http://www.campaignfordrawing.org/powerdrawing/index.aspx

“In the design process drawing is the act of thought”
Sir Richard MacCormac

“Thinking with the pen!”
Sir Richard MacCormac

“I find drawing essential for my thinking”
Sir Roger Penrose

“By drawing, man has extended his ability to see and comprehend what he sees”
Frederick Gore

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110516161945.htm

27th April 2012

"ScienceDaily (May 16, 2011) — A new study using sophisticated brain scans shows how simple line drawings can capture the essence of a beach or a mountain for viewers just as well as a photograph would."

It's interesting how a few lines can create as much visual information or cues for us to distinguish what we are looking at.

Within this post though, I cannot see anything about cultural differences - I wonder whether there is any differences within parts of the world who value different visual languages.

"Amplification through Simplification"

This reminds me of a chapter within Scott McCloud's book on Understanding Comics (1993). http://scottmccloud.com/

What I took from his writing was that within the vocabulary of comics are the use of icons and the idea of "Amplification through Simplification". We are designed (or programmed?) to read and understand line drawings in a way that picks out the meaningful parts. In some ways, we can't help but to read faces from a circle, two dots and a line - like for those that can read; words cannot be unread. Rather than shaped lines; letters become words and sentences and so, as soon as you can decipher the code - you HAVE to read what is there. And there is a similar concept with cartoons and icons.

Simple line drawings, or cartoons, are simply vaccums for us to be able to see ourselves within.

Image from: http://blog.visualmotive.com/2009/understanding-comics-with-scott-mccloud/

More links and posts:
http://laurenericksondotcom.wordpress.com/2011/09/22/scott-mccloud-understanding-comics/