticut Advanced line drawing Lesson and tonal painting Albert Dorne Fred Ludekens Norman Rockwell AlPorker Ben Stahl Stevan Dohanos Jon Whitcomb Robert Faweatt Peter Helck George Giusti Austin Briggs Harold Von SchmidtAdvanced line drawing The first pictures in the history of art — exciting, vigorous plc tures of animals, made by the cave dwells ofthe Stone Age were line drawings. Today, many thousands of years lite, line drawing sill continues tobe avery base and popular technique of pice making. You cannot pick up a cent magazine, newspaper, catalogue, oF brochure or look at advertising bill. boards and television commercials without being impremed by the tremendous number of line drawings being wed. Most of today's top artists got thee start by spectliing in cis medium and 10, doubles, will mot af tomorrow's There is good reason for the widespread popularity of the line drawing Ie is the last expensive picture to repredce, and has the added advantage of printing well om slmeat any ype of paper. Usually iti reproduced by means of line plate ‘Because ine drawing i always in such great deman Sind ie well worth your while to develop your ability wid indispensable medivm, Probably more than any gther tech he of pictre making, Hine requires 4 good control of wales, Wt direemest and sineness of drawing. Bective changes and omections are not easily made, itis noe 2 medium to be ap proached ith sind. T wil help you greatly if, before you [Pur pen of brash to paper, ou have a clea pitute in mind of ‘what you want to do. Cateful planning and compositional etches in which you pin down your value pattern and drawing Aeenils are invaluable aids for making good line drawings ne crawing offers you 4 wonder opportunity to dnterpet Your subject in a highly expresve and personal manner. With onal mediums like transparent wash and opaque you can da plicate che values of your subjet tone for tone, When you drae Inline, however, you must translate thee values into the ere ofthe fine medium. You suggest and interpret values by strokes that are thicker or thinner ad closer or further apart, You nist alo simplify the number of values With too many close values, your picture wil tend to get lost in a multitude of lines that feate an overall gray tone. Always keep your pattern of valves Simple. Isa misine ofthe medium to seme to create all the intermediate grays ofa tonal painting ina ine drawing. The language of line i 1ich and varied, With your brush or pen you not only suggest the lightnes or darkness af the object You draw you dese ix contours, how it fees to the touch, And other characterstis as wel. Line can represent soleess or hardness ~the stoniness of granite the yielding quality of eloh for flesh, the coarse of hark. heavy line may render the shadow sce of «form, «thin line the lghtstrick side. Notice how eflocts ike these ae crested in the many pices in ink in (his lewon. There is, of courte, no subucluute for experimenting ‘with diferent pens and brushes to develop your verity in rendering these effect but you can aio find ovt many wef things for yourselt rough the atentive sty of the work of ‘oustanding line artists Tn this Teson we shall place considerable emphasis on the problems of drawing for reproduction and point ot how you ‘an make ever line count, We shall also demonstrate which pens, brushes, and other tools you should use for various purposes. You will be introduced to more line mediums and drawing sur faces and be shown how you can achieve fascinating testural effects with them. We sall explain all ofthese nd many other intriguing aspects of line drawing to you~ because you cannot now 0 much about this very base. popular, and rewarding technique of picture making.Famous Ariss Cour “5 ‘Advanced line drawing and tonal painting Representing form in line drawings ‘Your line drawings will never be any beter dha the sold form, design, and composition you give ther. A good line illustration Js composed of $0 per cent thought and drawing —and only 10 percent ink! “Although tine drawings ae the easiest to reproduce, they are the hanes to draw well! This simple satement may oe so pres you and, as you become immersed in exploring the fax nating ad almost endless posite of Tine, explained in is lewon, you are mote and more likely to forget i. There will bea strong temptation t spend your time developing icky Tine techniques forthe sheer pleasre of putting Hines on paper, while forgetting more base things. For this reason se ate going To emphasize thee more basic things here and now. ine isthe most sophisteated ofall methods of drawing. Per haps you have not relied, be thee are no Hines around the forms we se. There are toaes of values in nature, and colors ad eclges Tht there are no outlines! When the atst draws an tlie eo