How to Turn a Sketch Into Line Art

Line art is art work that consists of just lines, without any color or shading.

There are two ways to turn a sketch into line art: one is by hand and the other is by using a computer graphic program. Line art is a type of graphic that consists entirely of lines, without any color or shading. Artists often use a non-photo blue pencil to make the initial sketch. Then they will make a copy to work with. Artists also scan an image into the computer to create line art. These artists do not need to know how to draw, since it is just a matter of tracing the image.

Things You'll Need

• Non-photo blue pencil
• Black pen or marker
• Graphic program

Instructions

Pen

1. Create the sketch using a non-photo blue pencil. This type of pencil will not reproduce on a copier, as a regular pencil will.

2. Using a black pen or marker, carefully go over lines to create line art.

3. Make a copy of the sketch once the lines are established.

Graphic Program

1. Scan your sketch into a photo program such as Photoshop with at least 300 dpi. The better the resolution, the better the lines will show. Save as a tiff or jpeg file.

2. Open the sketch in your favorite graphic program such as Illustrator, Photoshop or Inkscape.

3. Turn down the brightness of the image using the opacity option or the brightness/contrast option.

4. Create a new layer on top and lock the original image.

5. Select the duplicate layer and use the pen tool to trace the lines. Use different line weight to bring out perspective and prevent flatness. Use thick lines for areas close to the viewer and thin lines the further away from the viewer.

Tips & Warnings

• If your graphic software has a trace option, use it to create the line art.

References

• Drawing on the Funny Side of the Brain;" Christopher Hart; 1998
• Melissa Evans: Turn Photos of People Into Line Art

Resources

• Adobe Products
• Inkscape: Tutorial: Tracing
• Melissan Evans: How to Use Photoshops Pen Tool