2. Drawing Lines

Have you ever heard somebody say this:- "I couldn't do it. I can't even draw a straight line!" Have you said it yourself? Well don't worry, straight lines are not as important as you might think. If you tested the lines in the drawings of the great masters with a ruler, you would find that no line is perfectly straight, that lines that seem parallel are not always, and that verticals are very rarely truly vertical. This is even the case with drawings of buildings, which were themselves made with plumbline and level and they still look effective despite imperfect lines. In fact, a sketch done by an artist may be more appealing than a constructional design of an architect. Man-made objects are the biggest problem when it comes to straight lines, so you have to decide whether you are going to be satisfied with free-hand lines or whether you want to use a ruler. Do not be influenced by other artist's objections to rulers, there is no reason for you not to use one if you want to. You do what is right for you!

Lines in Pyrography

In drawing, the line is darkened and widened by the amount of pressure you exhert on the pencil lead, but in pyrography the burn mark doesn't alter with pressure. What does alter the depth of the burn is the speed at which the wire is drawn across the surface. Example:______________________________________________________(fast) (same temperature) .............______________________________________________(slowly) (The same effect could be attained by changing temperature) So if you want to draw a line in pyrography you have to draw the wire across the surface of the wood at a constant speed, or you will find the line will vary in width and colour. Example:-........................................................DO NOT HESITATE! ____________________________________________________

Exercise 2

Using a ruler and an ordinary lead pencil draw a few straight lines across the plywood. Then set the pyrography machine at a medium temperature. Go over the lines at a constant speed. Have the temperature too low rather than too high, so you can draw the point along the pencil line more deliberately and slowly. Now you can draw lines with a pyrography machine, trace or draw a line drawing! Just lines, no shading! Use mine (below) or draw your own. Try not to blob.

Unfortunately you cannot draw the wire or the point of a pyrography machine along the edge of a ruler! Draw the line with a ruler and pencil onto the wood surface first.

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