Drawing the Line

I wish I had a dollar for every time someone told me that they couldn’t draw a straight line. Some would even go on to say that they couldn’t, even if their lives depended on it. (Give me a break!) Well, we’re not discussing lost money making opportunities here, but simply trying to set the record straight (no pun intended) and demonstrate a few ways to achieve success, artistically speaking. Of course, anybody can draw a straight line.

First of all, please have a surface on which to practice. That might be a piece of scrap paper or a fancy sketchbook, but we can agree for now that walls are not the best place, unless this was going to be  about street art. We’ll save that topic for another post.

Second, select a writing utensil. A pencil or pen works best for now.  Using whichever hand is natural or comfortable, pick up that utensil, and put it point side down on the writing surface. Since a line connects two points, we will label the beginning point as “Point A,” and the ending as “Point B.” You may make the distance between the two as long or short as you like, but preferably kept on the page. Starting at Point A, drag the pencil or pen towards Point B, ending it there. Lift your writing utensil and admire your masterpiece! You’ve just drawn a line.

Now, for the perfectionists out there, we will take it a step farther for more precise results.

In this exercise, we will use a ruler. On the same writing surface, grasp the pencil or pen in the hand used in the previous exercise, and the ruler in the other.  Lay the ruler down where the line will be positioned. Then, determine a point where the line will begin and put the pen or pencil as close to that point, and as close to the ruler as it will go, with the utensil still touching the writing surface. Drag the writing utensil along the edge of the ruler, keeping full contact with both the paper and the ruler until you reach the desired length of the line that is to be drawn. You may now lift the pen or pencil, and once that is out of the way, lift the ruler. This should produce a truly straight line.

Once you have mastered these exercises, you will be able to say with confidence that you, too can draw a straight line. Whether or not anybody’s life ever depends on it will remain to be seen, but by then you will be well equipped to demonstrate some really useful and heroic skills!