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Line Drawing - Using Implied Line in Drawing

By , About.com Guide

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Using Implied Line
Line Drawing - Using Implied Line in Drawing H South, licensed to About.com, Inc. Photo by C Dwyer
Unless you specifically want an extremely minimal, crisp, illustration-style drawing, implied line is the best tool for dealing with those tricky changes of plane. Even in a strongly outlined style, you can still make judicious use of it. You'll often see Manga illustrations that use a small line under the lip or nose or across the cheek to suggest a plane without too much detail.

In this example I've tried to only outline the very strongest changes of plane, and use broken or implied line for the softer changes of plane. Deciding where to put the implied line is fairly easy with the side of the nose and the shape of the mouth. It's more tricky with the very gradual changes across a rounded cheek or chin. Sometimes in these areas, couple of short marks will just suggest the contour every so slightly.

So as you can see, implied line, in conjunction with an awareness of change of plane, can help you create a more natural and three-dimensional look in your line drawings.

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