Line Quality

Defining Mass

Linear Perspective


Media

Lines can be drawn using a wide range of materials. Each medium, be it pencil, crayon, ink, charcoal, or even a finger doodling in the dust, offers unique formal properties and expressive possibilities. Some materials such as ink produce an array of textures, edge qualities and widths. Others, such as marker, present a narrower range of possibilities but may provide more precise control over the speed, pressure, blending and layering of marks. The choice of media profoundly affects the visual impact of a drawing and largely determines the creative techniques available to the artist.
 

Explore sixty examples of expressive line by selecting a drawing media from the options at the right. The buttons located at the bottom and top of the exercise area will allow you to vary the thickness and type of line displayed.