The line that talks By Honorata

The line that talks

Have you ever thought about the power of a single line? Psychology of line is a term borrowed from the world of drawing and how diverse lines can communicate emotionally with the viewer. This concept can be used in work with clients who may need to start with simplicity, just one line at a time may be enough when emotions are too intense or when they become hard to access.

Paper: have plenty of paper in different sizes, specially the length matters – paper purchased on rolls is a great idea as you can spread that on the floor and involve the body movement as a part of the process of re-connecting with emotions on a physical level.

Drawing materials: have a variety of different mark making materials as they will give the clients the ability to choose the one that is the most suitable. Think about how different it must feel to make a line with a thin fineliner and chunky, soft, creamy pastel. Those lines are very different! Some examples involve: pencil, pen, charcoal, soft pastel, oil pastel, fine brush, ink, marker, highlighter, chalk.

Process:  allow time to choose the size of the paper and drawing tools. Invite the client to explore a chosen emotion or emotional state with the visual expression of the line. The line can have any shape, colour and length. Maybe warm up activity with just trying materials and some random mark making may be helpful. There is also a space for intuitive exploration by closing eyes and creating a line with closed eyes. Maybe somebody wants to create two or more lines overlapping and meeting, with different materials on the same page? There is also the possibility of making some colour choices to correspond with the feelings. On one piece of paper many lines can be created or just one single exploring something more specific. Lines can be reflected upon how they look and how they correspond with lines next to them. This is open to clients as the main creator – lines are the tool enabling for more expressive ways of touching with our feelings.