Ligne Claire

Description

Ligne claire ("clear line") is the Franco-Belgian comic style codified by classic mid-20th-century adventure comics. It is the foundation of the European bande dessinée tradition and one of the most rigorously defined visual systems in comics. Rules: every contour line is a single, even-weight black line — no varying thickness, no hatching, no crosshatching for shadow; color is laid down as flat opaque shapes inside the line, with no gradient or modeling; shadows are simplified to flat darker shapes or omitted entirely; figures, vehicles, and architecture are drawn with technical precision — backgrounds are studied from photographs, vehicles are accurate to the model; compositions are calm and clear; backgrounds are as carefully drawn as the foreground; characters are stylized but environments are realistic. Use it for adventure imagery, travelogue, retro Euro-comic homage, instructional and editorial illustration, architectural and transportation subjects, and any composition that should feel meticulous, calm, and continental. Limitations: not for grit, not for moody lighting, not for high action. Models will overshoot into generic "cartoon" — specify "ligne claire style, single even-weight black contour line throughout, flat opaque color inside line, no hatching, no gradient, realistic background detail with stylized characters, 1950s European bande dessinée."