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Nicolas Jolly Crafts Impressive New Fingerprint Drawings

Using just pen and ink, French artist Nicolas Jolly crafts intricately-swirling images that are as impressive as they are detailed. Each composition is comprised of a meticulous collection of mark-making featuring countless black hatches that effortlessly flow in different directions. Jolly calls this his “fingerprint” technique, and the waves of lines animate the subject and add a dramatic effect.

We've seen in Jolly's previous drawings that he often depicts sprawling outdoor scenes that feature one or two small-scale figures. This zoomed-out view allows his style to shine, and it is incredible to see how all of the small marks work in unison to create a large, cohesive image. It's a testament to Jolly's skills that he successfully angles his lines to evoke a feeling of movement, while at the same time creating quiet stories that intrigue the viewer.







Nicolas Jolly website and Nicolas Jolly Society 6 page
via [Lustik]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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