Drawing the Line
There is a rush of anticipation one feels upon cracking open a fresh sketchbook. The blank page is a small area yet also an expansive laboratory for the creative process. Over time and around the world, artists have developed many ingenious techniques to advance their creative reach.
Despite this, one of the most powerful means we have to develop concepts is deceptively simple: ink on paper. Far from fading in popularity, the fascination with sketching is exploding. Flickr groups like Moleskinerie, Line Drawing and The Drawing Club are growing as international professionals and hobbyists inspire each other.
In the following excerpts from Flickr, we see how these artists utilize simple lines — clean or grungy; thick and thin; controlled or spastic — not only to recreate reality, but to create their own realities.
1. Mattias Adolfsson
2. Gira Alrevés
3. Malota
4. Justin Paszul
5. Marc Taro
6. Kaeleen Maeve
7. Straut Niekas
8. Paul Heaston
9. Mike Giant (group)
10. Gerard Michel
11. Bill Ayton
Sam Wilson is a creative strategist and epicsmallist. He likes to grow and talk about ideas. Say hello to him on twitter at @storypixel.
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Nice post with varying sketch styles. The top 4 are my favs.
Some really gorgeous work, particularly loved the first picture by Mattias Adolfsson, amazing work! :)
Number 5 is amazing!
Wow, these are beautiful. I believe that even with all these digital tools we have these days to create an artwork in less than 24 hours, there is still this subtlety you see in something made out of bare hands, the traditional way – it’s called ‘patience’.
@Ajeva completely agree. I don’t believe that time can ever erase the joy we get from both making and seeing drawn lines.
Awesome works like the number 5 too.
I really like this post. It gives me a lot of inspiration to draw a lot more, I haven’t heard of the Flickr groups you mentioned, I’ve taken note and will be sure to check them out. Thanks
Are there any other places you can suggest to get some quality inspiration from?
I wouldn’t say I have a drawing style at the moment. I would really like to improve my drawing skills and do a lot more of it. I really like Mattias Adolfsson and Justin Paszul’s pictures. The detail is incredible
Hi Andy I’d say Deviant Art is another great place for inspiration. On Flickr just do a search for “moleskine” and sort by “most interesting” and you’ll start to see amazing stuff straight away.