Line weight brings life to your lines, it give volume to your contours.
When done correctly, it conveys volume and shadows using only the lines.
The rules for line weight is simple.
- The contour lines are heavier than inside lines.
- The closer the line is from the light source the lighter it is.
- The closer the line is to the viewer the heavier it is.
- The lines that receive shadows are heavier.
Lines in the examples are heavy to show you the difference among them, they can be a lot more subtle and you will have the same results.
Look at these aligned shapes with bland contour.
Now let’s add a light source and look at the areas of the lines affected by light
The areas highlighted in yellow are the one affected by light, the area highlighted in green is the nearest of the light source and also the farthest of the viewer. For now we will avoid to add weight to theses areas.
Add weight to the contour leaving the lighted areas.
Now let’s look at the areas receiving the shadows by either touching the ground or light begin blocked by another object.
Add a bit more weight to these areas.
The areas that are facing away of the light source.
Add a bit more weight to these areas.
Let’s complete that by adjusting the remaining lines based on the distance of the light source.
To end this tutorial, here is an example of adjusted line weight based on the perspective (distance from the viewer). The lines are heavier the closer it is to the viewer.
