Despite its importance, for the longest time in art history drawing was not considered an independent discipline of art but rather a tool for experimentation and developing ideas22. Consequently, drawing enjoyed a greater amount of freedom than other visual arts, as it was valued for its effectiveness rather than the level of detail. While painting is designed to cover the whole surface, drawing maintains a certain extent of incompleteness. The clear surface — 'whitespace' — becomes a character of its own right. This duality of line and space is what forms the core dynamic of drawing, it is present in all techniques and shapes, defining opacity and texture. Lines are but markers of the already existing space.
The simplicity and efficiency of drawing makes it an ideal method for recording ideas. Even as photography provides a seemingly faster and more accurate form of caption, sketching is still held in high regard as a method of its own right. Just like good writing, drawing requires certain comprehension and eloquence. It is born from understanding the form and knowing how to transcribe it. In the following sections I will discuss the various methods of achieving this effect.
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