Olivia Knapp’s intricate hand drawn pen and ink style is influenced by European line engravings of decorative relief and scientific specimens from the 16th to 18th centuries. Her tight cross-hatching technique involves long, slow, and steady curved lines that articulate the surface contours of her subjects; creating supple and tangible imagery. These un-swelled lines incorporate a “line to dot” rendering method as well as an extremely rare “dot and lozenge” rendering method. “Dot and lozenge” is a practice that was used by 16th century masters, in which a dot is placed in the center of a diamond shape made by a cross-hatching pattern, helping to refine the transition between values.
Most of Olivia’s content explores the relationship between desire, reason, and circumstance.
Olivia studied at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Parsons The New School for Design, majoring in Fashion Design and receiving her BFA in 2006 from Parsons.
After working as a Printed Textile Designer in the fashion industry for several years, Olivia is now devoting most of her time to her detailed drawings. These days you will most likely find her introspecting, daydreaming or drawing in a white room with high ceilings somewhere in Washington State.