Contour Line

 The purpose of contour drawing (besides the fact that it is gorgeous in its own right) is that it slows us down to really "see" what we are drawing. It encourages the act of drawing what you see and not what you think. A contour line follows the surface edges and ridges of the subject matter.  It takes patience and diligence by students but it is a tremendous tool in learning to look and consequently learning to draw. Art I students practiced by viewing contour drawings and then drawing their own hands and small still life objects in class using a blind contour  line(where they cannot look at the paper) and a modified contour line(in which they can glimpse at the page from time to time). They then did a project using plants as subject matter.