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Andy Warhol's blotted line drawing

These early illustrations take the form of hand coloured blotted line prints on sheets of wove paper. Bound into books, and self-published by Warhol, these blotted line illustrations were sent out to charm prospective clients and, at the same time, cleverly present the character and quality of Warhol’s graphic illustrations. This artistic act of self-promotion grabbed the attention of the prestigious publishing and advertising agents of the day, propelling Warhol’s illustrations into the public eye.

The seven books, Love is a Pink Cake (1953), A is an Alphabet (1953), 25 cats name[d] Sam, and one Blue Pussy (1954), Á la recherche du shoe perdu (1955), In the bottom of my garden (1955), A gold book (1957) and Wild Raspberries (1959), all feature Warhol’s signature stylised blotted line drawings.

So, what is blotted line drawing?
Andy Warhol created his characteristic blotted line technique while a student at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) by combining both his drawing and basic printmaking skills.
The blotted line process involved copying a pencil line drawing onto a piece of non-absorbent paper, for example, tracing paper. Next, Warhol attached this piece of paper to a second more absorbent paper, hinging the two together by taping their edges together on one side. Then, with a fountain pen, Warhol would ink over a small section of the drawn lines on the non-absorbent paper. Finally, Warhol would transfer the ink onto the second more absorbent sheet by folding along the hinge and lightly pressing or ‘blotting’ the two sheets together. The process resulted in dotted, delicately broken lines that would become characteristic of Warhol’s early illustrations.

Due to the unique style of his blotted line technique, Warhol would continue to use it in his 1950s commercial illustration work with great success. The process enabled Warhol to create multiples of his work for a variety of clients, repeating the process multiple times using the same master drawing, thereby increasing the odds of his work being selected for a commission, whilst the blotted line’s unique style became Warhol’s signature, his calling card.
