Defining Line Art
What is line art? It is an art which consist of a line to form curves or shapes. It often represents 2 or 3 dimensional objects.
The line has no shading or contrast. Most often it is monochromatic in nature. It can be referred to as silhouette art but is not exclusive to this name.
Traditionally this art became famous for those who would create art out of one single continuous line.
If one were to draw a horse, tree, or other objects such a face, it would be one single line which creates it all. There are no breaks to the line from start to finish.
Line Art is a very unique and is indeed challenging for those who wish to attempt it. Also it can render rather beautiful works of very simple design that translate well into other mediums.
Mastering the line art technique can make ones work stand out from the rest within alternative mediums.
It is a common staple within wood art in all its applications when carving or engraving. Virtually all carving which is done in 2d or 2.5d is first a design concept in line art.
The most successful carvings of this nature come from these types of designs.
When looking at genuine 3d wood carving there are more complex designs at work. Yet this does not mean line art is not used.
Rather more advanced concepts in design are required. With this price will also reflect the skill of the artist. Machining to this specification also comes at a premium for many small shops.
The Line Is The Basis Of All Art
It goes without saying that the line is the basis of all art and the most fundamental element. The sketch artist will live and die by it.
No matter its shape or form it is the ability to create objects by connecting lines that we achieve art.
The issue becomes that not all mediums can use line art in the same way. This remains true whether it be objective or non objective art. A medium will often dictate how the line is applied.
Some applications in art are better suited for different variations of a line. Canvas and paper can render a 2 dimensional image while giving the appearance of 3 dimensional form with depth and scale.
It does not alter the fact that the canvas is a 2 dimensional surface. Yet pencil and paper are far better at achieving multiple forms of line art.
Painting is the same with a canvas. It can be used to great effect and many works of art are famous for the artists skill in their work. Yet there are mediums where the line is not as adaptive.
Among these mediums are visual arts such as pottery, wood, glass, masonry or stone, and also traditional cloth working before the age of printing.
These mediums are unique as a “canvas” in how art can be applied to them. A different approach and skill set is needed.
Nevertheless all art still works on the foundational basis of a line. This becomes important for modern art where machinery can be used for cutting, carving, burning, or printing.
Software depends upon lines or what it calls vectors in order to create art through an electronic means.
A vector is a simple line. A collection of vectors can create shapes. These become more complex in that they can render art and also three dimensional objects such as sculptures.
Why Are Some Mediums Unique With Line Art?
The problem with these alternative mediums is twofold. First is the surface of the “canvas” itself, if I may call it a “canvas”.
Secondly the way in which art is applied is most often cutting, stamping, etching, or other alternative application.
A surface such as wood has natural complications. Unlike paper which is blank and clean, wood has grain and color variations within it that transitions across a board.
Attempting a drawing on wood would have its own issues due to this alone much less carving.
Masonry can often have this similar problem just as wood. Stone is in this same grouping as it will have its own colors, shape, and designs from nature already present.
The only way to obtain a clean uniform surface would be to smooth and paint them. Doing this takes away from what these arts provide in natural beauty.
When these mediums are shaped or cut, a tool of some kind is used. With wood this is carving tools which do the cutting.
Material is removed from the surface to leave behind shapes or impressions. With the exception of 3d carving that is unique in its own way, this is always done in a 2d or 2.5 application.
A blade is not like a pencil or brush. It cannot shade a surface in order to create depths of field, scale, or to create an illusion of 3d effect.
The only way blades can create this impact is with 3d carving such as free standing sculpture art.
In order to have 3d wood art it requires an outcome that is truly 3 dimensional. This is why I say it is unique. It can be held in the hands and placed to stand on a table or other surface.
The same can be said with the other alternative mediums such as masonry or stone. Each present their own unique challenges.
Basic Application Of The Line In Wood
The most basic forms of line application in woodworking we are accustomed to seeing yet rarely think anything of it.
Plaques with names, logos, and company designs are carved to hang on walls or used as signs. While this I would not call art it is no doubt the most basic use of lines in wood.
Artists have used dremel’s for near 30 years or more to create wood designs with lines.
Stencils are a common way to create the line or simple freehand drawing. The dremel bit removes material leaving a 2d carving of the representation within the wood grain.
Others have found wood burning techniques, and while not like cutting, it does alter the wood surface. This method does offer more complex design capability with a high tech setup and software backing it.
Nevertheless in its most simple form it is very much like the dremel in what it achieves.
