Line art emphasizes form and outline, over color, shading, and texture. Such are Johanna Olk’s fine line illustrations. Representing (almost exclusively) women, her drawings consist of curved lines placed against a plain background.
“I used to draw women looking very different and dressing very differently but I am now more interested in emotions and very minimalist images,” explained the French artist in an interview with wertn. “My personal emotions are very linked to my paintings and my characters can look a bit like me.”
“It’s easier to draw what you know,” she added. “So when I want to illustrate an emotion, it’s natural for me to portray it in a way that looks like me: a woman. That seems more realistic to me. I had a complex about my body for a long time, and drawing women has been a kind of way out of that. I also find women bodies easier to draw, I like their curves. Men have more angles, it’s harder for me to represent them.”
Her works are also adorned as tattoos. “I started tattooing my friends for fun and posted it on my Instagram. Unknowns then started to want a tattoo as well. That was a bit crazy.”
Enjoy some of her illustrations in the gallery below.
