Cross-Contour Line: Cross-contour lines describe an object's horizontal or cross-contours rather than its vertical edge. They emphasize an object's volume. Henry Moore's air-raid shelter drawings are excellent examples of this technique. The lines go from side to side rather than up and down.

Cross-Contour Line Exercise: Set up a still life of 3+ stones, they must overlap, so place them close together. Make 3 contour sketches of 3 different views before beginning your Cross-contour study. Imagine that the line is a thread that wraps the rock horizontally, encasing its mass. Pay attention to the variation in your line width, lines will be wider along edges that you wish to emphasize - generally speaking, the shadows. Carefully observe the rock's cross-contours and indicate accurately its undulating shape, they are not round.

Examples of different compositions and viewpoints.

All text and images are excerpted form Drawing: A Contemporary Approcah b Claudia Betti and Teel Sale.

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