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Tutorial 67 - Character of Line
🕑 Added 2016-03-08 08:26:32 +0000 UTC This tutorial is part of a series based on line and the symbolic meaning we attribute them.Simply put, line can be used to separate two areas or it can be a single expression, a direction, a path, a character, a gesture and many more things.
Lines can communicate feelings very effectively. We can convey these feelings in our work by using lines, but we should try to be aware of what they represent.
Vertical. Straight up or straight down, or both. A tree, a tower, a post. These things are generally there to stay, unmovable. Rigid, formal, dignified, stable and strong. Perhaps masculine, phallic, penetrative. Esoterically, vertical lines represent the connection between Heaven and Earth so are often used in religious artworks.
Horizontal. Flat, still and quiet. The floor, the ground, the horizon. Something to rely on, a support, a base. Calm and peaceful. Perhaps feminine, receptive, supportive, Earthly. Esoterically, horizontal lines represent the passing from birth to death, duality, the 'is' and 'is not', good and evil.
Diagonal. Falling or rising, engaged, dynamic. Sliding, leaning, a slope to climb up or run down. Diagonal lines give us a sense of movement, that something is happening. Diagonal lines will appear in works with perspective to describe depth and the potential of moving forwards or backwards. Perhaps Diagonal is the child, the offspring of Vertical and Horizontal, it is not at rest, it is yet to discover if it will become Vertical or Horizontal.
Imagine these lines represented as a sword. A vertical sword is victorious, glorified, proud. A horizontal sword is peaceful, resting, surrendering. A diagonal sword is engaged, in action, striking or defending.
Interesting things happen when we combine these lines. We'll talk about that in another tutorial.
Comments
Nathan Aardvark
here's an example of the vertical line motif being used in a robot concept I came across today on Pinterest: <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/242279654932242299/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.pinterest.com/pin/242279654932242299/</a> I'm really into symbols and it's interesting that the artist chose to use a vertical line here. Vertical line representing rigidity and stiffness expresses, on a symbolic level, the mechanistic nature of this cyborg/robot. But more interesting is this idea of the vertical line representing a path to from Earth to Heaven, which could be called ascension. The word ascension usually has a religious connotation (The Ascent of Christ) but more recently has been attributed to the technological singularity, the idea that when we start combining our biology with technology we will be on the path to becoming a new species... scary for some, but something worth exploring in artistic forms I think. Any thoughts?
Nathan Aardvark
Thanks dude! Will you be converting your profile into a creator of comics!? :)
DrunkenElfMage
THis is one of those things that I've learned before, but its such a simple, yet fundamental idea, that I'm glad I'm being reminded about it. So important to know for poses in comic panels!
