Illustrations come in different styles, and line art is one of the most interesting. This art style uses lines to create colorful or black and white images. They can look minimalistic or complex, but eye-catching altogether.
Line art often looks like hand-drawn illustrations, but this style is not exclusively traditional or rastered. You can create such images in vector format, too. In this case, the graphics remain appealing and retain all vector perks, like high scalability, editability, small file size, and others.
Read further to learn more about the unique features, style differences, and benefits of vector line art.
The perks of using vector line art
Vector illustrations are created with the help of mathematical formulas. They consist of dots and vector paths that bend in specific directions. For instance, you can create a perfect curve or a straight line when working with vectors. And the process of creating such art doesn’t differ from a traditional drawing; the main difference is that you have to use special graphics software like Adobe Illustrator to make it. Check out Creative Fabrica for this incredible free online design tool!
Such formulas don’t simply dictate how the paths will bend. They also preserve all the information about an image—its color, path positioning, number of shapes used to create an illustration, and other parameters. Vector images are very flexible to work with: they look the same even when significantly compressed or enlarged. Their digital weight also doesn’t change much and is generally smaller than raster images. You can identify if it is a vector picture by looking at the file format; it can be AI, EPS, SVG, CDR, or PDF.
The main benefits of line art vectors are:
- Scalable. Line vector graphics can be scaled infinitely without quality loss as the formula adapts to new changes.
- Modifiable. You can quickly recolor or change object shapes to reuse the visuals in your designs multiple times.
- Eye-catching and unique. Line art looks original and specific; therefore, it might not be a perfect choice for any kind of brand. However, if it aligns with your branding, that’s a catch.
- Versatile. Line art can look like complex illustrations or simple images. It doesn’t depend on the style itself, but the artist’s preferences. Therefore it will be easy for you to choose the type that fits your brand’s needs.
Where to find free vector line art
Not all brands can afford to hire a professional artist to create illustrations for them: it might require a lot of time and money. Luckily, that’s not the only option these days. You can turn to image stocks and download striking, high-quality illustrations in a couple of clicks.
Stock content websites help you save time and funds. Instead of looking for the perfect artist to match your visual preferences, hoping they deliver expected results as quickly as possible, you can look for existing illustrations. Depositphotos.com offers 50+ million high-quality vector images to choose from at depositphotos.com/stock-photography.html. The search itself is intuitive, and finding suitable graphics won’t be hard. Furthermore, you can browse trendy image collections and thematic categories to make your choice as easy as it can be.
Image stocks also handle legal issues for you, listing the available licenses and their conditions in the most transparent way. This is essential for those new to the world of image copyright, and who want to understand the nuances quickly and clearly.
Types of line art graphics
What type of free vector line art is the best option for your brand? This choice depends on your brand’s identity and style. Nonetheless, it’s still important to understand how diverse and beautiful line-art graphics are.
Traditional line art
Traditionally, line art is minimalistic, consisting of lines and a monochrome color scheme. However, it doesn’t look plain at all. On the contrary, its simplicity emphasizes the complexity of the art itself: nothing diverts your attention from the fine lines and the way they form a certain shape.
Line art in cartoon and comics style
Cartoons and comics can look compound or simple. However, their unique features don’t change: they have to look emotional and have bold shapes. This way, even if an illustration is black and white, it still conveys emotions perfectly and appeals to viewers.
Realistic line art
All types of illustrations require lots of skills, including understanding color, composition, perspective, and other essential aspects. Realistic style, however, is one of the most complex-looking. It could be colorful or black and white; in any case, such illustrations are very detailed and as close to reality as possible.
Some of the illustrations might look like art pieces, while others could be an excellent addition to your brand identity. No matter which style you prefer, there’s a considerable chance that you’ll find a free stock vector line art that meets all your demands.
To sum up
Line art is a specific illustration style that could look both minimalistic and complex, depending on the artist’s preferences. Either way, line vector graphics are very stylish and can be used as a part of your branding strategy; or as a solid visual addition to other types of creative content. Explore the Depositphotos vector library to find HD artwork ready for your projects.