Hand-drawn, expressive art with a colourful, layered background by Emiel de Lange

An expressive hand-drawn sketch of a woman, composed of bold, rough lines and a loose, almost spontaneous drawing style. The female figure has been sketched by hand and is surrounded by scribbles and symbols from my own shorthand. This text is illegible to others: they are, quite literally, thoughts and notes jotted down on paper whilst drawing. This creates a personal and intriguing image in which drawing, thoughts and abstract forms converge.

After creating the original sketch, I coloured the work digitally and developed it further in Photoshop. The background consists of multiple layers featuring self-created textures, paint-like textures, lines and transparent areas of colour. This gives the artwork a rich and layered appearance, whilst parts of the underlying structure remain visible.

The colour palette consists of soft nude and sandy tones, beige, taupe and warm pink, combined with coral red, terracotta and turquoise/blue-green accents. The calm earth tones form a soft base, whilst the bright pink, red and turquoise areas of colour provide contrast and energy.

The combination of rough black lines, a colourful abstract background and illegible handwritten symbols gives the work a contemporary mixed-media feel. It has the quality of a sketchbook, an abstract painting and graphic art all at once. The loose lines and imperfect textures lend the artwork an authentic, handcrafted character.

A unique piece of art for anyone who loves modern, colourful wall art, feminine figures, abstract art, hand-drawn illustrations and art with a personal story.