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The starkness of line illustration makes it the strongest of drawn visual expressions. Solid black, or another dark color against white or another light color are the optimum situations. No other application of color achieves more contrast. This attribute puts line art in a class by itself because its kind of visual impact can't be achieved in any other way.
Then there's the list of line styles. It is a mile long and includes crosshatch, stipple, thin line, thick line, shakey line, fine, textured line, dotted line and more.
In comparison to many other styles of illustration, a simple line style is the quickest solution. It is a favorite for sketching ideas and storyboards. Traditionally, newspapers have always been a great place to find line art because of its ease of reproduction.
While it is hard for most of us to pass up full color useage free images that can sell for less than fifty dollars each, smart creative directors recognize the power of line and when to use it to great advantage. They are especially cognizant of the fact that whatever the headline, the specific content needed to provide support can be provided with a line illustration.
sample
In printing, all tonal values are accomplished
through solid line art.
Magnify a photograph, airbrushed illustration, wash drawing or any other printed image that appears to have tonal values. You'll find that the gradiations found in them all is really achieved with solid round dots of color. How close they are to each other is what determines lightness and darkness. This realization enables illustrators to achieve similar effects using an endless variety of line shapes.
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In this example, black grease pencil on canvas board creates a sense of tones that gradually change from light to dark. The irregular dot shapes, which result from drawing on a textured service, contribute to the unique look.