“An edge is an artistic concept. An edge is a boundary between spaces and objects. An edge is a boundary between one value and another. And an edge is a boundary between one color and another.
… the four types of edges in drawing and painting that exclude texture [are] sharp, firm, soft, and lost … Edges help reinforce the illusion of dimension.”
Ron Lemen, “Edging In” on Muddy Colors
The easiest edge is an outline, that line we like to draw around the “outside” of an object. Nevermind that it’s not there in real life, nor that it changes as our viewpoint of an object shifts. It instantly gives us a sense of the shape of something, anchors it on the page and gives a feeling of control. It’s the comfort blanket of drawing.
Drawing without doing an outline first takes practice — what in art doesn’t? — both in the doing of it and in the remembering to approach it this way. Focusing instead on the interior of an object, the angles between parts, flow of movement through it, and starting the drawing somewhere amongst all this.
I learnt it through life drawing/painting classes (most notably those by Alan McGowan). To start with a gesture line (from head, down the spine and leg) and fill out from the inside. More easily done with a chunk of charcoal or pastel giving a broad line (or wide paint brush) than a sharp pencil.
I still find it more easily said than done, and if I’m out of practice, anxious, tired, or many other excuses, I’ll reach for the comfort of an outline. As I discovered when I went to a life drawing session a few weeks ago, the first in several years. I’m not sharing photos of those drawings; they’ve been shoved into a corner for now. I’m telling myself I’ll do better the next session when I’m less on edge.