Art Tutorial: Continuous Line Drawing

Edi Oliveira
Aug 26, 2017 · 4 min read
Self-portrait, continuous line drawing. Illustration by Edi Oliveira (2016).

I have something to confess: drawing is not really my strong skill. I struggle a lot and I mean it. I have a way to go to get any better, which means a lot of practice. As I mentioned before, art is some kind of meditation for me, when/where I decompress. Also, when/where I challenge myself but without taking it too much serious. It’s all about making a lot of mistakes, learning and having fun.

So, I had a problem: how to practice more drawing without getting too upset with all the mistakes, while at the same time having fun and skipping the hours and hours of technical conventional drawing classes. Boring!

Give me space for a bit of digression here: a lot of times we focus way too much in our weaknesses forgetting what we’re really good at. Sometimes I have the impression we should spend more time perfecting things we are already good. End of digression.

Another confession: I don’t have patience for long pieces of art, the ones which takes a year, months, weeks. You must be asking yourself if I really want to get better I should be putting more effort into it. Well, the answer is not that straight forward…

The thing is: art for me is also about capturing a single moment, the immediate, even the obvious. I like the raw rather than the technically elaborate. I like the aesthetics of the sketchy, absurd, almost ugly. I think it bring emotions we’re not always ready for, the side of things we tend to hide. Or it doesn’t bring any emotion at first at all and it confuses us. Well, these are a few things that interest me as an artist.

Sketchy Continuous line portraits by Edi Oliveira (2016).

Knowing elaborate technical drawings are not really my thing, I decided to focus exactly in the opposite: the intuitive, also called continuous line drawing. Let me explain what is it about, at the same time inviting you to have a go. It’s gonna be fun, I promise!

  1. Take a blank sheet, an old newspaper, the cereals’ cardboard box, whatever thing you can draw on.
  2. Take a fine ink pen, a ballpoint pen will do as well.
  3. Look for anything around you you want to draw: an object, a fruit, flower, your pet, really anything. As many details it has, even better. Are you ready?
  4. With your eyes closed, feel the piece of paper, cardboard, whatever you got. Feel its surface, the size and boundaries of it.
  5. Open your eyes. Look at the object. Take your time to really understand it. Where it starts? Where it goes from there? Is it rounded? Has it got many sharp corners? Think in terms of lines rather than colours or forms. Draw the object in your mind.
  6. Now it’s time to properly start it. Remember you’re drawing the object on the paper, so, focus on the first. Slowly guide your hands on the same direction of your eyes, as you outline the object in front of you.
  7. If you feel like, for a second or two look at the paper without lifting the pen and then, back to the object, continue drawing. Think of all the small details and do it. Where does this line go? Let your eyes guide your hands, not the other way around. Forget about perfection for a while. It’s all about perception and synchrony.
  8. Every now and then you can have a quick glance on the paper, again without lifting the pen. Keep drawing until you finish it. It shouldn’t take more than two or three minutes (it can feel way longer though).
Art Tutorial Continuous Line Drawing, by Edi Oliveira

So, how does your drawing look like? Does it have any resemblance to the actual object? Did you enjoy it? Was it easy or difficult? Have you discovered the artist within?

First time I practised continuous line I completely fall in love with it. Sometimes it gets terrible, but it’s always so much fun. Not being in charge of the results, not knowing exactly what to expect, that completely changed the way I relate to my own art. And I’ll tell you something: as much as I practice it, much better I get. Art is everything about how I see things and I’m learning new ways to see the world around me.

I’m applying this technique in some of my works and these are a few examples: Calendar 2016, Calendar 2017, Elefun (digital illustration). As curiosity, Auguste Rodin and Egon Schiele are said to have mastered this technique creating amazing drawings.

If you enjoyed doing it, try it again drawing something different in a different colour on top of this. Or try a self-portrait this time, looking at the mirror. Shall we have another go?


Originally published at edioliveira.com.

)

Edi Oliveira

Written by

Artist and illustrator based in Dublin, Ireland. My art is about telling stories that people can relate to. My mission is to bring colour to people’s lives.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade