A line is made by joining 2 points; it is essentially the path a dot takes as it moves through space. A line is always longer than it is thick. There are tons of different kinds of lines:
- Vertical lines – run straight up and down
- Horizontal lines – run straight from side to side
- Diagonal lines – run straight in any direction except vertical or horizontal
- Zigzag lines – these are a bunch of diagonal lines joined together
- Curved lines – bent lines – they can go from gently wavy to tight spirals
Lines can be long/short, thick/thin, smooth/rough, continuous/dotted or dashed, go in different directions, have different degrees of curvature, etc.
Artists also use line for a purpose: this can be outlining drawing or painting (to start), communicating emotion (like we will see with Pastel Batik in the Line Activities section), guiding the eye of the viewer through a piece of art, creating lightness or darkness (lines that are closer together look darker), or generating texture.
See the Warren Consolidated Schools website for more info.