It took me years to find my drawing style and it was done by embracing my limitations and by experimentation. By 2018, I was calling myself ‘artist’ and displaying my work locally. But during my 2019 artist residency at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, I was scammed into making them a commission for which they had no intention of funding. After the residency, I was plagiarized by an artist I met there. This effected me deeply and I stopped drawing consistently for a little over two years.
I’m firmly back in the saddle with drawing and rediscovering my style while trying to make progress from lost time. While it took me ages to discover these illustrative elements with my own hand, I know that many of them are global and traditional (I have degrees in art history to the dismay of many, including a former President). Here are a few of those elements with some terms I’ve made up myself!
*Using universal techniques or elements is NOT the same as copying the subject matter and concept of another artist. I have been told by anther artist that they traced my artwork…please don’t! Copyright laws are a delicate matter, but we should all try to be respectful.
Have a Pleasant Day!
-Rae
With line drawings, I create illustrations which use simple outlines to make shapes that become recognizable or abstract forms.
Pulsating Outline is what I call when a single line flows between thick and thin giving the impression of a pulse. Kind of like a heart monitor’s screen at a hospital! It can be seen naturally when using a felt tip marker or paint brush, but it can be created with a pen by alternating pressure. When I have drawn live, many people will ask how do you make lines like this!
Interrupted Outline is what I call a line that is broken up by a stylized element like ellipses dots, hatch marks, negative space…anything really! It lightens the weight of the outline and creates a mood for the illustration. Ethereal? Edgy? These moods can be created by adding flare to an ordinary line.
Sketchy Outline is when the original sketched lines can be seen in a finished artwork or where they have been imitated or included with ink. I can brainstorm right on the page without caring to erase the sketch or I can create a more drama by adding sketched lines in ink around my final inked outline.
Line Weight creates emphasis and drama by using thicker, darker lines for the outer outlines, and thinner lines for interior detail. This can be achieved with a pen to mimic historical periods of illustration like some Japanese woodblock prints in the Ukiyo-e style during the Edo period or the European and American Art Nouveau style of the Industrial Era.
Wooden Figure Drawing Model are those little flexible guys make of wood with moveable joints. They can be posed and propped up to aid in drawing figures. The hands and feet are ovals, the knees and elbows are orbs, and the face has two flat areas carved into it for dimension. In my final figure drawings, whether they are anthropomorphic animals or humans, I maintain obvious elements of these figure models. Mostly because figure drawing has never been my strong suit!
Atmosphereic Dots or Splashes are what I call naturally occurring, stray or accidental drops of paint or ink in watercolor or calligraphy. But, many artists recreate this effect purposefully with spray bottles, flicks of a paint brush or bristles, and pipets or droppers dotting the page. Often used for celestial effects like stars in space, I’ve seen it on everything from floral watercolors to illustrations.
Splashes, Blobs, or Blotches of Color are very popular for commercial 21st century graphic design and easy to create. Laying down a few blotches of color overlaid with a line drawing is the most recognized design motif of the 2010s and 20s. I use it myself sometimes for both abstract and figural illustrations.
Can you think of anything else? Send me a message and I might add it to the list!
