The Difference Between Amateur and Professional
Knowing when to use a certain style or size comes with experience and observation
- Example: A Comic Artist’s pencil sketches translated into ink
Why It Matters
More Expressive Linework = More Expressive Art
- Varied line thickness creates visual interest and emotion
- Can provide context clues or create foreshadowing in a scene
- At its worst, it can also change the way a piece is interpreted or be a distraction from the main focus
How to Choose The “Right” Line Thickness for Your Project
YOU are the author so you are always in charge of your own work, but a bit of planning can go a long way to help the reader fully understand your idea
- Try a few unique approaches before settling on the final design
3 Questions to Ask Before Logging the First Stroke
- What are you trying to convey?What is the message, mood, and/or style?
- Who is the audience?Who are you communicating with through this piece?
- What are the proportions?Is your linework proportionate to the overall image size?
Line Techniques
Hashing, Cross-Hatching, Dashes, Dots, etc.
- Where You See It: Comic, Manga, Sketch
Tapered (Thick-to-Thin)
- Where You See It: Caricature, Comic, Cartoon, Illustration
Bold (Thick, Thick, THICK)
- Where You See It: Graphic Design, Advertisement
“Shaky”, Textured, Consistent Thickness
- Where You See It: Indie, Comic Strip, Cartoon, Sketch
Thick Outer Border
- Where You See It: Cartoon, Illustration
The absence of a hard edge is also appropriate in some cases!
- Where You See It: “Cut Paper”, 3D, Painting, Mixed Media
Join The Discussion!
Have you seen examples where line thickness really mattered?
What are some cool ways you’ve worked with lines in your art?