Tapered Lines

[DanielG]

I decided to go back to the beginning and work on my tapered lines. I am only showing the last ones I created. I have an 11x14 sheet filled with little boxes of tapered lines. I am wanting to see where I am. It seems the san shows lines, where in real life no lines are showing. I may be changing the brightness and contrast too much.

[Mike Sibley]

First, I'd recommend you just try to draw simple tapered lines. I think of it as landing a light aircraft on the paper - taxiing along the runway (drawing the line) - and then smoothly taking off again.

If it helps, just taper one end (as you are doing in the boxes). Then practice the other end, before combining them into one line.

I know you learned this technique from Darrell Tank - and I have Darrell to thank for alerting me to the importance of the tapered line, which her terms the "tapered stroke".

Because I've been mainly drawing hair, I'd been using it for many many years but never had a name for it.

DAN-cornerblend-1.jpg

Second, the image you posted is rather small, so I might be mistaking what I can see. With that in mind:

#1: The light values fade very well. The darks stop abruptly with blunt ends.
#2: Better, but there are blunt ends.
#3: Better still, with some blunt ends at the right-hand side.
#4: Even better, but not quite perfect yet.
#5: A slight step back - hard edged dark area.
#6: OK, although the darks are now very pale.
#7: Showing promise. The darks are good at the top, not so good lower down.

The reason I suggest you just try separate lines is that you have to teach your hand to sweep down onto the paper, and then lift off gently. The tapers themselves can be long to very short - but never just stop a line dead. This takes practice - possibly lots of it. But it is the most universally useful technique you'll ever learn.

Try lines in all directions, too. Long and short. Straight and curved. The ideal aim is that you can eventually draw any line in any direction with tapers on both ends.

[DanielG]

First, I'd recommend you just try to draw simple tapered lines. I think of it as landing a light aircraft on the paper - taxiing along the runway (drawing the line) - and then smoothly taking off again.

If it helps, just taper one end (as you are doing in the boxes). Then practice the other end, before combining them into one line.

I will do that now.

I know you learned this technique from Darrell Tank - and I have Darrell to thank for alerting me to the importance of the tapered line, which her terms the "tapered stroke".

Yes, Darryl teaches a tapered stroke, but his method is a hand grip that is different from what. you and others use, so I am having to reteach myself taper lines. He calls it flow and grace and he holds it half way up the pencil and only use wooden pencils. I agree with you that clutch pencils keep the same weight at all times. I will practice drawing tapered lines and reteach myself.

The reason I suggest you just try separate lines is that you have to teach your hand to sweep down onto the paper, and then lift off gently. The tapers themselves can be long to very short - but never just stop a line dead. This takes practice - possibly lots of it. But it is the most universally useful technique you'll ever learn.

Try lines in all directions, too. Long and short. Straight and curved. The ideal aim is that you can eventually draw any line in any direction with tapers on both ends.

That makes sense. thank you for the suggestion. I am determined to get better at drawing and take it to where I am looking to be.

[Mike Sibley]

Yes, Darryl teaches a tapered stroke... He calls it flow and grace and he holds it half way up the pencil and only use wooden pencils.

I'm not knocking Darrel - I admire his work - but the "grace" position? Oh, that gave me a chuckle the first time I heard him say that. I think "arty" is a better description

I use what he calls the "control position" all the time. That is, the normal writing hold. Because, strangely, I prefer to be in control of what I'm drawing.

I agree with you that clutch pencils keep the same weight at all times. I will practice drawing tapered lines and reteach myself.

I try to build as many constants as I can into the way I work. I use the same paper, clutch pencils, the same hard surface beneath my paper, and so on. That way, I'm not constantly having to relearn. And every time I put pencil to paper, I know exactly how it is going to perform.

[DanielG]

OH please don't get me wrong. I love Darryl's work and admire him greatly. I just can not seem to master his technique. I have it been able to get in the ballpark of achieving his technique. It did imprint numerous drawing habits I have to change in perfecting the tapered line technique vs the tapered stroke.

I like being in the control position like you said. It make more sense to me when I am trying to draw a line.

[Mike Sibley]

Don't worry, I'm not misunderstanding you at all. And it just occurred to me that I learned the tapered line by drawing hair. That does need control, and sharpness, which the grace hold will never achieve.

And, as I said, once it becomes to feel natural to you, you'll be so pleased you persevered and learnt to draw tapered lines. The uses are countless.

[DanielG]

Is the tonal exercise a good way to continue practicing tapered lines? I have been drawing lines for a couple of hours now and I kind of want to draw something or at least shade something while I teach my hand and my brain.

[Mike Sibley]

There are a few things you can try... like seeing if you can get two adjacent areas of shading to overlap and seamlessly join. If you can do that, you can shade skies, or any large expanse, in easy-to-manage sections.

Or just imagine a section of hairy animal and create the hair.

The corner blend exercise you were using previously is one I favour in my Beginners course at Drawspace - because, once blended, any blunt ends are more visible. I know - I'm cruel

Woodgrain! That's an ideal subject for using tapered lines, because it depends on them. Just invent your own - and remember the white gaps are as important as the lines you're drawing. Take a look at DIVIDE TO CONTROL: starting at 5:40.

[DanielG]

I think I have my scanner working correctly to show drawings better, Here is the wood I was working on.

[Mike Sibley]

I think your scanner is ignoring the lightest values, which is not uncommon. If you have any scanner filters turned on, turn them off. If you need any, you can apply them later in whatever imagining app you use.

Also, scan at 300ppi in colour. That will capture the most information. After scanning, you can reduce the file size if you need to by dropping the resolution down to 96 or 72ppi.

DAN-woodgrain-1.jpg

So, bearing the scan in mind, and that I can only critique what I can see... it's definitely lighter than I'd expect. So, I've copied and adjusted it to the values that better suit the drawing - because if the wood is too light, you'll have a very restricted palette of greys to use for the leaves. And, although it's incidental here, your black holes are neither black nor solid.

I'm looking at my darkened version, because your lines are more visible. First, I can see sections of shading with relatively hard edges, so you weren't tapering the ends, or they are far too short. There probably are areas where your areas of shading do seamlessly join, but the scan isn't making them visible.

More importantly - to my mind - there is a fundamental error. You've drawn multiple dark splits in the wood. That's OK, and they're to be expected. However, what you've actually drawn are marker pen lines on the surface. Why? Because splits always have tapered ends, and yours don't. A blunt ended mark cannot ever be seen as a split. A split is the grain smoothly parting and/or rejoining, and that creates very fine tapers.

Have another go - and take your time. When drawing woodgrain, the gaps between your lines are as important as the lines you're drawing.

Also, try this: draw a single line beginning with a taper. Now draw a second line that ends in a taper that overlaps the taper of the first line. If you do it correctly, you should be looking at a single long line with no obvious join - because a taper over a taper should look like a solid line..