How to Create Line Art
Line art is a type of drawing that relies on distinct curved or straight lines to create illustrations on plain backgrounds. The backgrounds typically are white, while the illustration is done with a lead, graphite or charcoal pencil. Line art does not make use of shading and coloring to reach the end result. All of the details in a piece of line art are accomplished strictly with the use of various shapes and sizes of lines. Line art is particularly suited for basic fashion design, blueprints and model-making instructions. The style is also ideal for magazines that publish in black and white, because line art reproduction in print can be achieved easily.
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Instructions
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Decide what you want to draw and what the composition of your illustration will be. Most drawings and even photographs can be looked at as a series of straight lines, curved lines and shapes. You need to identify these same elements in whatever you decide to turn into line art.
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Use a black marker to indicate shapes and definitive lines in your reference photo. A person's face, for instance, might be a series of circles of various sizes (head, eyes and mouth). The shapes won't resemble what you're drawing until you actually begin applying the straight and curved lines and shapes.
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Draw the most obvious angles first. For example, if you want to draw a house, you will use many straight lines at various angles for the roof and the sides. Once you draw the basic structure, use a smaller series of pencil strokes to create texture and dimension. Don't color these elements. Remember: It is lines only for the entire project.
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Consider leaving some areas blank. With line art, the small spaces you skip can provide as much definition for the illustration as what you include.
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