Hand carving has always been a tried and true method for carving lines in wood. There are many different tools such as chisels for this application that offer a wide variety of design capability.
The average skills which most possess would render 2d or 2.5d art while the most skilled can do sculpture like representation.
The beauty behind line art in wood is that it works so perfectly. It can be symmetrical or asymmetrical art. There is a volume of opportunity for learning art by using wood.
Line Art Brought Into The Modern Age
Here we move well beyond the basic outline or silhouette art. Software allows for digital designs to extend its capability to levels never before imagined.
When one thinks about it, the most advanced video games are done with art still based upon lines.
The ability to render 3d designs in software with line art is limitless. Yet when it comes to applying this to a medium such as wood, more is needed.
There must be a way to take what is created by the software and carve it to the wood.
Here is where applications such as cnc mill’s step in to give this ability. Depending upon the complexity of the machine it can carve the most basic designs to the most complex sculptures.
Technology has revolutionized the ability to use line art in ways never before imagined.
For Beginners In Line Art
For the beginner in Line Art, or one which seeks to explore woodworking, the basic methods are the easiest to learn with.
I do recommend exploring hand carving. It is a technique which is slowly going away, but it offers so much to the artist.
There will be times when you will need to achieve an end which no other tool is perfectly suited for. Hand carving tools will be able to give you the solution you need in difficult situations.
Having this skill is important if you are serious about your work.
Yet dremel’s are a tried and true beginner tool. Routers also are an easy way to begin exploring design work with carving basic art.
This will typically be done on a flat smooth surface such as a board or panel.
If one wishes to get into carving on cylinder type shapes for things like spoons, pens, or other objects it can be achieved with practice. There are more advanced ways of accomplishing this such as a lathe.
Yet to start with many of the same tools suggested can also be used.
The trick for these kind of objects will first be getting the design on the object. Transfer paper may help in some situations to do this.
Much will depend on the style of design one wishes to use. I have seen some use a net clothing bag, spray paint the object, then remove the net. This leaves a ready made design to carve and then sand clean.
With smaller objects in order to get the line art you desire can take some creativity. It is not always as easy as it may at first seem.
Some freehand work may be needed in drawing the lines but is easy to correct before carving begins.
What Kind Of Line Art Design Should Beginners Use?
For wood you are looking for designs that are clean, monochromatic or otherwise called silhouette art. These are the easiest to not only carve but also transition the outline from paper to wood.
Projectors, cutouts, stencil making, and tracing paper are methods for achieving this.
Art designs which have shading, depth, or the appearance of 3d perspective will not translate into wood for art.
There are exceptions to this yet far more complicated techniques and machinery are needed. Generally speaking simple clean line art designs are best.
When starting out stay with these simple wood designs and master them with the tools you have. Yet here is where it is an excellent idea to begin hand carving.
Clean designs allow for you to learn what is possible within wood art before exploring the outer limitations of what can be achieved.
Once you have this foundation there are more complex drawings which can be used to rather stunning effect. These drawings still cannot have shading.
Rather it is a series of lines which create complex designs including things such as animals or buildings. It can effectively draw landscapes and provide some depth and scale rendering a 3d impact similar to what sketch art can do.
Know that typically this kind of art is rendered by using software and machines such as a cnc. Creating art of this complexity for wood is more of a specialty.
History Of Line Art
The history of line art is interesting. This art form has been used since drawings were put on cave walls.
Nevertheless it was Picasso which made line art famous. He would be the first to create the continuous line within art shapes and designs.
As the Art Deco age came into maturity more artists began to explore what this art had to offer. The turn to Mid Century Modern Art and the rise in popularity of Monochromatic
Art offered new opportunities to this alternative form that before did not exist.
Line art works best within the monochromatic world. In concept they are one and the same. You could say that one is a more specific reference to a particular art within the monochrome spectrum.
While the early 20th century gave us this modern introduction it would be technology that would bring it to maturity. In our world today anyone can purchase basic machines for printing, cutting, or etching on many mediums.
The maker and craft boom from home shops that have exploded across the many platforms of the internet sport their wares in line art. One can find anything from custom designed coffee cups to more ornate cutting boards.
If it can be printed on or cut there is a product with this art on it.
Advances in laser cutting and burning technology is changing the scene once again. Now plastics can have line art with many complex designs placed on them.
These machines are sold in similar bundles like the 3d printers which became the rage.
There is no doubt that this art is very simple in nature yet it has had a profound impact upon marketable goods and designs. Certainly for the near future it will continue to do so as technology continues to innovate and change allowing us to do more.