LESSON 1

Lesson 1 : Thick and Thin Line Technique (TnT)

            Whenever you do a line drawing, it can be enhanced by using the thick and thin line technique. (TnT) I use this technique so much that it has become second nature to me and I barely think about it. I learned it from an Iowa high school art teacher—bless her heart. And though I studied art intensively in college, no mention of the technique was ever made by any other teacher I had, nor book I studied.

             This technique can make nearly any drawing—even clumsy and bad—look like real artwork! 

            As you see in the drawings below, you simply make some areas of a line or outline thicker than others.

            Areas for possible thickening are:

1.     Corners

2.     Rounded loops

3.     Ends

4.     Curves

5.     Anywhere you decide

 In the picture below, the left side of the page shows the lines drawings without enhancement.  The right side of the page shows the same drawings enhanced with areas of thickened lines.

If you can see, I've got small excerpts of examples where I've thickened different lines than in the larger drawings.  It really does change the appearance of the artwork.

The last example on the page is for you to experiment with.

Assignment:  See how you can change the appearance of the lines in the last example by thickening them in some places.