Make a Poster With Your One Line Art
Create a large poster using one line art: draw a continuous line image, add color, patterns, and a title, then display your artwork proudly.
Step-by-step guide to make a poster with your one line art
Step 1
Gather all your materials and find a flat workspace where your poster can lie down comfortably.
Step 2
Pick one subject to draw such as an animal a favorite object or a simple face.
Step 3
Practice drawing the subject as a single continuous line on your scrap paper several times.
Step 4
Lightly mark where your drawing and title will go on the poster with small pencil dots to plan the layout.
Step 5
Start at one dot and draw your full continuous line image on the poster with your pencil without lifting the pencil until the image feels complete.
Step 6
Carefully trace over your pencil line with the black marker in one steady continuous line without lifting the marker.
Step 7
Wait a few seconds for the marker to dry then gently erase any visible pencil marks.
Step 8
Add colors inside or around your line drawing using your colouring materials and fill large areas with bold shapes.
Step 9
Create simple patterns like stripes dots or swirls inside color areas to make your poster punchy and fun.
Step 10
Write a big bold title at the top or bottom of the poster and add stickers or decorations if you like then hang your poster somewhere proud to display it.
Step 11
Share your finished creation on DIY.org
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can I use instead of a black marker or poster paper if I don't have them?
If you don't have a black marker, use a fine-tip black pen, dark crayon, or thin paintbrush to trace your continuous pencil line during the 'Carefully trace over your pencil line' step, and if you lack poster paper use a sheet of cardboard or taped-together printer paper as the workspace for your poster.
My marker line keeps smudging or the pencil shows after I erase — how do I fix that?
Let the black marker dry fully for several seconds after the 'Carefully trace' step, then gently erase pencil marks with a soft eraser and avoid heavy pressure while tracing to prevent smudges and breaks in the continuous line.
How can I adapt this activity for different ages?
For younger kids, use larger poster paper, chunky coloring materials, and simple subjects to practice single-line drawings on scrap paper, while older children can use fine liners, add intricate patterns or shading in the 'Create simple patterns' step, and experiment with composition planning using pencil dots.
What are some ways to extend or personalize the finished poster?
Enhance your poster by adding collage elements or painted bold shapes around the one-line image before writing the big bold title, creating patterned fills inside color areas, or making a matching series of posters to hang together as a gallery.
Watch videos on how to make a poster with your one line art
ONE LINE ART TUTORIAL | Beginners guide | How to draw and paint a one line portrait | iPad procreate
4 Videos
ONE LINE ART TUTORIAL | Beginners guide | How to draw and paint a one line portrait | iPad procreate
Easy One Line Art Tutorial for Beginners
One Line Art for Kids: Easy Drawing Tutorials from the Practice Book
12 One Line Drawing Ideas/Easy Single Line Drawing for Beginners/kids/One line drawing tutorial
Facts about drawing and poster design for kids
✍️ Pablo Picasso often drew faces and animals with a single continuous line—he could capture a personality in one stroke!
🖊️ Blind contour drawing is a playful practice where artists keep their eyes mostly on the subject, not the paper, to train observation.
🌈 Changing the colors and patterns on a one-line design can flip its mood—warm colors feel lively, cool colors feel calm.
🖼️ Color lithography in the 1800s helped posters become bright, bold tools for advertising and public art.
🎨 Henri Matisse made elegant single-line portraits that show how just a few confident strokes can be very expressive.
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