establish form, he is using an arbitrary symbol ‘hich other artists have developed forthe purpose of expression ‘ver centuries of artistic experiment. Recase line isan aetial fonvention, it must be handled with kil and understanding if ieista be effective, A single line may be used for three different purposes. Fis, ie “contains dhe subject etablishing the contours within which the subject fy understood to exist. Second, i can be wsed in rela tion to thicker and chinner lines to ereate te ilusion of three: Aimensional for and to siggest texture. Third, ic may be used {ioe Ife and momen te pater Oe the mow ‘bute Une cravings snl Hie ay be uel odo all thee things at once, Te contains the fori mds the form, apd es ee ree tra en you rain dn dog line may be ented wh 0 rach spony is ent undertone that ing pre. ly tight Lin i job that rete thogp ond psc ‘The ore simple and coonomial he drawing the ore psc Sea ed Not all He drawing ae simple, The line seprucion rth iso wed to prin vary of revigs which are not tomuch puelineGevings a thy ae toa dining rere inne, Such plete, by geome expeaion of combat ing and ee ine ects may anos Sg 2 tonal drawing sf ibe subje wile nl rong the feof ne Whether your drawing isto be done wit Re mot econo ene Nac = ag eee oa a ie try, one act oT rang mn ave ack tf yo al understating of he thredimensiona form yu Ee Soci alana ya las ere td rs Bee es elt ager areata ao Eee eae erp ener oe Ey i my be applod Fo the cancpant a ie edna, i the {you wl fd tht technique ot enough Alay ee (Se dia fat aeple ag Goats seieage i ata taecetreniaaty eect ieee ha os oy etc ala Taosog poe wi how ou mor Feb pete eyes peels ha orm Sr emetoee“Wd Advanced line drawing and toncl painting Think it out before you begin Unlike many other mediums, line drawings offer very few pos siblivies fr correction. Ever time you places black mark wpon Your white draving paper, that mark is there to say. Cortec: tions cam be made bue with difeulty. Therefore line draveings demand that you haves clear understanding of what you inten tw do and have every problem thoroughly worked out belore The fist step. of course i to deve on your subject and make numerous thumbeal sketches until you have the compos tion established. Choose the best of these sll tral sketches and make a more finished! drawing to work out the feling, ‘hythi, and design ina general way. AC this point you showkl be thinking in large masies with strong contrasts between the shove aren and the highlights Before you can go any further, you mist understnd the base frm of your subject matter thoroughly. The best way 10 he sure of frm i to make simple constracion drawings of the type shown above onthe left, You have been taught this con stanly throughout dhe Course, anit you have been-consien {ious you have made sudies ofthis Lind for every drawing ice then. We cannot overemphasire this point? There is no sbi ute for clear understanding and contol of thucedisessional Form in its mot simple aspects! Once you ae certin that you have the bas form under com trol, you can proceed make a careful pencil drawing on tac ing paper. This drawing should include even pares of objects hich Wil be hidden by other objects in the finshed drawing Your finished ne drawing will be more convincing Hf the ob jects ae “drawn through,” solid, and corretly proportioned in this sketch. ‘Only alter this extensive preliminary thinking and organic Hom wil you be ready to approach the rendering af the finshed drawing in lack and white, Now you most make a further Alecivion: Do you plan to render thin deasing im pore, simple Tine, leaving out as many details as posible, or can you express our subject best through a more detailed rendering, using different kinds of lines to suggest imermestate shades between black and white asin the line drawing above? Ts your drawing to bein high key rin low hey? Wil ou attempt tobe com pletely realistic, or do you plan wo produce a decorative or even Sinorted drawing? Any of these approaches, and many more; fare powible. But your must decide clearly in advance which approach you plan to take, and what tools you will use The drawings on the following pages will show you » very wide variety of approaches and tecniqies What se want You to understind nove i the fac that none ofthese techniques wil dhelp you create a successful drawing unless, by means of preliny nary planning and sketching, you have arrived at a clear pic {re of what you want to see on the paper when the drawing ie finished. We want you to experiment with drawing techniques, fof course, But sich experimentation should take place before you begin your Gnished Tine drawing. ‘This is ane. medium were you cant “play iby ear” You have to know what you're Aloing from stato ishtAeson Fomaus Ass Court ae 6 Advanced