A single-line drawing from the sketch book I inherited from my great uncle Bert
I was first introduced to the concept of the single line drawing through the artwork of my late Uncle Bert. He was a painter and a jewelry maker, and although he passed away before I was born, I’ve always feel close to him because I grew up surrounded by his artwork. His single line drawings always had a particular affect on me. I remember as a young girl tracing the lines with my eyes, up, down around and seeing how the lines played with negative and positive space to create a figurative image, and finding the starting and end points.
I’ve found myself doing them more and more over the years. I find the exercise to be extremely therapeutic. When working on the single line drawings, ones hands are in constant movement and it’s impossible to hesitate–you just have to forge ahead.
I really enjoy doing faces. Below, watch me in action.
Here are some of the faces I’ve done this year. I like to go in after the basic single line is done and add additional lines with a thinner pen to add more detail.
If you are a person that is very heady or if you’re feeling stuck in a creative rut, I find that the single line drawings can really help. Give it a try! All you need is pen and paper!
I love your single line drawings on instagram! I would purchase these in an instant!
Wonderful drawings and so crazy to come across this article this evening. I used to love doing these in high school (which is eons ago) and I was just daydreaming this afternoon that I want to start doing these portraits, first of my two boys, but also of others. I started thinking about where my old portfolio was to pull my old work out, and how I wanted to get some watercolors to add to the contour drawings. Just so inspired to see this post by you and the universe telling me to do it!
I love this Justina, thank you for sharing, keep me posted with more please
Deb?
Love, love, love! Going to start doing these again today!
Where can I purchase a hanging fruit bowl like the one in the picture?
Thank you so much for the best game give to us and i want to say all user that come here and play hard.
Justina, you really have the corner on Bohemian decorating! I love your books. I’ve learned so much from them. Like you, I’m all about color, pattern and plants. I even do the Frida Kahlo hair when it’s hot outside. I see us as kindred spirits.
We study a course of Religion in Art, so I need to type my paper about religious motifs in drawings of the patients suffering from depression and psychological trauma. It’s a coursework study paper https://essaytyper.pro/ for my academic assessment at Catholic University of Mozambique.
Hello, can I use one of your drawings to embroider a t-shirt for strictly personal use? (absolutely non commercial, only for myself). I like your work a lot
This is truly an impressive work of art, check it out in Geometry Dash Scratch