How minimal tools and an accepting mistakes make this artist's work feel spontaneous

Sometimes people think art should be meticulous and flawless, but as we mentioned in our feature on scribble art exercises, striving for perfection can be the enemy of inspiration. One artist who's well aware of this is Kevin Antoine.

Known as ANTOINE, the Brussels-based freelance artist sometimes works with digital tools and is also a director and 2D animation consultant. But his greatest passion is working with ink on paper without sketches, preferably with a Pilot Falcon SF pen.

His aim in using such a direct approach with minimal tools is to keep his art spontaneous. “Each line is intentional, each mistake is part of the story,” he says. Below he tells us more through four pieces that serve as examples of Antoine's approach to line art.

If you're inspired but need the tools, see our expert guides to the best pens for artists and the best markers for artists.

This first piece is called Turf. Antoine picked this out as an example of his spontaneous, meditative process at work. “I start somewhere and let it drift, guided by emotions,” he says.

This moving piece is characteristic of the strong emotional elements in Antoine's art. It's called Alzheimer. “I suppose what I fear most is that it might happen to someone I love,” the artist admits.

Metamorphe is an example of another approach that Antoine tends to use to encourage a spontaneous evolution of ideas. “I often redraw from memory, as a way to explore how imagery embeds itself and evolves over time,” he explains.

The final piece we'll share in this artist profile is Abyss Mechanic. Like much of Kevin's work it represents doubts and anxieties at the frontier between nature and machine – a tension that has become even more pertinent in these times of rapid AI development. “Organic and mechanical tension echoes the drama of our times," the artist says. “The machine takes over.”

You can see more of Antoine's work on his portfolio website. To practise your own skills, see our roundups of line art exercises and beginner line drawing exercises.

This article originally appeared in ImagineFX. Subscribe to ImagineFX to never miss an issue. Print and digital subscriptions available.