This week everyone was focused on making new lines – how by varying the implement, or how you hold and move it, you can convey different movements, emotions and feelings, even if drawing the same object, or none!
To start with I asked everyone to work on the floor, in pastel or chalk and on big paper so they had to use their whole arm – not just their hands. Their task was to invent lines to convey different movements e.g ice skating, swimming, walking, dancing etc. Then they did the same thing but to convey different emotions – anger, nervousness, joy. The results were of course very varied but had some common elements – for instance the anger lines were all quite angular, the dancing ones all very smooth and organic.
Then I gave them different implements to find and make new lines with – including ink, mascara brushes, charcoal on long sticks – and different challenges – for instance, draw using your non-dominant hand, continuous line, blind contour drawings. Some even ventured into using their feet instead resulting in some amazing lines that they would not have been able to achieve using their hands.
