How to Make Line Art From Photos
Line art is a black and white image created from curved and straight lines. Coloring book images are an example of line art. Line art can be useful for publications that do not use color, to make homemade black and white comic books or to make custom coloring books. Creating line art from any photograph using a graphics editing software that supports layers and has drawing tools is easy and fun. With a little practice and patience, almost anyone can turn any image into a custom line art project.
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Instructions
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Choose a graphic editing program that has layers and drawing tools.
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Open your graphics editing software, then go to "File" and "Open." Browse to the folder where the image you want to turn into line art is. Go to the "Layers" menu and choose "New Layer" to add a transparent layer over the image. Use the brightness level to lighten your image if it is too dark. The lighter the image, the easier it will be to work with.
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Select a drawing tool from the "Tools" palette or menu. A pen or pencil will work. Trace the lines of your image carefully. Use the "Edit" menu and the "Undo" option if you make a mistake. Do the main outline on this first layer. Vary the degree of thickness for your lines to give it some depth and to lessen the one-dimensional appearance.
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Create a new layer over this layer. Trace the details of your image here. As before, vary the thickness of the lines. Follow your base image. Do not add too much shading because it will decrease the definition of the line art. Trace only the main lines and details it takes to bring your image out.
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Tips & Warnings
Photoshop is one of the most popular graphics editing programs for doing this type of work. You can also use GIMP, which is free graphic software available for PC and Mac users.
