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Practice chalk contour drawing with blind and continuous-line variants, then compare line quality using a simple convention and rubric.
Contour drawing trains your eye to follow an object's visible edges without guessing. In chalk, the medium rewards slow, deliberate pressure and shows every hesitation. This lesson sets up two short variants—blind contour, where you look only at the object, and continuous-line contour, where your chalk stays on the board—then asks you to compare the line quality in a notes box. You will use a simple object reference, a defined line-quality convention, and checkable arithmetic for timing and spacing. No shading or blending is involved; the focus is the contour line itself.
Practice materials: Printable downloads are not available for this lesson yet. Use the instructions and four exercises below.
Choose one simple object with clear edges, such as a mug, a shoe, or a folded cloth. Place it at eye level about an arm's length away. Tape a sheet of dark paper to a board or wall so it cannot shift. Use one piece of chalk and keep a cloth for wiping fingers. Measure your paper: for example, a hypothetical sheet 30 cm wide and 40 cm tall gives a working area of 1200 square cm. Divide it into two boxes with a light chalk line: a left box for blind contour and a right box for continuous-line contour. Label each box with a short word, not a sentence.
Define the line-quality convention before drawing. A slow line is one where the chalk moves at a steady pace and pressure stays even; a fast line is one where the chalk moves quickly and pressure varies. A hesitant line shows stops or double marks; a confident line shows one continuous mark. These are descriptive categories, not grades. You will note which categories appear in each box.
Blind contour means your eyes stay on the object while your chalk moves on the paper. Do not look at the paper until the timer stops. Start at one visible edge and follow it slowly. If the edge turns, turn your chalk. If the edge stops, lift the chalk and begin at the next edge. The goal is not a likeness but a record of where your eye travelled. Use the left box only.
Set a short timer. A hypothetical example is 90 seconds for the first attempt. If your object has many small edges, choose three main edges and ignore the rest. Keep your hand relaxed and let the chalk drag rather than press hard. When the timer stops, lift the chalk and only then look at the paper.
Continuous-line contour means the chalk stays on the paper for the whole drawing. You may look at the paper, but you may not lift the chalk. Follow the object's edges in one unbroken path, retracing or crossing lines when you move between edges. Use the right box only. This variant shows how you solve transitions between edges without stopping.
Set a timer equal to the blind attempt, for example 90 seconds. Begin at the same starting edge. When you need to move to a new edge, let the chalk travel across the paper rather than lifting it. Keep the pressure even. At the end, note whether the line is continuous, hesitant, or mixed. Compare the two boxes side by side using the same convention.
Use a comparison box below the two drawings. Write two short notes: one for blind, one for continuous. Use the convention words slow, fast, hesitant, confident, continuous, or mixed. Do not write a grade. Then answer three check questions: Did the blind line stay on the object's edges? Did the continuous line stay on the paper? Which box shows more hesitant marks? These questions are checkable by looking at the marks.
Keep arithmetic simple. If your blind attempt lasted 90 seconds and your continuous attempt lasted 90 seconds, the total practice time is 180 seconds, or 3 minutes. If you repeat both variants twice, the total is 360 seconds, or 6 minutes. Record these numbers in the comparison box so you can repeat the same timing later.
A student draws a mug in blind contour for 60 seconds, then in continuous-line contour for 60 seconds. The blind box shows three hesitant marks and one confident mark. The continuous box shows one continuous line with two crossings. The student records 60 seconds plus 60 seconds equals 120 seconds, or 2 minutes. What should the comparison note say?
The comparison note should state that the blind box is mixed, with hesitant marks and one confident mark, and that the continuous box is continuous with two crossings. The total practice time is 120 seconds, or 2 minutes. No grade is given; the note describes line quality using the convention.
You draw a shoe in blind contour for 45 seconds and in continuous-line contour for 45 seconds. What is the total practice time in seconds and in minutes?
45 plus 45 equals 90 seconds; 90 divided by 60 equals 1.5 minutes.
Why: Add the two timer values, then divide by 60 to convert seconds to minutes.
Check: Re-add 45 and 45 to get 90, then check that 90 divided by 60 is 1.5.
Your paper is 20 cm wide and 30 cm tall. You divide it into two equal boxes with a vertical line. What is the width of each box in centimetres?
Each box is 10 cm wide.
Why: A vertical dividing line splits the width into two equal parts; 20 divided by 2 equals 10.
Check: Multiply 10 by 2 to get 20, which matches the paper width.
In your blind box you note two hesitant marks and three confident marks. In your continuous box you note one continuous line and one hesitant mark. Which box has more hesitant marks, and by how many?
The blind box has more hesitant marks, by one.
Why: Blind has two hesitant marks; continuous has one; two minus one equals one.
Check: Count the hesitant marks in each note and subtract the smaller number from the larger.
You repeat both variants three times with 30 seconds per attempt. What is the total practice time in seconds and in minutes?
Each repeat is 30 plus 30 equals 60 seconds. Three repeats give 60 times 3 equals 180 seconds, or 3 minutes.
Why: Add the two attempts per repeat, multiply by the number of repeats, then divide by 60.
Check: Check that 60 times 3 equals 180, and that 180 divided by 60 equals 3.
No. Any chalk and any dark paper work. Measure your actual paper and record the size in centimetres so your boxes are equal.
Use the same timer for both variants. A hypothetical example is 90 seconds each. Record the seconds and the total minutes in your comparison box.
No. This lesson excludes blending and shading. Keep the marks as they are so you can compare line quality honestly.
That is expected. Blind contour records eye movement, not likeness. Check whether your chalk followed the edges you looked at, not whether the result is recognisable.