We've discussed the many ways to use a line to convey shapes, spatial distance and relationships, and even to describe motion and shading. We can also use a line with consitent width or stroke weight to provide a foundation, or to ground an element or composition. I used this technique in this design, as well, to draw the eye through the image in a set pattern, to make a sort of visual timeline for the action and still-life happening within the art, giving an illusion that many things are going on, no matter where you look. The endless-line running through the design looks groovy and retro, certainly. That's why I chose it... But it also serves to anchor the outlined "BMX Challenge" logo and the "3rd Annual" text... and, perhaps more importantly, it frames a select few elements, allowing them to pop and recede in the space of the design:



All of that by playing with lines. Cool, huh?

Keep in mind just how powerful a single line can be. It doesn't simply create your art or define a piece or look pretty... the lines you draw are an extension of you. You are the only person capable of drawing a line in your own precise manner. It's like your fingerprints or signature... Unique to you, and the basis for your style, and how you draw or paint. Refine it, work with your natural stroke. I found that once I stopped fighting the way I drew naturally, and dropped the methods so pressed on me in school, that I had something enjoyable in drawing. My own style became evident. Do likewise, and you'll find your work taking you in all sorts of new directions.

It goes without saying, then, that your digital work will only be as inviting as the analog preparation that goes into it. This is why, for the most part (I'm discussing mechanical objects, as there are many gifted digital artists who can make creatures and humans and organic things look incredibly real and, well, warm... but more on that temperature thing in a second), pure digital - meaning vector and photo-edited (i.e. "Photoshopped" or "photo-chopped")or 3D model-based car artwork looks colder. It has a definite visual temperature change when compared to a hand-drawn piece. It lacks, I think, the tactile, the hands-on touch of art media to the paper, canvas, board, whatever to bridge the realistic surface with the warmth of art that we seem to seek...

In my opinion (again, an opinion... I'm not knocking 3D models or vector or Photoshop-based work at all. I think that ALL ART is outstanding, and requires a TON of discipline and skill, and I use Photoshop and vector tools as part of my production, so I'm right here with you... just clearing that up before someone sends me an email telling me how they misread this and that I called anyone who build or uses Illustrator 3D models or Painter a hack, and I have to send them a link to listen to Carly Simon belt out Carole King's You're So Vain, and then re-explain that I was simply trying to describe the significant visual difference between pure analog and pure digital work, hopefully they can dig what I have to add here), what makes that work look so cold is that it's not created by the human hand, but rather by math and machine. Math doesn't observe an object like we do, and can't put a personal spin on what's being drawn or represented... Sure, you can program a filter or action to try and simulate the human action, but it can't change it all up on the fly. In my humble opinion, again, for whatever that's worth, what makes a work of art so interesting is the conflict and the way someone deciphers and then presents what they've taken from experiencing some object or event, using a pen, pencil, brush, whatever... That's not to say that any one medium or technique is better than another, far from it. Each has its place, and each requires a ton of work to learn the tools to create with, and I'm simply seeking to express my perceived temperature of one medium's result versus that of another. It's a perceptual thing, really. You may see it differently, and again, therein lies the fun and experience of all art.

That said, consider just how powerful your initial lines and strokes of the pencil can be. Everything you build from that will still have that first line carrying its weight or direction. The first lines convey action, energy... or, they can be lifeless and flat. You decide!



Check out the detail above. You can see that this was the result of a very quick sketch that I continued to refine, choosing to build and build on top, versus stopping to create a new, perhaps cleaner version. I just kind of liked the energy that it packed. Funny thing is, the sketch was the result of some very angry drawing. I got myself good and mad, as I wanted to make the car look as aggressive as possible. Crank some Ministry and Black Flag for six hours, drink a pot of coffee, listen to some talk radio, and off I went. Add to that a certain distaste for some elements of the '68/'69 Torino, and what did you think would happen?

What's fun here is that the lines in the sketch define the widened fenders, and play into the shaded and highlighted areas in the drawing. That thick line along the rear roof line helps to emphasize the bulk back there, but draws the eye in to see that rear spoiler. Even the gestural, angry drawings have a plan.



All of my work has color built up over the original lines. This is, I believe, due in part to my studies and training in painting with oils. When applying paint to canvas, you build pigment in almost transparent layers, working from an underpainting, which creates the basic shadows and helps to define the forms. It's this application, or should I say the technique and order of the application that allows me to play, visually, with depth. As I build the color, I'm constantly stepping back to see how each new shade or highlight will play with the setting I've chosen for the rendering. Am I conveying a subdued twilight moment, or the rage and action of an autocross course? I'm constantly figuring it out as I draw. In the Torino piece above, I opted for a more serene green with a tip of the hat to Monet. I felt that the combination of raw, energetic lines and a bold, aggressive gold could benefit from a little drama, resulting from the calm background. It's this competition of soothing versus ready-to-strike coloring which reinforces the rapidly applied line work. Pay close attention in your work as you create, and consider how drama and conflict can work for you!

On the flip-side, look at this Buick:



A very mild, almost pleasant, laid-back color scheme in the greens and beige, but what's that? Some red in the wheel and pinstripe?! Hell yes. Contrasting colors can add instant drama, and here it not only helps to emphasize the edge of the wheel lip and add some pop to the molding, but it hints at the performance lurking under the hood (in this case, it's a twin-turbo Nailhead). When designing, consider the original car, and compare that to your plans for it. A mundane sedan can benefit from a great stance, but the right colors, and drawn loosely and at a dramatic angle, well... look out. The groceries have never made it home so fast, or with as much attitude!



A last point for this installment (we'll pick this up next time with a discussion of composition, and the elements to master therein) is working in a rhythm for your drawing. Much like the Beatles made a killing using a simple rhythm in their songs, the way those songs were written also showed a set rhythm. Your line work and color application should be no different.

From the first lines you drop in, get thinking about how the eye will move through the image. Make a mental list of the cool details in your ride that demand some extra attention, and build toward them, varying your line weight and direction to hit a crescendo at those particular features... Give a little action to your highlights, allow them to "dance" across the paint, flowing toward each perpendicular line (i.e. across the fender to the door gaps). This adds visual interest, and even hints at the setting of your rendering playing into the vehicle.

Catch you soon, and keep an eye out for the next installment... and check out my companion tutorials on our Facebook Fan Page! Thanks for reading along, and feel free to leave a comment or questions below...