Nowadays, newspaper drawings aim to bring the viewer’s attention to the newspaper. That’s why we need to know which newspaper features distinctive portraits called “dot-drawings” instead of actual photos.
In some scenarios, the illustrations are more valuable than the actual photographs. Therefore, many newspapers adopt the “dot-drawing” technique to be outstanding among competitors.
This article will talk about complete knowledge about this drawing style, the definitions, and its uniqueness. Let’s see what we have for you!
Table of contents
What Is The Dot-Drawing Style?
Some of you may have heard about the word “Pointillism” or “Hedcuts,” another name of this drawing style. With this one, the images are produced using dots, like pixels on a computer screen.
In our opinion, what’s most challenging in this dot-drawing style is that the artists need to make these pieces of art look united while it’s only dot-collected.
A large number of close dots defines every curve, line, shape. And it is characterized by a four-color palette: red, yellow, green, and black.
Which Newspaper Features Distinctive Portraits Called “Dot-Drawings” Instead Of Actual Photos?
Through our research, we found out that two newspapers use this drawing style: Wall Street Journal and New York Times. Let’s see their behind-the-scenes stories.
Wall Street Journal
Wall Street Journal has utilized this technique since 1979, with the idea of Kevin Sprouls, a freelancer of this article. He began to produce pictures using ink-dots and called it Hedcuts.
In the beginning, nobody except the chief editor believed its success. The chief editor is confident about its sustainability over actual pictures. This drawing style was going to be a fresh start for this newspaper.
Fortunately, this Hedcuts style brought success to the newspaper quickly. Until this point, all staff believed this style’s effectiveness. As a result, it became the primary attraction and still exists today for 40 years.
Today, there are still artists, along with the help of AI machine learning. Although AI can produce images simultaneously, the editors still depend on the artist’s creation. The machine is only utilized for emergencies.
New York Times
The New York Times also adopted this drawing style in 1974, following the idea of Maurice Sendak, a freelancer. And it has used this technique for more than 40 years until today.
This newspaper uses this style to express their stories with the artists’ marks. The drawings can be another piece of information and emphasize the article.
Time
This dot-drawing technique is used randomly in this newspaper. No rules require that any particular part needs an ink-dot drawing picture. Only specific sections of NYT have the drawings.
One unique thing is that various illustrated artists produce these drawings. In this way, the newspaper can keep individual tastes for the viewers. Although it still exists today, it was most famous between 1970 and 1980.
Places
The dot-drawing style is used in two parts. Firstly, it is the weekly book review on Sunday since this issue doesn’t need too many images inside.
Another part is the Real Estate section, where the artists want to describe the society we’re living in now.
Settings
A fascinating thing about this drawing style is that the artist can show their thoughts and feelings through pictures.
You can feel happiness, enjoyment through bright-colored images, yet sadness or seriousness through dull-colored ones.
Portrayal
This drawing style also positively influences how the artists portray their characters. And remember, they are not always the facts.
Some artists will want to describe people in complex ways, whereas some present the characters. And the artists have the right to portray as many people as they want.
Impact
Like we’ve said, these drawings can carry many story meanings. Therefore, they can arouse curiosity to make the readers wonder about their actual intentions.
Fascinating Facts About Dot-Drawings
Method Of Hedcuts
The name “Hedcuts” comes from the Wall Street Journal. This newspaper uses the Stipple method, which produces the picture using many tiny dots. Therefore, it will give the readers the ancient newspaper feel.
Introduction Of Machine Learning
Like we’ve mentioned before, the Wall Street Journal has also utilized AI Machine Learning since 2019. However, they only use AI for emergencies.
Actual Time Of Finalizing The Drawings
You may ask us how much time the artists need to produce the drawings. And this number may surprise you. It’s approximately three to five hours.
The artists will need the original photo with the highest quality to create the most mesmerizing dot-drawings. Cool, right?
Conclusion
We hope that the answer to which newspaper features distinctive portraits called “dot-drawings” instead of actual photos is satisfying.
It is the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. No need to say, this dot-drawing becomes one of the most effective strategies to enhance brand awareness.
Thank you for reading this article, and we hope to see you again in our next article!
