Aesthetic Marks

Aesthetic marking means varying the nature of your marks to better capture the subject. Aesthetic marking is often overlooked or taken for granted by many artists because they are usually more concerned with accuracy. However, it is marks that make up the image, so one must consider of how those marks are made and how they affect the drawing style.

Aesthetic marks may be made with a variety of tools and can take many forms. Aesthetic marks may be careful and refined, casual and spontaneous, powerful and bold, soft and sensitive, fluid and curvy or sharp and straight. One mark may gradually change from dark to light or thick to thin. Some variations of aesthetic marks, such as quick curving or looping lines, may be used to add tone or develop form. Experiment with different types of aesthetic marks to find the drawing style that expresses your ideas.

Aesthetic Marks Can Be Used for Toning and Suggesting Form

This quick, abbreviated drawing of a cylinder uses crisp control lines on the contours and broad soft marks to suggest the form shadow.

One Medium Can Create a Variety of Aesthetic Marks

A variety of marks from careful and crisp to rapid and soft are shown here. The medium is a 6B charcoal pencil.