line drawing and tonal painting Choosing your approach Pere eee eee count as an expresive force shoving the true contous ofthe form Bas Seas “The drawings on thie spreal and the page following demonstate some of the many cliferent approaches you ean tke to 2 spe tific subjece Those shown in Figures 1 ¢0 5 ate realise and range from the full tonal Fenvering in Figure 1 to the most econ: ical and retained expresion in Figure 5. (On the other hand, the drawings in Figres 6 to 10 are styled, but the tonal handling { euentially the sme asin the drawings directly above them, On page 8 you wil find a further group of draeings. These ae all modeled as solid forms, but each one thas been executed in an unusual and dis tineive ine technique ‘We shoe you thee dee sets of drawings to demonstrate the following points: Fis, the same basi, solid form underlies every fone of these dracings, no matter how sh feed of exaggerated the treatment may be in some respects. Second the artist decided before he began each seh, exacty what Kind of drawing he intended to make whether realinie or sslzed, and to what Agree. Third, he seuled in advance such {questions as the overall lightness or dark tes ofthe drawing, te tols he would we, the general direction of lines in specific have consistency sd quality Te ie not enough co begin 2 sketch with the simple idea "I am going to make a line drawing.” Every important problem should be worked out in experimental drawings helore you take up pen, pencil, or brush co make the finshed pice, Vour kets may change asthe final draseng progreses, but icis important have complete contol of the drawing at every sage. This is true ‘whether yo are eawing single igure or 4 parade You most think shrough andl york {ough your drawing before you star, mak Ing preliminary studies sd deciding whateon WV Famous Artists Course Advaneed line drawing and tonal painting a We we \W& P| hn Binaltenon 1 Fomou Ais Count 8 ‘Advanced line drawing and tonal painting Same subject - same tonal effect - but different techniques A sound and exhaustive knowledge of line technique is basi to your earecr as an ats. You can never knov enough about the pos ibiltes of the black and white mediums, ad i will pay you to experiment exten sively. Make numerous drawing of the ar ‘ar fypes illustrated on hese pages, and Invent many new effects as you can "Thos who areal beginner are tempted to baie thatthe seen of usta and ttectve drawings st Hein the col with ‘hich the were crested Unforanatel the hover is oot tha ey. An compli ineguing efece with the simples ool Although you shou hive & HoTough 36 ‘qatsanc wher specie echigue, Jou il probably Be making the bet in Plot to che fall the oases of few imple instruments Wath enough practice and experience, you can handle one tool (ir exzmple,# Gill No. 290 pen) with sich verily hat you ean dupeate the ec in rags done wth several acer pen or cmbinations of pens and bresAeon Femvs Aris Coure 1 1 5 Advanced line drawing and tonal painting“ Famous Ariss Coune Advanced line drawing and tonal pointing N1¢ drawing and tonal paintingFomous Ari's Course Advanced line drawing and tonal pointing4 Scratchboard techniques ‘One of the mos useful special techniques in the field of Tine drawing is sratchboard. He has many advantages: Ie reproduces very welleven when greatly reduced, and printed on coarse ‘paper. You nec! only the simplest drawing equipment. You can tia extremely fine black or white lines very ely. The eisp (quality of seatchboard makes ican ideal medium for pictures in which accurate detail and precise drawing are esental. To day's crachboar is im many respects the equivalent of the old ‘wreleue andl he Inter hand one steel engraving ‘By contrast withthe eater engraving methods, sratchboard has the advantage of being extremely exy to handle once you Anderstand it, The drawing is made on 4 special piece of ils tration board which fas Been coated with a fine white cay. This board, like the technique isl is elle "scratchbowe.” “There are three ways to handle scatchboard, as illustrated in Aleit on the apposite page I'you wish your picture to have the fffect ofa white drawing ona black background, you will beg by brushing black Indi ink onthe cote surlace ofthe bose When the ink has dred you ean sertch the lines of your draw Ing into it, revealing the white lay. This isthe normal scratch oud method “On the other hand, if your drawing is to appear black aginst a white background, lke rear ink drawing, you wil sketch ‘wih a sable brash and India ink on the scratchboard and Iter Scratch out detail in some ofthe black areas 7 thin! method combines both techniques. Refer wo the illu trations on the opposite page to see how this is done. (Other seratchbourd drawings appear on page 18 of this lesson)Three