Trend Spotting: Line Art Drawings Are So Hot Right Now

This post contains affiliate links. Read the full disclosure here

Line art drawings are everywhere right now.

I’ve noticed them tucked into the corners of the best gallery walls on Instagram.

And they’re all over the home goods in my favorite shops.

Have you noticed?

Now, it may be that I’m noticing more line art because I’ve always been drawn (haha) to this style.

You might think line art is the easiest art imaginable. It’s just a line, right? Oftentimes, just a continuous line. How hard can that be?

Deceivingly hard to do well, it turns out.

Anyone can draw a line.

But it takes an artist to draw line art.

Let’s take a quick peek at some line artist history.

Line art: origins

I’ve been a fan of line art drawings since studying Pablo Picasso in school.

His animal line art contour sketches in particular are the most famous.

Another line artist I’ve long admired is John Lennon.

You’re probably familiar with his self-portrait, and line art sketches of himself with Yoko Ono.

My favorite is called “He Tried to Face Reality,” depicting himself sitting on a cloud.

Line art: make your own

Creating your own line art is making a comeback, thanks in large part to Justina Blakeney’s exercises with continuous line drawings on Instagram.

Here, you can see a bit of her process:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Justina Blakeney (@justinablakeney) on Nov 6, 2018 at 1:03pm PST

There are tutorials you can look up on YouTube, of course, but the gist of it is simple: put your pencil/pen on paper and do not lift up until you are done with your drawing.

Some popular motifs include faces, figures, hands, animals and florals.

It can get as complicated as Justina’s drawings, or be as simple as Picasso’s camel.

Really, it’s up to you!

Line art: buy some

I’ve rounded up some of my favorite line art drawings for you to choose from. Click on the corresponding link below the image to shop!

Line Art: bookmark for later

P.S. Read previous Trend Spotting posts here.