3 Edges

In the third article of her series, Ann Witheridge explores one of the most overlooked elements of painting and drawing

- Ann Witheridge

Previously, we’ve looked at the canons of drawing and design, and mass and values. The next most obvious subject to discuss is colour, but before we leap towards its joys, we must discuss edges. It is the most easily missed canon, and yet so much of an artist’s style and calligraphy is in the handling of edges.

WHAT IS AN EDGE IN ART?

On a simplistic level it is the shift or relationship between two shapes, or the objects and background. Most of us draw tangible edges before we draw visual edges. On a visual level, edges don’t need to have anything to do with objects. The edge should be the transition between two values, colours or shapes.

WHERE ARE THE EDGES?

The clearest edges can be found along the transition between the light and the dark. The turning point between these values is known as the terminator or the demitint. When thinking about edges, try not to think of tangible form but shifts in values or colour. The relationship of an object to the background may have little to do with value and more to do with colour. Be sure to analyse the relationship.

LOST AND FOUND EDGES

A found edge can be seen along a contour line and within a form. A lost edge can be a tangible edge; say that of an object in shadow, where the value of the shadow is the same as the background. Traditionally the walls of art studios were darkly painted to eliminate reflected lights, which allowed for stronger shadow shapes and more possibilities with lost edges. When learning, it is better to set objects against a dark background to emphasise lost edges in the darks.