basic scratchboard toolsa 1 16 Fomous Aris Course Advanced line drawing and tonal painting lustration in How I make an ‘To me the underlying “black patter" the structural basis of the drawing in frank, strong accents of pe black ~ is probably the aot compelling and distinctive feature of good line draw jing, But black andl white are st opposite ends of the value scale ‘The eye seeks intermediate values of gray to help it bridge this fp. Therelore [fee that the we of intermediate values in com ination with the black pattern i almose equally important 1 the basi stuctone and design ofthe Black pater ate right, comparatively simple mater to relae intermediate values to this framework, These gray ibetween values are obtained boy interpreting in texture the forms and suefaces, Sometimes 4 Tew dors ora Tine oF wo wll slice to suggest x surface and ive “olor” to 3m area, or dimension to a form. At other times a mare finished interpretation may be advisable. These areas of tone may be ether lager oF smaller than the pure black or white ress The extent to which you wil wish to introduce vex ‘A strong design isthe key. The blacks hold the structure an ‘Tere are three things | want fo get Into my line de used in large a J (1) The character and mood ofthe abject. (2) Variety in tho Lock toe with intermediate values will depend o a lange extent on the subject und design To illustrate thew points, X will discus in detail my method of producing a picture awe in line ‘The Subject: Lam using 4s an example a drawing which will ‘occapy about hall + page in the Saturday Evening Post The ory to be ilostrate ie part of a serial. The ation takes place in the high country of New Mexico about 1885, A wagon ta has been burned bya group of Indians, A wounded girls found, bleeding but alive She fs carted out ofa flat valley by wider fon horecack. The text to be illustrate reads" -- » she ould fisinguish certain sound, a bors’ slow hootbeat dhe eeak of Saddle leather. Her boaly felt cramped und she was asare of her shoulders being tightly hell force to the arrangement of black, white and grays, (2) A pieture patern with strength clarity and simplicity.\eson Famous Ass Coase ie V Advanced line drawing and tonal painting 2. Total pen rowing i ‘the forms, properly constructed same sie asthe previous sketch. Hee | wont « carefully worked-out drawing ofall proportioned.Leson Fomous Ass Coun : 18 5 Advanced line drawing and tonal painting re easier to work 1 sop ft trace the drawing dewn ighily on holpretted Whatman boerd. Te moke -half times reproduction size — 15% by 91 Inches. With done ropily. 1 then peint in ell the large black ersos with a brush, sing “extradenso” black ink. These solid blacks ‘qicly estoblsh the bore potter forthe sh can be jum pen ond regular Ind | move fo the larger trees, than to the darker textures onthe igure9i [ELS LPS Py Sie SI / i ISS 22Draw with reduction and reproduction in mind Your work a commercial att wil be ded by what appeats onthe printed page, Fortis reason, FTyo make yourplctre argent the fn size, you mt conser what wll happen wen the Pure is reduce Remember that ta drawing ‘hich wil be rough down to onesind is orginal ee for example, all ofthe lines and the spaces between them wil be reduced proportions The drawings at the right lostae this point The large one a the ime ight was done with reduction in mind, and all the ines hold up. even aC traction of the original sv, The econ ange drawing nes the sme kindof technique but the anew not alert tothe problems tht repreduc thon would erene Inthe reueions of hs drawn nay of he Hie ines have "dropped out" beau they wer too delicate inthe orga, Other sets have “led up" leaving soll back mass where che artt wanted cronsatching. This 6 what hep. pens If yu make your line oo le. rE Using line to suggest tones Often you will Gnd i¢ advisable to employ line t0 create the sffect of tone. You may do this because you wish to create tonal picture that ie stitable for line plate reproduction, be sticking riety to line, cause You want to unify your picture or you prefer the subtle textural variation vehich cannot be achieved in quite the same way in 3 tonal painting, The line drawing below has been snalyed ina tonal i frum. This diagram shows the simple tonal pattern the adn inexpreted in his line drawing. He id tit dhrough careful contol of the interval and direction of is lines, Beginners often mike the mistake of becoming too absorbed inthe quality of the éndividva lines and forget more impor tant overall tonal effects Areas such as the sky behind the bridge can be handle suecestully only if you keep in mind the tone you want to suggest. Notice that careful spacing of the rippled lines of the water has the elec of prelucing = Tigh, lat tone, as shown in the tonal drawing