INK Illustration

In the second show of INK Illustration at Tenderpixel Gallery it becomes obvious that reflective sketch defines their practice; thoughts are made tangible through the sketch, not restricted to being only a preliminary tool. INK Illustration see a resurgence of the intimate hand-drawn sketch in contemporary illustration. Internal dialogues, captured through the process of sketching, are used publicly by illustrators as a means of communication. For The Wondering Line, INK Illustration aim to contextualise why the sketch is a fundamental element of their practice: What does the hand-drawn sketch emote? How does it play a communicative role in illustration? 

In order to approach this subject, INK Illustration have identified the concept of the ‘wanderer’; the artist who traverses the terrain. Drawing in and amongst activity illustrators are observers of modern life. They respond from direct experience to make sketches which are both full of discovery and autobiographical. The process of sketching to observe is simultaneously used as a learning tool and to map their personal landscape. The sketch communicates experience beyond words. The incomplete mark or imperfect trace of a line created on location encapsulates the aesthetic of the sketch and visualises the artists’ thinking through drawing. By exhibiting their sketchbooks and diaries in juxtaposition with quotations and musings taken from their own research, The Wondering Line will outline the contextual landscape for sketching as visual thinking and the role it plays within INK Illustration’s own practice.