Lines in Art

"The line has almost become a work of art itself."

Theo Van Doesburg

When creating - whether it be in ceramics, writing, or painting - I am always looking for new techniques to add quality to my work. In Deborah Stewart's book, Abstract Art, she offers countless ways to do so. From using charcoal over paint to add texture, to putting rubbing alcohol over paper, there are so many ways to add to beauty and interest to a piece. One of my favorite methods listed by Stewart is the use of lines. Stewart suggests that lines can act as great divisions of space (Stewart 59). Following this suggestion and her demonstration of it shown in Stewart's book, I decided to take on this idea of using lines in my first piece. To create them, I put two long pieces of tape across the blank paper perpendicularly. These would act as the lines. Then, I used oil pastels and covered the canvas in yellows, greens and blacks. Finally, I removed the tape too reveal the lines. Aligning the direction of my piece to Stewart's writing and her visual example of lines had impacted my activity immensely. Using lines, it made my piece one of quality, as it would've been a very dull one without lines. The lines defined my piece. They became the main focus when I took off the tape. Lastly, Stewart's suggestion impacted my piece through the use of tape. Tape is something that I would have never thought to use as a tool in drawing before, but I am very glad I read this section of Stewart's book and was prompted to try it out.

Next, I decided to continue using lines in a second attempt. Reading on in the same page of Stewart's book, she offered various tips on how I could arrange the lines in my piece. She suggests that "it is best to avoid diagonal lines dividing the space equally. Vary the direction of the angle...Avoid corner-to-corner compositions" (Stewart 59). This suggestion particularly is the piece of Stewart's writing that impacted my piece the most. When executing this method of Stewart's, I first placed the tape down the middle on the canvas. I then realized that this was a mistake since it divided the space equally, so to fix this, I proceeded to add four different strips of tape. Considering Stewart's tip, I made sure to place the tape going in all different directions and creating a variety of angles (which is seen below). When I was finished taping, together, the lines created a beautiful geometric array on the canvas. At the end, this intricate arrangement of lines had added uniqueness, interest, and quality to my piece. Since it was Stewart's writing that acted as my inspiration behind this arrangement, it is clearly shown that Stewart directly impacted my activity today through the lines on my piece.

Final Product

Do you think art is better as simple or complex? How do you think techniques like this can add to a composition?

              Stewart, Debora. Abstract Art Painting: Expressions in Mixed Media. Cincinnati, OH: North Light,               2015. Print.