Contour Line Exercises

This assignment applies to both my Basic Drawing Class and my 2D Design Class.

The Assignment- Find a shoe to draw from, then do the following drawing exercises in your 18" x 24" pad using pencil. You may put multiple shoes on a page and/or use the back of the page.

Exterior Contour Line- A simple line that surrounds a space to create a positive shape in space. For this first exercise draw the silhouette of your shoe- just the outside edge with no interior shapes or details, as in the examples below. Pay attention to the details around the edge, the proportions of the shoe, and the relative positions of shoe structures. Draw as many shoes as you want in 30 minutes (most students drew 2 to 4 shoes)

Cross Contour Line- Cross contour lines are perceived lines drawn over the surface of the subject to indicate movement, form and volume. Sometimes they relate to the actual surfaces of things being drawn, but usually they are made up by the artist. The drawing below uses cross contour lines to make the shoe feel more three dimensional. Spend 30 minutes doing one cross contour drawing.

Blind Contour Drawing- A traditional drawing exercise in which the artist looks only at the subject of the drawing, but not at the drawing in progress. The resulting drawing will often have issues with proportions, but often great detail in the edge. To do this kind of drawing, let your eye move slowly around the edge of the shoe, and without letting yourself look at the paper, move your pencil to match. Below are some examples. Spend 15 minutes doing blind contour drawings, typically producing 3 to 5 drawings.

Final Shoe Drawing- Use all the experience of the previous exercises to make one last detailed line drawing of your shoe. This time you may draw all the physical structures of the shoes, and use cross contour lines to whatever extent you wish. Continue to pay attention to proportions. Spend 45 minutes on this pencil line drawing. Below is a student example.

These are all portfolio exercises, that must be made up by the portfolio collection date appropriate to the class you are taking.