contour drawing

(noun)

A technique used in art in which the artist sketches the outline of a subject, focusing more on mass and volume than on detail.

Related Terms

Examples of contour drawing in the following topics:

  • Contour Line

    • The contour line is the simplest of the varieties of line.
    • Contour drawing is an artistic technique in which the artist sketches the contour of a subject by drawing lines that result in a completed drawing that is essentially an outline .
    • The purpose of contour drawing is to emphasize the mass and volume of the subject rather than the detail.
    • The technique of contour drawing is manifested in different styles and often practiced as an exercise for drawing development.
    • An example of a contour drawing by the artist Egon Schiele.

  • The Drawing Process

    • Contour drawing is an artistic technique used in the field of art in which the artist sketches the contour of a subject by drawing lines that result in a drawing that is essentially an outline (the French word contour, indeed, means "outline").
    • The purpose of contour drawing is to emphasize the mass, volume, and outlined shape of the subject rather than the details .
    • However, because contour can convey a three-dimensional perspective, length and width as well as thickness and depth are important; not all contours exist along the outlines of a subject.
    • Blind contour drawing is a method of drawing where an artist draws the contour of a subject without looking at the paper.
    • The purpose of contour drawing is to emphasize the mass, volume, and outlined shape of the subject rather than the details.

  • Hatching and Cross-Hatching

    • Hatching and cross-hatching are artistic techniques used to create tonal, shading, and textural effects by drawing closely spaced parallel lines.
    • Hatching and cross-hatching are artistic techniques used to create tonal, shading and textural effects by drawing closely spaced parallel lines.
    • Hatching is especially important in linear media, such as drawing, as well as some painting and printmaking techniques (specifically in terms of engraving, etching and woodcut techniques).
    • Multiple layers of cross-hatch lines can give rich and varied shading to objects by manipulating the pressure of the drawing tool to create a large range of values.
    • Contoured hatching refers to hatching using curved lines in order to describe light and form of contours.

  • Qualities of Line

    • Contour lines define the outer edges of an object.
    • Multiple layers of cross-hatch lines can give rich and varied shading to objects by manipulating the pressure of the drawing tool to create a large range of values.
    • Contoured hatching refers to hatching using curved lines in order to describe light and form of contours.

  • Contour Plots

    • Contour plots portray data for three variables in two dimensions.
    • The plot contains a number of contour lines.
    • Each contour line is shown in an X-Y plot and has a constant value on a third variable.
    • An alternative way to draw the plot is shown in Figure 2.
    • A contour plot showing calories as a function of fat and carbohydrates

  • An Example

    • Here is a simple piece of Mathematica code that will draw the modes of a rectangular plate.
    • Lx = 1.5; Ly = 1; c = 1; d[x_,y_,m_,n_]= Sin[m Pi x/Lx]Sin[n Pi y/Ly]; w[n_,m_] = c Sqrt[(m Pi /Lx)^2 + (n Pi/Ly)^2]; Do[Do[ContourPlot[d[x,y,m,n],{x,0,Lx},{y,0,Ly},AspectRatio->Ly/Lx];,{m,2}];,{n,2}];

  • Lagrange Multiplers

    • We can visualize contours of $f$ given by $f(x, y)=d$ for various values of $d$, and the contour of $g$ given by $g (x, y) = c$.
    • Suppose we walk along the contour line with $g = c$.
    • In general, the contour lines of $f$ and $g$ may be distinct, so following the contour line for $g = c$, one could intersect with or cross the contour lines of $f$.
    • When the contour line for $g = c$ meets contour lines of $f$ tangentially we neither increase nor decrease the value of $f$—that is, when the contour lines touch but do not cross.
    • The contour lines of $f$ and $g$ touch when the tangent vectors of the contour lines are parallel.

  • The Shape or Contour of a Melody

    • Such a line gives the contour or shape of the melodic line.
    • Please see The Shape of a Melody for children's activities covering melodic contour.

  • Paleolithic Cave Paintings

    • Archeological discoveries across a broad swath of Europe (especially southern France and northern Spain) include over two hundred caves with spectacular paintings, drawings, and sculpture that are among the earliest undisputed examples of representational image-making.
    • Drawings of humans were rare and were usually schematic as opposed to the detailed and naturalistic images of animals.
    • Altamira (circa 18,000 BCE) is a cave in northern Spain famous for its Upper Paleolithic cave paintings featuring drawings and polychrome rock paintings of wild mammals and human hands.
    • They also exploited the natural contours in the cave walls to give their subjects a three-dimensional effect.
    • Altamira's famous Upper Paleolithic cave paintings feature drawings and polychrome rock paintings of wild mammals and human hands.

  • Skin Grafts

    • In addition to allowing for drainage, this allows the graft to both stretch and cover a larger area as well as to more closely approximate the contours of the recipient area.
    • A vacuum unit then creates negative pressure, sealing the edges of the wound to the foam, and drawing out excess blood and fluids.