Qurator's Art Walk | SINGLE LINE | Art Competition: The Basic Element of Art

The Line. What does it mean to you? Well, for me, it means spatially directing what I see visually. The line takes up or occupies a certain amount of space in my mind. It's my starting point from one distance to the next, continually moving. There is a line in everything I see, no matter the object.

If that's the case that a line takes up space and I can visualize it, then what is a line in relation to art?

Remember, the elements of art are lines, shapes, colors, forms, textures, spaces, and values. As explained, a line is just one of those seven elements. However, the concept of a line is that it's recognized as the most basic or fundamental visual element. The reason is that a line is viewed as a mere dot starting at a set point, then constantly moving in a direction. ¹

A line drawing is simply any image that consists of a distinct straight or curved line that you can readily visualize. It's normally a plain colored line, but can be shaded in any hue. Also, it doesn't matter which direction the line moves, whether vertically, horizontally, or in a straight or curved path, the line will lead my eye on a certain path and form communications back to me so that I can interpret it. From there, I can draw my own conclusions about what is occupying the space I'm viewing. It provides context to my mind.

Well, if the line is the most basic of elements in art, then what is it's purpose? For me, the basic purpose of a line is its ability to mark or indicate visually the edge or starting point of any shape I wish to draw.

The Single Line. Now, the single line drawing in art is also known as a one line drawing. It's usually presented with a blank background so that the only items you see is the line. Supposedly, it is a way to simplify the more complex world as know it. This concept is not new. It dates back to the early 20th century. If you think about single line art, you're reminded of the most famous of these drawing made by Picasso in his outline of a horse. ²

I want to share with you as my first image a simple fractal drawing that encompasses, what I feel is, the essence of Single Line art. If you visualize the starting point at any junction, you can move forward in one movement until the image is complete.

Next, in working with digital drawing software is sometimes tricky in my ability to draw a single line. This is especially true for drawing digital images in the fractal universe. As with my thumbnail image and the particular digital image group below, these fractals were created with Apophysis 2.09 fractal rendering software.

I utilized the software's Variation "Gaussian blur". Remember, this technique was developed by and named after Mathematician, Carl Friedrich Gauss. A Gaussian blur is process of applying a mathematical function to any image that causes it to become distorted.

My original images, in this case, single lines, are still visible. The amazing soft texture of the Gaussian blur causes the images to be soothing to the eye. This variation produces a beautiful, smooth, and distinct line that can be readily seen. The image looks soft and inviting. An an art concept, I feel as though the blur forces you to concentrate on the original single line. This is due to the surreal and sometimes frosty or grainy effect.

These are beautiful Gaussian blur fractal designs.

Third, in working with other Variations in the Apophysis 2.09 fractal rendering software, I can also create images with infinite lines. However, it's not as easy to capture these single lines.

Finally, with the fractal image below, no matter the background shading, the various single lines are still in the foreground and detectable in all directions.

If you'd like to join in, you can find the information here: Qurator's Art Walk! | Single Line Drawing | Art Competition. For your convenience, I took the liberty of adding below the rules from the contest post:

RULES

• Only art-related posts.
• It has to be your own art! No pictures from the internet!
• No photography as there already exists a Photo Friday for photography.
• Post your link as a comment in the contest post to officially enter.
• Posts cannot be older than the contest post.
• Your entry will not count if you aren't following the above-mentioned rules.
• All entries will be reviewed by the Qurator team.
• Only one entry per week.
• Deadline: 12 hours before this post reaches payout.

Thanks,
@justclickindiva

Happy rest of the week everyone with whatever your endeavors.

SOURCES:

a) JustClickindiva's Footer created in Canva utilizing its free background and images used with permission from discord admins.
b) Unless otherwise noted, all photos taken by me with my (i) Samsung Galaxy 10" Tablet, (ii) Samsung Phone, & (iii) FUJI FinePix S3380 - 14 Mega Pixels Digital Camera
c) Purple Butterfly part of purchased set of Spiritual Clip Art for my Personal Use
d) All Community logos, banners, page dividers used with permission of Discord Channel admins.
e) Ladies of Hive banner used with permission of and in accordance with the admin's guidelines
f) Thumbnail Image created by me in Apophysis 2.09 Fractal Rendering program.

¹ "Elements of art". Wikipedia.com. Online at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elements_of_art

² "The Art of One Line Drawings." Gemmeke, Michelle. Medium.Com. online at:
https://medium.com/@michellegemmeke/the-art-of-one-line-drawings-8cd8fd5a5af7

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