Visual language - Line quality (further explored)

Line quality - A3 experiments

I wanted try out some big quick gestural lines and work into them using different types of pen. The ideas came from my first 20 line drawings. I didn't need to look at a reference image at this point. I wanted to be experimental and interpret the shapes I had learnt different ways.

I was bold and gestural with the way a made these lines, I used a combination of pencil, marker pens and paint pens. I like some of the layered textures it creates, drawing quickly and using heavy lines surrounding the characters look good.

I simplified the line work down and focused on using a soft thick pencil and a paint marker. The pencil created an interesting shiny texture when worked over the black. I randomly drew the character with a wispy tale coming from his body, it looked like a genie and suited the tribal looking decorations, I liked the way it was starting to form.

I feel this sketch sort of summarised the character I had created through this process. I didn't want to work into the drawing with any more medias, and it gave me the idea to try and draw it simplified with minimal lines and refine some of the shapes and line work I had learnt.

I think its interesting to think about how this character initially came from a photograph. How the features have been manipulated and developed into shapes that barley look like the photo, and have let my imagination take over.

I enjoyed working with simple lines, being neat and accurate with the abstract shapes worked really well. The black angular shadow behind them gives a nice surrounding and makes the shapes stand out.

I experimented with making a crazy two headed character. I could take the shapes I've learnt and apply them in all sorts of ways, the variations are endless.

I did this using quick straight continuous lines and overlapping them in areas. I like this way of outlining and could work well if put on top of colour.

I have found this process really helpful to discover new ways of producing line and also thinking of character designs. I founding working loosely and gestural benefits the way I draw. Working with the same shapes over and over is a good way to refine them and also abstract them. Building images from reference in this way is a skill I want to develop further and potentially use for some more specific briefs.