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Glenn Vilppu Drawing Demo

Glenn Vilppu gives an incredible demo of his drawing process. It is almost hypnotizing how he fluidly moves through these three aspects:

1. Rhythm
2. Form
3. Containment

Let's briefly cover each one:

• Rhythm - "Rhythm Lines" are curved lines that gently flow through the form, guiding the eye. This is usually what we capture when we do "Gesture Drawing". Glenn uses the analogy of Rhythm Lines being akin to a drum providing a steady pulse throughout a song. It creates a structure that we can put other things on top of.

• Form - Form is composed of simple volumes fitting into one another. They are always visualized, but not always drawn. One draws lines that wrap around the surfaces of these forms, in order to create the illusion of depth. These lines are not necessarily a "Contour Drawing" (depending upon how one defines this term) because they delineate the surfaces of things, not their edges. They are sometimes referred to as "Cross-Contours".

• Containment - In this context, "Containment" is the outer boundary of a volume, its silhouette. This helps one to find the center of that volume. In comparison to the above point, this is closer to "Contour Drawing", but we are still concerned with achieving a sense of depth.

All of these (i.e.: the gradually curving Rhythm Lines, the lines moving over the surface of volumes, and the lines which act to contain those volumes) are done in one fluid motion of the hand. Rhythm Lines string together forms, and lines moving over their surfaces are bounded by containment lines. They each serve a distinct function, but all are interconnected.

[Note: There is a similar concept in the "Reilly Method" of chaining together forms with Rhythm Lines, but not necessarily in a single motion lke Glenn Vilppu describes.]