Art Activity #8: Blind Line Study
For this week’s art activity, we are going to be building on some of the skills we have learned in past weeks, so if you haven’t tried the Drawing Blind or Line Study art activities, you may want to check them out first because this week we are going to be combining the two activities and creating a blind line drawing!
For this activity you will need:
paper
a pen or marker (nothing eraseable)
a small object in your house that won’t move (ie a cup, a hanger, a flower, a fruit or vegetable — not a pet or person)
a hard surface to draw on
This time your challenge is to pick something to draw (your subject) that is a little more tricky than what you have chosen before. Choose something you’ve never paid much attention to, or that seems kind of overwhelming to draw. We are throwing perfection out the window in this activity, and the more complicated your subject, the less concern you should have about getting it “right”. Pick something that challenges you. While this will be a blind line study, your eyes will be open, just glued to your subject rather than your paper.
Follow these steps to complete your blind line study:
Put the object on a flat surface where it will not move or roll, and sit down in front of it with your art supplies. Take three deep breaths, and draw circles in the air to loosen up your wrists.
Prepare your paper for drawing blind. If you have a lot of personal control, you can just keep your eyes on your subject. If you are too tempted to look at your paper while you draw, you can position your paper on your lap under a table, or behind a book so you cannot see it. You will be focusing on your subject throughout this activity, so it should be easier to see than your paper.
Pick up your pen or marker and hold it over the centre of your paper. Consider where you will want to start your drawing before setting it down.
Study your subject carefully for any lines, and start to draw what you see. It is easiest to start with the lines can see the most clearly, which are usually around the outside of the object. Draw very slowly and try not to lift your pen or marker off the paper unless it is absolutely necessary. Capture the outer shape of the object, including all the corners and bumps.
Now you can start to add in the details of your subject. Remember to look only at your subject, not your paper. You can pick up your pen or marker if you need to, but do it as little as possible. Draw as many continuous lines as you can. This activity is all about observing your subject with artists’ eyes and drawing confidently. Don’t add in any lines that you think should be there, draw only what you can see. Try to keep track of what you have drawn in your head as you go. You have finished your drawing when you have drawn all the lines visible from where you are sitting.
When you think you have finished your drawing, set down your pen and see what you drew! How does it compare to the subject itself? Does it look strange, silly, or weird? What details of your subject are easy to make out? Which are lost? Are the lines all connected?
Compare this piece to those you created in the blind drawing and line study activities. Are there similarities? Improvements? Connections? What have you learned from what you have created? I would love to hear from you!
Take a photo of your blind line drawing (using my photo taking guide for reference!) and share it with me and your classroom teacher via email or Microsoft Teams. I will share any submissions in the student gallery below. I cannot wait to see your blind line studies!
Miss Marks chose to challenge herself by drawing two subjects together as one - her favourite stuffed animal from her 6th birthday, Simba, and her narwhal pillow, Poindexter. (Can you spy someone else napping in the background?!)
Here is Miss Marks’ blind line study of her subjects. It looks pretty silly and abstract — hard to recognize the original shapes and lines as the two subjects seem to merge together. What do you think of it?
