(BRUSH) LINES WITHOUT TONES

Some pages ago, we took a look at Lines Without Tones drawings.  The lines drawn at that time were from a felt tip pen.  And we determined that the basic transparent understanding of forms is maintained, although not quite as much as when there are tones to help our knowledge of the form.

Today’s page looks at this same question, although this time the lines are applied with a brush.  The drawing at the top is a Drawing From Drawing.  The source is below.  So on this page, we can directly compare lines with tones and (brush) lines without tones.  Which has more knowledge?

While both drawings are working to knowledge the same form, it still seems to me that the bottom drawing has more knowledge.  The forms are more clearly known.  There is less dissolving of the three dimensional form.  Indeed, it appears that some sections of the (brush) lines drawing dissolves or looses its dimensional knowledge.

And, of course, in the top drawing, the banding, or wrapping suggested by the lines is a different drawing mode than a border line and tone for each element.  Still, I think the (brush) line mode has potential.  The drawing was not allowed to dry.  So that is why we are getting the dissolving of the ocher tone into the black.  And, indeed, this dissolution of tones might be what is contributing to the dissolving of the geometric understanding of the forms.

There is no doubt that the top drawing tends a bit more towards technique, rather than knowledge.  There is an ‘action’ quality to the top drawing which tends toward calligraphic resonance.  Action, bodily gesture, calligraphic, yet still euclidean.

Still, it was fun to try this out.  Because you don’t have to wait for tones to dry, a drawing like this is very quick, which also adds to the fun.