line drawing

Line Art

Over the years, Randal Birkey has created hundreds of line art drawings in pen and ink style using actual pen and ink in the early days, then graduating to digital pen and ink using software such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Corel (Fractal) Painter. These are just some of the many line illustrations done over [...]

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Rush Street at Chicago River

Rush Street at the Chicago River

Another illustration done for the “Friends of the Chicago River” project. Randal illustrated what could be done at the southern end of Rush Street in Chicago, where it dead ends into the Chicago River. This view showed an outdoor eating area, a dancing area on a barge, plantings, walkways and other amenities to make creative [...]

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Streetscape Scene for CNA

Street-scape Scene for CNA

Randal was commissioned by CNA Insurance company to illustrate this “main street” USA street-scape scene for a company publication. The work was done using a Mac and Wacom tablet with “Painter” software.

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Pennsylvania Farmhouse

Pennsylvania Farmhouse

Randal did this watercolor of a farmhouse based upon a photo of his wife’s grandparent’s farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Here’s a pencil study done of the house before the painting was completed.

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Bean Counter

Bean Counter

Randal did the cartoon sketch line drawing of a proverbial “bean counter” for an Ameritech Mobile Communications piece back in the 1980′s. Randal can’t remember what the reason was for having his ink spilling onto the floor!

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Deering Library

Northwestern University - Deering Library

This is a line drawing of the Gothic style Deering Library on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. It was done by Randal for the school to be used on note pads and other printed materials.

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Ward Tower

Northwestern University Ward Tower

This is a line drawing of the Gothic style Ward Tower on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. It was done for the school to be used on note pads and Christmas cards.

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Greek Goddess

Greek Goddess

While traveling overseas, I often do sketches of things I see. This is a figure study ink line sketch done of a Greek goddess statue or sculpture as a part of a fountain or public building in Europe… not sure where.

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Merry Christmas in 1994

Northwestern Medical Center Christmas Card

Randal has been asked to do many Christmas card illustrations over the years for Northwestern University. Most of them have featured one of their buildings with some kind of Christmas ornamentation added for the holiday spirit. This illustration features the entrance to a building on the Chicago medical campus located at 300 E. Superior in [...]

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Water Testing

Water Testing for Toxicity

Randal Birkey did this line illustration for Newmont Gold, depicting a lab employee testing natural stream water for toxicity near a gold leeching facility. This illustration was done as a part of a series of illustrations on “How Gold Is Made” which has been featured in company annual reports, as well as on printed posters. [...]

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